Lily and the HalfBlood Prince
by greeneyes117
Summary: This story starts from when Severus first met Lily, and the way their friendship evolved during their school years. It is mostly canon, continuing almost seamlessly from Ch.33 in JKR's book the latter marked in italics .COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Playground.**

_In a nearly deserted playground a single, huge chimney dominated the distant skyline. Two girls were swinging backwards and forwards, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too-short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smock-like shirt._

_He looked no more than nine or ten years old, sallow, small, stringy. There was undisguised greed in his thin face as he watched the younger of the two girls swinging higher and higher than her sister._

'_Lily, don't do it!' shrieked the elder of the two._

_But the girl had let go of the swing at the highest point of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skywards with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared, like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly._

'_Mummy told you not to!'_

_Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching grinding sound, then leapt up hands on hips._

'_Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!'_

'_But I'm fine,' said Lily, still giggling 'Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do.'_

_Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves, and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which Snape lurked._

_Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval .Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals like some bizarre many-lipped oyster._

'_Stop it!' shrieked Petunia._

'_It's not hurting you,' said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground._

'_It's not right,' said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower's path to the ground and lingered upon it 'How do you do it?' she added, and there was definite longing in her voice._

"_It's obvious, isn't it? Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backwards towards the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of colour mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily._

'_What's obvious?' a__sked Lily._

_Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said, 'I know what you are'._

'_What do you mean?'_

'_You're...you're a witch,' whispered Snape._

_She looked affronted._

'_That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!'_

_She turned nose in the air, and marched off towards her sister._

'_No!' said Snape. He was highly coloured now and one wondered why he did not take off the ridiculously large coat, unless it was because he did not want to reveal the smock beneath it. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously bat-like._

_The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles, as though it was the safe place in tag._

'_You are,' said Snape to Lily '__You' re a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My Mum's one, and I'm a wizard.'_

_Petunia's laugh was like cold water._

'_Wizard!' she shrieked, her courage returned now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. 'I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river,' she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation, 'Why have you been spying on us?'_

'_Haven't been spying,' said Snape, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. 'Wouldn't spy on you, anyway,' he added spitefully 'you're a muggle.'_

_Though Petunia evidently did not understand the word, she could hardly mistake the tone._

"_Lily, come on. We're leaving!' she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left. He stood watching them as the marched through the playground gate, bitterly disappointed that what he had been planning for this moment for a while had gone all wrong._

The sun was low in the sky and the huge chimney in the distance cast a lengthening shadow across the streets and houses. Two girls were walking down one of the streets - one of them almost running.

'Hurry up, Petunia,' said the younger of the two, glancing back at the other 'It's late, and he may not be there'.

"I _hope_ he won't be there," said Petunia sulkily "You shouldn't try and talk to him. I've already told you. Listen, Lily-' She caught hold of the younger girl's arm, forcing her to stop and turn around. "I heard Mrs. Green tell Mummy the other day, that folk from Spinners end are – are _bad_!"

Petunia paused, hoping her words had made an impression, but Lily remained defiant.

'She said respectable people shouldn't have anything to do with them,' she continued, but Lily shook her off impatiently.

'Well, I don't care what Mrs. Green says – she's a pompous, old scarecrow! And anyway, he's the only one who ever looked remotely pleased and excited when I did one of my strange tricks, Tuney. Even _you_ hate it when I do it – you keep calling me weird, remember?'

Lily looked accusingly at her sister, then continued more quietly: 'Even Mum and Dad look worried when it happens, though they don't say anything. So, now I want to know why ... if ... if it is what he said.'

'But Lily, it's getting late. Mum will be ..."

"Tuney, I wanted to go to the playground earlier, but you kept getting excuses. And I don't care if he's from the poorest part of town; I want to speak to him. Now come_ on!"_

She turned to go, this time practically running, so that her sister had no choice but to hurry up after her. They turned a corner, and there, in the distance, surrounded by overgrown bushes and shrubs, was the playground. It was deserted except for a lone boy seated crosswise on a swing. He was slouched over a book, his long dark hair falling over his face. He had his back to them, so did not see them coming through the playground gate.

Lily hesitated for a second, her momentary joy at finding him faltering – they hadn't parted on such good terms yesterday. However, she had been forced to admit, that same evening, that Petunia had been rude first, which had resulted in him calling her names, (though she wasn't quite sure what he had meant).

Then she marched determinedly towards him, leaving Petunia, who seemed to think she had done more than enough by coming, sitting on the roundabout, scowling at them.

Something made the boy look up and turn around. He saw her coming towards him, long red hair ablaze in the setting sun. He stood up, almost holding his breath – she had come to look for him, after all. He had spent all day in or near the playground, hoping she might come back, that she had believed his words… The book dangled forgotten in his hand as he clung to the rusty chain of the swing, waiting for her to speak.

She stopped in front of him, looked him straight in the face, and smiled hesitantly.

'Hello,' she said, 'My name is Lily. Lily Evans"

'Hello, Lily,' he said in a low voice, and a smile lighted up his thin face as he uttered her name for the first time. The red light of sunset, as well as relief at her smiling approach, suffused his pale face with a warm glow, so he did not look as strange and intimidating as when he had first jumped out of the bush at them yesterday.

Seeing this, Lily gathered her courage and asked him what had been tormenting her all last night.

"Yesterday you said… you said I was a witch because you saw me doing those things. Have you seen someone else who can do it too? Can you – does it happen to you too? What _did _you mean? Is it true?"

She stopped. She thought she was starting to sound incoherent. What if he had just been taunting her yesterday?

But she needn't have worried; he did not laugh at her, but came towards her, holding out the book he was reading.

"Yes, Lily, it's all true. What I said yesterday. Look - this book is about Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm reading about it because that is where I'll be going in a couple of years – to learn about magic,' He paused, looking intently at her, 'That is what you are doing – Magic!'

She looked up into his eyes. They were very dark, like his hair, but she saw that he meant it, and that it was the truth that he was telling her, without the added evidence of the book which she now held in her hands.

The book! Suddenly, as she held it open in her hands, the pages started flipping back and forth wildly, as though blown by a mad wind, though there was hardly a breeze. She looked up at him in alarm, but he was smiling.

"I can do magic, too" he whispered.

Suddenly, she felt a great sense of relief. Finally, someone like her, who understood her, who would not look worried or angry if she did something strange, and who could, perhaps, give her answers.

The book finally flipped to a stop. It had strange, moving photos inside - fascinating views of a large castle with turrets and ramparts that gleamed majestically in the sun. She would have loved to sit on a swing and read it right there and then, but knew that would be rude – she hardly knew this boy after all.

"I'm sorry. This is your book,' She made to hand it back "I don't even know your name,' she grinned.

'Severus Snape,' he answered.

It was an odd name, Lily thought, like every thing else about him.

Just then Petunia, who had been swinging herself back and forth on the roundabout, came up to them scowling.

'I want to go home now,' she said flatly to Lily

'Okay, Tuney, I'm coming," she said.

Petunia did not even wait for her, but set off towards the playground gate. Lily hesitated, but Severus Snape anticipated her.

'Will you come again tomorrow?' he asked eagerly 'I'll get more books. There's so much more you need to know…'

'Yes, Okay,' Lily replied. "I'll be here earlier – at midday. Bye!' And she skipped off after her sister, with light-hearted steps, red hair swinging.

'Bye, Lily' whispered Snape, but she had already gone

He stayed there much longer, till the first stars appeared, hardly daring to believe how happy he was. Since he had first seen her weeks ago, and seen her magic, she had been like a promise of joy, and something to look forward to. It even eclipsed his carefully nurtured dreams of one day becoming a student of Hogwarts and never having to come back to that miserable place he called home. He leaned back on the chains of the swing – why, perhaps he might even hope to have something that had eluded him all his life – a friend!

Next day as Lily ran light-heartedly towards the playground she reflected how lucky she was to have met the strange boy – or rather, that he had noticed her. She was alone, Petunia hadn't wanted to come. 'It's too hot' she had said, but Lily suspected she was scared of Severus. When she told her about the book yesterday, she had marched off to her room, saying "I told you he was a freak!" and hadn't wanted to hear more about it.

As she went round the corner, and looked over the bushes at the playground eagerly, she thought for a moment that he hadn't come. Then she saw him sitting in the shade of a small tree near the far end of the playground. A group of boys were playing rowdily on the swings, trying to twist the rusty chains around the topmost pole. Lily ignored them and went up to Severus.

'Hello,' she said.

He looked up at her, shading his eyes from the sun. Lily noticed that a small pile of books had been thrust under the tangled undergrowth behind him. He stood up.

'Hello,' he said.

It was a hot day, and the sun shimmered harshly on the white gravel of the playground. Lily wondered why he was still wearing that overlarge coat. He seemed to read her mind, for he said "Come on Lily, I know a better place than this".

He glanced at the group of boys, who had now managed to tangle two of the swings around each other and across the supporting frame of the swing.

'It's quieter – cool and shady too,' He turned round to gather his books.

Just then, one of the boys, a large, loutish-looking one, with a pudgy face and pudding- bowl haircut, who was looking around for something else to wreck, noticed them.

"Why, look who's 'ere!" he shouted, for the benefit of the whole playground, 'It's that oddball, Snape, king of the weirdos!'

There was a smattering of appreciative sniggering from his cronies.

'Why – and what's this? He got himself a _girlfriend!' _

They were howling with laughter now.

Lily turned towards them, her eyes flashing, a retort ready on her lips, but what she saw stopped her. Severus whirled around, black eyes narrowed in anger and muttered something under his breath.

Suddenly the large boy, who had been standing on the last, undamaged swing, flew spectacularly to the ground, as, with a loud crack, the wooden seat of the swing broke in two. He landed awkwardly, hitting his face on the foot of the swing pole, so that when he got up, blood was seeping from his nose.

In the ensuing confusion, as his friends gathered in bewilderment around their fallen companion, Severus gathered up his books and turned to Lily.

"C'mon, Lily, let's go!' he took her hand and pulled her towards the gate.

She resisted a moment, then followed him.

They walked past the last few rows of houses and towards the river. Lily glanced tentatively at him as he walked by her side and a little ahead. His eyes were still narrowed, and there was a crease on his brow. What had happened back there in the playground?

He led her past the last house bordering the river, with its broken fence and yellowing, unkempt garden. Adjacent to the last house, they reached a no-man's land of small grassy spaces. They were close to the river now. Finally, they came to a small thicket of trees beyond which the riverbank sloped down towards the sunlit water. There was cool, dappled sunlight under the trees. Severus, who had by now visibly relaxed, threw his books in the shadiest part, and sat down.

"Here will do' he said,

Lily joined him, sitting down on the soft grass.

"What happened back there in the playground?" she said "For a moment I thought ... It seemed, as if _you_ made that horrible boy fall..."

"Well, I meant to throw him off, but the swing broke instead. Not very accurate without a wand, I'm afraid.'

She was silent. He stole a quick look at her and was surprised to see a fleeting expression of fear in her face. Alarmed, he told her that he hadn't meant to hurt him.

'I – I can't really control magic without a wand. And anyway, he had it coming. Didn't you hear what - ?' He stopped, suddenly awkward.

Lily still seemed unconvinced.

'Listen Lily, didn't you ever make something strange happen when you were angry?"

Lily bit her lip. He was right. She had to admit to herself that on many occasions when she and Petunia quarreled, her sister, though older, was usually the one to come off worse. Like the time Petunia's tea set had shattered mysteriously to bits, when she had been angry with her (Petunia had broken her new doll in a jealous fit); and the time when a boy at school had called her carrot-head – his hair had turned pink! She smiled slowly, remembering. Then she looked at Severus, her green eyes twinkling.

'Yeah, I guess he did deserve it a bit - he was being very rude,'

A few minutes before she had felt almost afraid of this strange boy sitting beside her. She had followed him much further away from where her mother usually allowed her to go, and it had been rather alarming to know what he had done. But now she felt she understood him better.

In fact, it even felt as though she had known him for a long time.

He had relaxed at her words. For a moment he was afraid that he had ruined everything again. But when her green eyes looked at him, kind and alive with laughter, he knew they were friends, together against all the bullying muggles that had ever tormented him.

'So, tell me about wands, then. Why can't you do magic without them?'

"Well, you can, but you can't control well what you do. You just saw – ' he shrugged, 'With a wand, your magic is focused through it at the object you wish to enchant, and it is stronger, more powerful and precise."

"Why don't you have one?"

"You only get a wand when you enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That's when you start learning magic.'

'This school – the book you showed me yesterday – that's the one, isn't it?'

'Yes. There's only one school in Britain. Everyone goes there. Witches and wizards, that is - not muggles"

She made a wry face. 'That's what you called my sister the other day. What did you mean by it?'

'Muggles – non-magic people.'

This set her thinking. One question had been burning inside her all yesterday.

'How come I never saw anyone else do magic. Is it just us? Are there more – you know, like me and you?'

'Of course. I already told you, my mother is a witch. But there are more muggles than witches and wizards, and, many years ago, - centuries, in fact, - they waged war on us. Even you, in your muggle school, must've heard about the witch hunts. They wanted to steal our magic, to use it for their own purposes, yet they were scared of it, too, hence the persecutions. Of course, no stupid muggles could easily hurt a witch or wizard – magic wands are far superior weapons than anything muggles can dream up. But the panic among muggles was so widespread, that the Wizengamot decided that it was overall much better to go into hiding – to put it about that magic did not exist, as neither did wizards, or witches.' Severus looked as if he didn't quite agree, but he continued:

'Anyway, in 1692 the Statute of Secrecy was signed by the representatives of all magical beings, and slowly, over the years, our world became, and remained, part of muggle folklore and stories for children. Muggles! Ha!' he snorted, 'Little do they know how everything is really under _our _control!'

He stopped, looked nervously at her, and changed track, 'So you see, you haven't seen any magic because it is a crime to break the Statute of Secrecy. Muggles must never know, or see, magic."

He paused and looked at her, but she was listening intently, hanging on to his every word. He gained confidence.

'Sometimes, families of witches and wizards live close together in small villages, with muggle neighbours being none the wiser. But we are so few…'

He looked at her again.

'In this town," he whispered, 'I thought I was by myself. I thought there was no one else apart from my mother and me. Then I saw you...'

He was gazing at her intently, his voice hushed and excited. Lily understood why he had been so excited the other day. She herself had always felt increasingly different, but for him, _knowing_ that his difference was a certain and insurmountable barrier, must have felt infinitely harder and lonelier.

'Did you ever go to school at Hogwarts?' she asked.

'No. You have to be eleven before you can start there. Till now I was educated at home. My mother did not want to send me to a muggle school'

'It's not so bad,' she said, slightly affronted 'You get to learn things, and you have friends to play with.'

He fell silent. He knew he would never fit in. It had always been so whenever he met anyone his age. His mother had attempted to send him to the local Primary school at his father's insistence, but it had been an undeniable disaster, and she been forced to take him out again.

Other children never could understand him, somehow.

'Well, we'll go to Hogwarts, you and I,' he said brightly, after a while.

'What?' Lily was taken aback.

She was going to St Alden's Girls School, where Petunia was due to start attending. She told him so.

But he shook his head 'No. You'll _have to_ come to Hogwarts – especially since you're from a muggle family. As you grow older, your magic powers will grow too – you will have to learn how to control it or... or bad things can happen to you .You have no choice.'

He seemed happy about this, but for Lily things were going a bit faster than she had anticipated, and this was a lot to take in. She shook her head.

'Mum and Dad won't agree. They've already arranged for Petunia to go to St Alden's Girls' School. I'll be following her there.'

But she sounded doubtful now. A school where you learnt magic! Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined something like this possible. Another thought crossed her mind.

'Mum and Dad - they don't know anything. How- What shall I tell them? They won't believe me!"  
Severus didn't seem to think this important. 'When we're eleven, we'll receive a letter from Hogwarts, to attend there - you can show them that. It will be wonderful, Lily. I can't wait to start. There's so much to learn. So many things you can do with magic, and it's all there – at Hogwarts. I wish we didn't have to wait another year" he added ruefully, snapping the twig he was holding in two.

Lily had been looking through the book he had shown her yesterday. His enthusiasm was infectious, and suddenly the prospect of attending Hogwarts seemed more real. He showed her the other books he had brought along, and Lily was amazed to see their contents – _Basic_ _Charms_ and _Spells for the Beginner_; _Elementary Transfiguration_ (what was _that?)._

'These are old books. They belonged to my Mum. Wait till you see Hogwarts Library, Lily – Its enormous!' He fell silent, lost in thought. Once in Hogwarts, far away from the squalor of Spinners End, he would finally be able to show everyone what he was worth.

'Is your Mum allowed to do magic?'

Lily's question brought him down to earth with a bump. For a moment he thought she knew, then he realised it had been an innocent question. He frowned, not wanting to admit how things were at home.

'Yes, of course,' he said eventually 'She's a fully trained witch, and was a very good one too. You're allowed to do magic if you're over seventeen, as long as you don't do it in front of muggles.'

She noticed the past tense and his closed, guarded expression, but she really wanted to see some magic, so she ploughed on.

'Hey, Severus, do you think perhaps, your Mum could show me ...?"

'No, she can't!' he cut across her, almost angrily, 'She doesn't use magic much nowadays. At least, not in front of my father. He- he's a muggle and he ... they...' he swallowed, took a deep breath, and continued more quietly, "… they're always fighting and arguing. I stay out of the way and out of the house as much as I can."

His head was bent, his hair covering his face and his voice was so low that Lily had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. He had now broken the twig in a hundred pieces.

'It's been like that ever since I can remember...'

Why was he telling her all this? He had never told a soul about his wretched home life. What if she looked down on him now?

He finally looked up to find her gazing at him with an expression of sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Severus,' she said 'It must be terrible to hear your parent's row all the time. I don't blame you for staying out of the house – I guess I would've done the same.'

He tore his gaze away from her with difficulty, looking down at his hands, and fiddling with the broken twigs. Then he glanced up sideways at her through the curtains of dark hair falling across his face, and gave a small smile. Lily didn't press him further about his mother, but asked to see his books again, so they lay down side by side on the warm grass, with the shabby books before them, Severus leafing through them , pointing out things he .thought she might like, and she listened eagerly as he unfolded a new world before her eyes.

The sun was starting to set when Lily realised how late it was. She had hardly noticed the time flying. They promised to meet again the following Monday, since Lily had to go out with her family over the weekend, and decided upon the shady glen by the riverside as the best spot. As they got up reluctantly to leave, they both knew they could hardly wait for Monday to come.

14


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: By the River.**

_In a small thicket of trees, a sunlit river was glittering through the tree trunks. The shadows cast by the trees made a basin of cool green shade. Two children sat facing each other, cross legged on the ground. Snape had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half-light._

'_... and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters!'_

'_But I have done magic outside school!'_

'_We're all right. We haven't got wands yet .They let you off when you're a kid and can't help it .But once you are eleven,' he nodded importantly, 'and they start training you, then you've got to go careful'_

_There was a little silence. Lily had picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air. She was imagining sparks trailing from it. Then she dropped the twig, leaned towards the boy, and said, 'It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts .It is real, isn't it?'_

'_It's real for us' said Snape 'Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me'_

'_Really?' whispered Lily._

'_Definitely,' said Snape and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he struck an oddly impressive figure sprawled in front of her, brimful of confidence in his destiny._

'_And will it really come by owl?' Lily whispered_

'_Normally,' said Snape ' But you're muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents.'_

'_Does it make a difference being Muggle-born?'_

_Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair._

'_No,' he said. 'It doesn't make any difference'_

'_Good' said Lily, relaxing: it was clear that she had been worrying._

'_You've got loads of magic,' said Snape 'I saw that. All the time I was watching you...'_

_His voice trailed away; she was not listening, but had stretched out on the leafy ground and was looking up at the canopy of leaves over head. He watched her as greedily as he had watched her in the playground._

'_How are things at your house?' Lily asked._

_A little crease appeared between his eyes._

'_Fine,' he said_

'_They're not arguing any more?'_

'_Oh yes, they're arguing,' said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing 'But it won't be that long and I'll be gone'._

'_Doesn't your Dad like magic?'_

'_He doesn't like anything, much,' said Snape._

'_Severus?'_

_A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name._

'_Yeah?'_

'_Tell me about the Dementors again.'_

'_What d'you want to know about them for?'_

'_If I use magic outside school-'_

'_They wouldn't give you to the Dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too-'_

_He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then there was a small rustling noise as Petunia, who had been hiding behind a tree, lost her footing._

'_Tuney!' said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet._

"_Who's spying now?' he shouted 'What d'you want ?'_

_Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught . She struggled for something hurtful to say._

'_What is that you're wearing anyway?' she said pointing at Snape's chest 'Your Mum's blouse?'_

_There was a crack : a branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed: the branch caught Petunia on the shoulder and she staggered backwards and burst into tears._

'_Tuney!'_

_But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape._

'_Did you make that happen?'_

'_No' he looked both defiant and scared._

'_You did!' She was backing away from him 'You did! You hurt her!'_

'_No – No I didn't!'_

_But the lie did not convince Lily: after one last burning look she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused... _

Days passed. It was almost the end of summer now. A light rain was falling; the drops were swallowed immediately by the parched earth around the small clump of trees by the riverside. The river itself moved slowly and sluggishly, reflecting the grey sky above. A small, thin boy got up reluctantly from under the trees when the rain started pelting down more heavily. He was wearing a large, white t-shirt whose sleeves came down to his elbows, jeans and scuffed trainers.

Severus Snape looked up at the lowering sky and sighed. He had no books with him – lately, his enthusiasm for his paper friends had abated somewhat, because he had no one to share them with. He had haunted the playground and small grove by the river all week, hoping to catch sight of Lily, but she hadn't come. He realised he hadn't even asked her where she lived, though he knew the general location.

His T-shirt was now clinging to his thin frame like a second skin, and his hair was plastered to his face. What if he tried to find her house? With school term approaching, she would be off to that muggle school and he would probably never see her till next summer.

He _had _ to speak to her, to apologise if necessary. He could still remember the angry look she gave him before she ran off.

He scowled. He hadn't wanted it to turn out the way it did, but he just could not stand it when muggle children taunted him. Why did that stupid muggle sister have to spoil everything? He always found it hard to control his magic then – it just exploded out of him.

He found himself in a well-to-do neighborhood, not too far from the playing fields. Each house had a neatly manicured garden in front. The rain had stopped now and the sun was coming in and out fitfully from behind clouds. The streets were for the most part deserted, since it was close to midday.

Severus was just about to turn back when suddenly he saw her. She seemed to have just come rounds the corner. Her long red hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a summery, tiered dress. She had stopped and was watching him.

He took a deep breath and walked towards her. She didn't run away like he half-expected her to.

'Listen, Lily,' he stammered, "I'm... I'm sorry...'

She looked up at him seriously. Then she gave a half-smile.

'I was on my way to the playing fields again,' she said 'I was hoping to see you.'

Relief flooded through him, all the gloom of the past week vanished, as her green eyes gazed up at him - perhaps all was not lost then!

'Lily, that day - I didn't mean for it to end like that. I lost my temper and – '

'It's okay, Severus, I understand - though I was pretty mad at first.'

'...and I also didn't want to be overheard talking about magic,' he continued, hardly hearing her. It was as if he couldn't stop: 'I've been told often enough to keep my mouth shut about magic. Though, seeing as its your sister, she can be told the bare facts...' he stopped, afraid he was babbling.

'Well, Petunia isn't speaking much to me now. She ranted and raved for two whole days and wouldn't listen to reason. Wanted me to promise I wouldn't speak about magic - called it my 'sickness', actually. Finally, she started being very rude about you and … and … me.'

A slight flush suffused her pale face, and she looked down, speaking to her hands. 'Well, I'm afraid I lost my temper too, and - I guess I'm glad you told me that Dementors would not be after me for a doing magic ...'She looked up again and grinned mischievously, 'What happened to you, anyway? You look like a drowned rat.'

"Rained,' he said, shrugging his shoulders.

'Don't you go home when it rains?'

'It's still summer, - 's not cold.'

He didn't tell her that sometimes he had avoided going home even when it was snowing outside.

'Let's go by the river,' she suggested, 'you need to dry off'

And they set off side by side towards the distant river.

'Severus?'

'Yeah?

'Perhaps we should avoid my sister for a while... I'll let her calm down, and then I'll talk to her, - make her understand. Then we can all be friends and we can play together.'

Severus did not say anything. He very much doubted whether Petunia would understand, and anyway, he did not want to share Lily with anyone – she alone was like him. However, he certainly agreed about avoiding her – he did not want another repetition of what had happened. He must learn to tread carefully.

'Well, you'll soon start school now,' he said, avoiding the issue, 'I don't think I'll be seeing you then...'

Lily walked in silence for a while. Severus knew she had not thought about this.

They arrived by the river side. The ground was still wet so they sat on some fallen logs at the edge of the grove. The sun was shining strongly now.

'No, I guess there won't be much time to come here when school starts,' Lily murmured pensively, 'My school is right across town, and I'm not allowed out when I've got homework. But there's next summer...' she said, on a more cheerful note.

'Yeah,' said Severus, unenthusiastically

'I know, it seems far away now, Severus, but listen, lets enjoy the rest of the holidays, - there's still a few days left. Why don't you get your books again tomorrow?'

'Ok,' he replied, cheering up, 'I'll tell you about potions tomorrow. It's a subject we'll be taking in first year and it's really good – you can brew lots of stuff ...'

They spent the rest of the afternoon, and the days that followed, happily anticipating the day when they would finally be students at Hogwarts, amongst their own kind. Severus told Lily that she should wait until the letter from Hogwarts arrived, before trying to tell her parents anything. It would be hard to convince them otherwise.

The last days of summer flew by until the day finally came when Lily told Severus that it would be the last time she came to the grove – she started school the next day. Severus listened with a heavy heart.

'Will you come meet me here on the first day of summer holidays?' he asked, kicking his scuffed trainers against a log. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the unoffending log.

'Of course, but I can't promise anything during winter – I'm not allowed out much.'

He nodded dejectedly.

'Bye Lily,' he said.

'Bye, Severus,' and with a small wave, she turned and left.

She was tempted to stay a bit longer – he looked so sad. It must be harder for him, she thought - at least, she had her old school friends to look forward to, and he had no one. Then she remembered that she also had a whole year of algebra, French dictations and English essays to look forward to, and her spirits fell. There would be none of the weird and wonderful magic things Severus had been teaching her.

Severus remained alone under the trees for a while longer – a chill wind was blowing the fallen leaves around the small clearing, and the birdsong echoed emptily in the small grove. It seemed suddenly lonely and deserted. He thought of Lily's eager face and lively green eyes and heaved a deep sigh.

He did not know how he was going to survive the long winter.

XXX

The winter that followed was harsh. Lily looked out of her snow-framed bedroom window. It was mid-January, and the Christmas holidays were almost over. It would also be her birthday soon – she would be ten years old. As she had anticipated, there had not been much time to go out – too much homework; too cold... It seemed her mother wanted her in the house all the time.

Lily wondered whether Petunia had told their Mum about who she had been spending time with last summer – and she knew Petunia would paint a black picture, especially after their quarrel. She had tried to convince her sister that Severus was sorry, that he could tell her all about the other world, but Petunia would have none of it. She would either berate her for associating with such a freak, or storm off to her room and slam the door.

Lily had given up in the end and avoided speaking about magic at all, till Petunia finally relented, and started to speak to her again, telling her all about her new school and new school friends.

Although she was glad Petunia was talking to her again, she seemed only to be interested in what everyone was wearing, and what music her friends liked. Lily listened politely, but it did not interest her. She felt increasingly isolated from the world of magic and longed to hear Severus again, listen to him explain about the wonderful world of magic with which he had held her spellbound last summer. It already seemed so long ago. She sighed.

Had it all been a dream?

XXXX

The months rolled by, and the days became longer and warmer. Even the river seemed to lose the grey, glutted look of winter and flowed more merrily, reflecting the blue skies and the green, overhanging trees of a small grove by the waters' edge.

A small, still pond had been formed by the flooding river during the winter. Several fallen trees and other debris had dammed up the water, and the fast flow during the floods had excavated the soft earth, leaving behind a fairly deep pool beneath the trees.

A lone boy was sitting on one of the fallen trees, throwing twigs into the water. He had taken off his shoes and rolled up his jeans, having apparently been wading in the pond. He kept looking over his shoulders at the meadow that could be seen through the tree trunks.

Severus Snape did not look any different from last summer – perhaps a little taller, his hair certainly longer, and he was still wearing the same baggy, white T-shirt that arrived up to his elbows.

After a while, he sighed and leaned back on the fallen tree trunk, arms behind his head, and looked up at the canopy of leaves above.

It was the first day of summer holidays, and he had been hoping that Lily remembered...

A feeling of sudden anger came over him- he was a fool to have thought she would come. She had never been out of the house all winter. He knew, because he had haunted the street where she lived, hoping to catch sight if her.

He hadn't dared approach her house though, because, judging by her sister's reaction, he was sure her parents would not take kindly to his bedraggled appearance.

It had been such a bleak time – deprived of his only friend, he had wandered through the backstreets of town, along the frozen, then flooding river, like a restless spirit.

When he went home, late in the evening, or when the extreme weather forced him to, it was only to be greeted with a clout on the head from his father, who said he was becoming a tramp.

Severus thought this rather rich, coming from a man who seemed to care nothing for his appearance, family or possessions. He had a low-paid job in the industrial zone across the river, and spent most evenings at home berating the system – his employers, his job, the government, but, most of all, - his wife and son.

He knew, of course, that they were a witch and a wizard, and he resented this, - hated it, in fact. Severus often wondered why he didn't just leave, and then he remembered that in the latest screaming match between his parents, he had threatened his mother with just that. Severus shook himself – he must stop thinking about it - he could always come here with his books, and prepare himself for Hogwarts, where he would finally be far away from Spinners' End.

Perhaps he would meet Lily there, if not here.

If she still wanted to speak to him after all. What if she didn't? What if she had been telling all her friends about 'that weird boy from Spinners' End'; laughing about him...?

It had been such a long winter...

'Severus! Severus!' a shout rang across the trees. It was Lily, and she was running towards him. He sat up, hardly daring to believe it. But it _was_ really her, eyes shining, dark red hair dancing on her shoulders as she slalomed through the tree trunks.

'Lily!' he had barely got off the tree trunk, when she ran up to him eagerly.

For a moment he thought she was going to hug him, but she hesitated the last moment and caught his arm instead, squeezing it and jumping up and down in her eagerness. His bad mood of a moment earlier vanished completely, and he smiled at her.

'Oh, Severus,' she said 'It's been such a loooong winter! I'm so glad to find you - I came as soon as I could. I thought I wouldn't find you here...'

'I thought you wouldn't come ...'

"Of course I would! But I wasn't allowed out all winter – not even to the shops!'

'Yeah, I know.'

'You – you do?'

'Well,' he hesitated, not knowing how much he ought to tell her. 'I went to your street sometimes, to see if you were about...'

'Had I seen you, I would have come out, Severus, really. It was such a long time; I started to believe I had dreamt it all.'

She sat down on the log.

"I – I don't want it to be such a long time again, Severus' she whispered after a while.

Severus's heart missed a beat. Could it be that she had missed him too, after all? Being missed by anyone at all was a strange sensation to Severus, who, however, liked it very much.

'I don't want it either,' he agreed 'Listen, Lily, I'll be turning eleven in six months' time. When's your Birthday?'

"30 th of January, why?'

'Then we'll both be turning 11 next January. That's when our letters will come. Then perhaps your parents will be happier to let you out once everything will be explained to them. They'll believe everything then.'

'Hey, yes. That's a good idea!' her buoyant spirits returned "It won't be such a long stretch of time, then!'

'No, not any more, Lily'

"Was this pool here, before?'

'No it was made by the floods. I was trying to catch some gillyworms, but only found frogspawn.'

'Gilly – what?'

'Gillyworms. They're similar to what muggles call bloodworms, but they're bigger and got scales. They're used for preparing several different potions...'

'Really? Can we make a potion? Right now?'

Severus laughed at her eagerness - another strange sensation – Severus hardly ever laughed.

'No,' he said, 'Not really. Not without a wand. But I'm practising - at least I can recognise and collect the ingredients. Sometimes I take them home and my mum prepares the potion.'

'Can I help?'

'That would be great – come on.'

Lily took off her sandals and followed him into the pond, which was quite shallow along the edge.

He showed her what to look for, and where to search, and they spent the next half hour happily wading through the cool water, the silt and dead leaves soft beneath their feet.

At last, with a quick skimming movement at the water surface, Severus caught the first gillyworm. He held it up for Lily to see – it was several inches long and covered in strange round scales that appeared blood-red one moment and reflected the surroundings the next. Its underside was transparent, because its insides could be seen. Severus was glad to see that Lily did not recoil or shriek like a muggle girl. On the contrary, she seemed fascinated and took it into her hands.

'Mind the teeth, Lily. Hold it like this, with your fingers behind the head...'

'Wow!' she said holding it up to the dappled light 'I never saw anything like it!'

'Muggles hardly ever see them. Even magical people can find it hard to catch...'

"Well, _you_ caught it, Severus.'

He nodded. He had had a lot of practice. He went on to explain how it was used – after drying it; the different parts were mixed with different ingredients for different potions.

'Look, Lily,' They were back on dry land again. 'You get some over ripe Bindwood berries – the black ones up there –'

He indicated the plant climbing around the highest branches of the tree they were standing under, which were well out of their reach, but Severus just stretched out his hand and a small bunch of dark berries landed gracefully into his outstretched hand.

'There. Now you need salamander liver, you mix thoroughly, boil for three minutes and your Blood-Strengthening potion'll be almost ready.'

Lily looked at him in awe – not only did he seem to have an incredible knowledge of the plants and creatures around them, but his magic was better, more controlled. She told him so.

He shrugged "I've had nothing else to do, so I practised. But don't worry, Lily, I'll teach you...'

'Oh, yes, please, Severus. I tried not to use magic at home all winter because of Petunia, so now I'll be the only one who doesn't know anything in Hogwarts.'

'Don't worry. I already told you – you've lots of magic – you just need to train a bit.'

They sat down side by side as Snape showed Lily how to peel and prepare the berries for use in the Blood-Strengthening potion. The gillyworm lay forgotten on the grass between them. It started to crawl back towards the water.

Lily poked it and it shimmered almost to invisibility.

'Where d'you find Salamander Liver?' she asked 'D'you do it yourself, like the stuff from the gillyworm?

'Well, sometimes. Otherwise you just buy it,' he grinned, 'It would be hard to find ingredients like Dragon Liver here.'

Lily gasped - _Dragons!_

'Most ingredients you buy from special wizard shops – you can get them delivered by owl post. There's very little you can do here in this town - most stuff I find down here by the river. It would be easier if you lived in the country...'

Lily lay back on the ground and sighed. 'Yes, I always wanted to live in the country. Thank goodness we have this place to come to, Severus – can't imagine where we'd go otherwise.'

'Nobody comes here – too out of the way. And anyhow, other muggle kids prefer the playground.'

'Well, we could go there too, sometimes, Severus. It'll be fun – you'll see.'

Severus did not say anything. Anywhere with lots of muggle kids did not appeal to him.

And anyway, sitting here in the dappled green shade by the river with his only friend was about the closest he had ever come to real happiness, and nothing else could possibly be better.

25


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Book **

It was late when Lily arrived home. Her mother remonstrated with her, but Lily pointed out she had no homework or chores to do, so what was the point in staying home?

"But where have you been all this time?'

'Down by the river, with a friend' She saw Petunia, who was having tea at the table, give a guilty glance at her mother.

Lily glared at her sister. 'Mum you let Petunia stay out all day – she finished school before I did, and she's always out with her friends looking at shop windows or listening to music in the park. I'd – I'd rather do something different, that's all!'

'Different?'

'Well, my friend and I are going to read some old books tomorrow. I like reading, and Petunia doesn't' she said defensively.

This was true, her mother reflected – Lily was somewhat of a bookworm, whereas Petunia couldn't care less about books. She sighed and gave up .She would have liked them to stay together, but there was no forcing it. Anyway, if they were reading, Lily should be Ok – better than the stuntman antics Petunia said she got up to in the playground.

As for the boy, for Petunia had told her who Lily's 'friend' was; he was the epitome of an abused and neglected child. The few times she had seen him, when he was much younger, the wild, hunted look in his eyes spoke more eloquently than the shabby clothes and dark bruises on his pale skin. If Lily befriended him, and had still sought his company after her forced confinement throughout the winter months, then he could not be as bad as Petunia tried to make out. She trusted her younger daughter's judgement more than that of her eldest. Lily had always been able to see the good in everyone, whereas Petunia gave a perfunctory glance and pronounced judgement based mainly on what the person was wearing.

Perhaps she would ask Lily to invite him over; maybe they could help him...

Reading old books... somehow that did not fit the image of a slum kid ... but then he was strange. She remembered what Petunia had said about him, and Lily, and magic. She shook her head – the things they came up with! But a niggling doubt remained at the back of her mind ... Lily was so strange sometimes too.

The two sisters had gone their separate ways since last summer- Petunia attended secondary school now, and had made new friends, had new interests. Some of her friends lived in the neighbourhood, and she was constantly phoning them, or meeting them in the park. She started to refer to Lily as 'my kid sister' when alone with her friends, because it made her feel more grown-up. She realised early on that she couldn't get Lily interested in her new friends, or in window shopping, and so turned the tables on her by telling her 'You're too young to come along'.

Lily did not seem to mind as much as Petunia had hoped – in fact; she seemed only interested in sneaking off to the river with that boy from Spinner's End. Petunia remembered what had happened last summer. She had been very offended when Lily forgave him. They had quarrelled. However, she was wary of confronting him again, so, although she guessed where Lily was going, she did not dare follow her again. Besides, she reminded herself, she had new friends now, - normal ones, not like that Snape freak,- she wouldn't be seen dead with someone who was so badly dressed.

She felt a twinge of curiosity however. Were they doing magic? She pushed the thought from her mind – they were just freaks, both of them!

The rift between the sisters grew imperceptibly bigger, though Lily, at least, would not admit it. The fact that Petunia did not want to be friends with Severus did not worry her so much any more – she blamed it on Petunia's new friends, new interests – Petunia said it was because she was now a young lady, while she, Lily, was still a kid.

Lily did not mind – the wonderful days spent with Severus by the riverside made her forget everything else but planning the next day's adventure.

The summer days rolled on, and Severus and Lily met almost every day by the riverside, near the still pool. Severus had let Lily borrow his books, one by one. Most were rather old, since they had belonged to his mother, but books were not changed very often at Hogwarts, so if still in a reasonable condition they could be used from generation to generation. Lily returned them back to him diligently as soon as she had finished reading. Sometimes she was a bit overwhelmed at all she would have to learn, and, without a wand, it was difficult to know if she could do it or not. Some things she did not even understand at all.

'Don't worry' Severus used to reassure her 'The first spells are not that difficult. I know cos' I've tried them' he lowered his voice 'I took my Mum's wand a few times. But don't tell anyone, or I'll be in trouble'

'Did your mum notice?'

'No. I was careful.'

He didn't tell her that the last time had been when his mother was in bed nursing a twisted ankle. His father had accidentally pushed her down the stairs in a drunken rage. He had not even stopped to see the damage he'd done, but stormed out of the house into the night. Severus had prepared a soothing potion with his mother's wand and made her take it, telling her it was muggle medicine to relieve pain. She had been too distraught and in pain to argue, or realise that the effect was far too good to be anything muggle-made.

She made him leave the bedroom immediately then, - not wishing him to witness her tears of anger and humiliation. Severus had wondered back into the kitchen and saw her wand on the table where he had just left it. He would have to hide it - it would be better not to remind his father of its existence, especially if he came back in a worse state. In the meantime, however, he could use it ... he had done so on a number of occasions and no one was any the wiser. If he did not move too far away from where his mother was, the Ministry would not be able to tell who was casting the spell...

'My cousins are coming over this summer.'

'Wh-What?' Severus had been so lost in his memory of last week's events that he hadn't heard her.

'My cousins- they're coming in two weeks' time'

'Oh' he tried to look pleased.

'Don't you have cousins?' Lily was walking barefooted along one of the fallen logs, her arms outstretched like a tight rope walker.

'Well, yes, but I never met them'

'How come?'

There was no answer. Lily jumped down and sat beside him.

'It's complicated.' He didn't like the way the conversation was going, "I have no cousins on my father's side, and he was an only child. I have some cousins on my mothers' side, but since she was disowned by her family, I don't know anything about them.' he spoke fast, hoping it was enough information to satisfy her. But Lily, of course, wanted to know more.

'Why was your Mum disowned by her family?'

Severus got up and walked to the water's edge, so she would not see his confusion. He started to throw the willow leaves they had collected back into the water. How was he going to explain that his Mother came from a very old wizarding family, and that the reason she had been disowned was that she had disgraced the family by marrying a muggle...?

'Severus?' Lily realised that perhaps she had been prying.

'Well, let's say they didn't approve of her marrying my father.'

She did not question him further but told him about her cousins, Daniel and Sheila.

'Sheila's my sister's age and Daniel's two years older – he's going to be fifteen soon – almost a grown-up, I guess! They'll be staying for two weeks – you'll meet them too, Severus.'

His stomach clenched "I-I think better not, Lily' he stammered.

'Why not? You'll get to know them. It'll be alright'

'I don't get along too well with other muggle kids. They – they usually make fun of me!' As if she hadn't noticed, he thought bitterly. He felt himself flushing and was glad he was standing with his back to her.

'But why would they do that?' she cried indignantly 'Anyway, my cousins aren't like that! And – and besides, you're my friend!'

Severus looked at her. She was on her feet now, in her earnestness. He gave her a shy smile – he had never been called _that_ before, and, although he knew they were friends by now, it was good to hear it out loud, from her own lips.

'That's very nice of you, Lily. I'll meet your cousins if you insist, but it won't be the same thing with them around. We'll have to be careful what to say or do – we can't talk about magic.'

'It's Ok, Severus, I'll be careful not to let anything slip, but at least I'll get to see you. Come on, I want to catch my first gillyworm before I go home. Come show me how.'

And they took off their shoes and waded in the pool till the late summer sun started setting.

Lily's cousins came in August and she found they had grown a lot since the last time she had seen them the previous year. Daniel had grown taller, and was moody and pimply. He spent his time listening to his portable transistor. Sheila was expropriated by Petunia as soon as she set foot in their house, and the two girls spent a lot of time closeted in Petunia's bedroom looking at fashion magazines. They rarely let Lily in. Consequently, she was left with the grown-ups for most of the time.

After she dutifully answered her Aunt and Uncle's questions about school and schoolwork, she managed to get away and ran off down to the riverside where she knew Severus was waiting for her. She explained that her cousins seemed different and older now.

'Perhaps they'll relax a bit more soon' she said. Severus privately hoped they wouldn't. He really did not want to meet them .Then Lily explained she had to be off since they were going to a restaurant that evening.

'And then we're off to show them around the whole county the next few days - it's going to be so boring! I'll come as soon as I can get away, Severus – perhaps they'll want to come with me for a change, later on. Bye, got to dash now!'

However, days passed and Lily did not come, even though he waited for her at 'their place' every day at the same time, she did not appear. When she did, after five days, it was to say that she wasn't able to persuade them to come, and neither could she get away, because her parents insisted it was her duty to accompany her Aunt , Uncle and cousins.

Time dragged for Severus that week. As had happened before, some of the joy of reading his books and wandering by the riverside looking at plants and fungi seemed to have gone away with Lily. He did not even go to the riverside pool so often. It seemed strangely desolate now. He spent more time at home - his mother seemed to have recovered, and his father was back to staying at home during the evenings, muttering abuse at everyone, but sober.

Severus often wondered when alone in his bedroom, if his parents had ever felt affection for each other. Ever since he could remember they had rowed – his father's shouting and his mother's screaming retorts used to send him running to a corner, hands over his ears, crying.

He did not understand then, half of the words they were hurling at each other – he only knew it scared him, and made his already shaky world crumble to bits.

But he was older now, and much wiser. He did not cry any more now – he just got out of their way.

He knew the reason his parents fought was because of him, his strangeness. His father resented him and his mother being magical. Sometimes they argued over trivial things, sometimes over his mother's use of magic. Sometimes she threatened him with it, and he would in return threaten her with abandonment.

Severus knew she had no one else to support her. Her family, the Princes, were an old,

and reasonably well-to-do wizarding family, and they had made it clear to her that she would not see a galleon of their money if she brought disgrace to the family name by marrying the muggle, Tobias Snape.

His mother had told him this once, when he had pressed her to tell him about other wizards and witches. He had pestered her for ages, desperate to find someone like him – perhaps even his own age. On that occasion, she had told him that his father had wanted to settle in that particular town because it lacked any magical families. She also warned him- repeatedly – to stay away from muggles –

'My family was right, Severus, muggles are cruel and stupid. All they want is to find a way to steal our magic. Never trust a muggle! They are jealous of us. Look at us! We live in a filthy hovel with hardly enough money to put food on the table. And what does your father do? Blame it on us, of course!'

She did not want to discuss this any more and Severus did not push her.

There were times , when his father was not home , when she would tell him stories about her family – speaking with longing for those days , but also with resentment at their unfair treatment .Severus listened eagerly to these rare tales – magic in the Prince household was admired and flaunted, not used secretively, furtively, like in the house of Tobias Snape.

In the muggle world Eileen had no skills that could get her a job. She was entirely dependant on a husband she now resented and mistrusted, practically his prisoner. Being proved wrong by her family, and being at her husband's mercy, made Eileen's life increasingly bitter.

Tobias Snape liked to feel the control he exerted over his wife - it was nothing short of miraculous. She was a witch and could immobilise him with a flick of her wand...

(His mind cringed away from the times in the past when she _had_ used the wand on him). Yet, although she refused, or, as she claimed, could not, teach him magic, he still had her at his mercy now. It one of the few things that stopped him from leaving her: her begging for money, for food.

He had fallen for her when he was just a lad – entranced by her dark looks and mysterious ways. Later when he found that she was a witch, he had wanted her to teach him her secrets. When she had refused, it had been the beginning of the end of their relationship.

The birth of their son gave a temporary reprieve, only to regress to a worse disappointment when, at some 2 years of age, he discovered that the boy was gifted like her, with the innate ability to perform magic. That was the final straw for Tobias – no amount of wand-waving had ever produced so much as a spark for him, and yet his child could cause things to move without touching them, even without a wand, almost before he could walk.

Eileen had hidden her wand after catching him using it (he had been trying to make muggle money!) but Tobias never wanted to touch it again – in his rage and disappointment, he had not wanted to see, or hear, anything else about magic – if he could not do it, then no one in his household would be allowed to - at least not in his presence!

Severus was only partially aware of the real reasons behind his parent's bitterness – he thought his father hated him because of his weirdness. His father was a football fanatic and had even played with a youth team once. Severus vaguely remembered a time when his father had tried to teach him the game and get him interested, but Severus had been hopeless at it. In his frustration, he had magically exploded the ball and that had been the last time his father ever tried to even talk to him about the game again. Severus still remembered the beating he got for bursting that ball.

As for his mother, he thought that if he had not been born, she might have found the courage to leave his father and start a life for herself in the magic world, perhaps even be reconciled with her family.

Severus sighed. It felt lonelier now he knew Lily, to stay by himself, whereas once he had been used to it. Since his mum was not home and his father was at work, he decided to go and have a look in the attic – that is where his mother hid all her old books and things from her previous life, so his father would not find them – not that he ever bothered to go up in the attic anyway. Severus knew that his mothers' things were very cleverly hidden, sometimes by magic concealment.

But he hoped to uncover something new. He rummaged through some old boxes, but they contained only moth-eaten robes. Another old and battered trunk-like box or chest held only some broken quills and empty potion bottles. An interesting-looking casket he found in this trunk yielded only a gobstone set – a very handsome one, true, but nothing that really interested him. Some old copies of the _Daily Prophet_ lined the bottom of the trunk. Having found nothing else, he had started to read them when he noticed that there was a tiny black hole near the bottom right-hand corner of the trunk. It seemed to be damage caused by mice trying to nibble through the wood. Severus had a closer look – the mice hadn't managed to go right through the wood, but they had made a big-enough hole for him to realise that the trunk had a false bottom.

He turned the trunk over, his curiosity aroused. He could not figure out how to open it - it seemed sealed on all sides. He had almost given up when he noticed that , on the bottom of the trunk in one of the corners , two letters , 'S.P.' were jest visible inlaid with a different, darker kind of wood than that which constituted the chest. They were as scratched and worn as the rest of the trunk- more so because they were on the bottom side of it. Severus ran his fingers along them, wondering who S.P. was. The trunk belonged to his Mum – probably her school trunk – but perhaps it had also belonged to other members of the Prince family. The two letters were slightly depressed – was it just the inlaying technique, or -? He pressed harder and there was a slight clicking noise from one side of the overturned trunk. Severus saw that one side of the false bottom, which had appeared so solid, had opened to reveal an inch-high narrow space. He peered inside – at first he did not see anything but then he glimpsed the edge of what appeared to be parchment.

With some difficulty, Severus managed to pull out a book – it was bound in brown leather, and the simple title was written in faded gilt lettering: _**THE DARK ARTS**_.

Severus caught his breath – this was a treasure; if the book had been so carefully hidden

(by the looks of it, the compartment had last been opened a great many years ago , before his Mum's time, probably by the original S.P.) then it must be about very powerful magic. It must have been kept hidden because the dark arts were frowned upon by the wizarding community.

His Mum however, had told him that her family and many other old wizarding families still practised the dark arts.

'They keep it quiet and use it responsibly' she had explained. He had not known why then, but now, with this book in his hands, he felt a whole world would open up for him. He opened it excitedly – it seemed to be a manuscript. The handwriting was old-fashioned, curlyesque, but small and cramped. On closer inspection, he saw that the author seemed to copying other books. There were references to other books from which the writer seemed to have copied spells, even sketches, but there were also some notes which seemed to be the authors' own.

Severus flipped eagerly through the old, yellowing pages, but there was no name – neither of the writer or owner of the book. The only thing he found, on the very last page were the initials S.P. and a date : were in the same handwriting as that of the scribe so he assumed that S.P. was the writer and owner of the book, though the source of his information seemed to have been gleaned from other, perhaps, older, books.

Over the next days Severus browsed through the old book. He finally understood why dark magic was shunned by the wizarding world. It did indeed seem to cause a lot of harm and was needlessly cruel, but it also spoke about strange beasts and beings that he had never heard of; potions that were not mentioned in his other books; spells which he could hardly even understand, though he read them over and over.

Severus was fascinated and spent hours deciphering the old-fashioned script, even though he knew that it was not only dark magic, but very advanced magic too, which he would probably not be able to carry out even if he were allowed a wand.

He made sure neither his mother nor his father even caught him reading it. Mostly he took the book with him to the grove by the riverside where he knew he would not be disturbed.

One day though, when he was lying down in the shade of the high trees, the book open before him, he heard a shout in the distance. He shut the book quickly, and hid it under the others. But it was Lily and she was alone.

'Hi Severus' she said, throwing herself down beside him 'Finally, it's over! I thought they would never leave. My cousins have changed so much. They hardly even spoke to me – I had to spend these two weeks with my Aunt and Uncle and it got so boring. How about you? What have you been doing?'

'I've found something really exciting Lily, look-!' and he showed her the book and told her about how and where he had found it. Lily was suitably impressed.

'Wow! It looks so old! But, the 'Dark Arts', Severus? Isn't that bad stuff?'

'Well, yes, Lily that's why it must have been kept hidden. But its powerful magic, too. I'm sure very few qualified wizards know about this.'

Lily was leafing through it. One of the sketches made her exclaim in horror.

'Severus, this picture – it looks like a – a – dead body!' she bent closer to decipher the tiny writing. 'It _is_ a dead body! An Inferius, I think it says '..._to animate the corpse so that it will do his bidding, the dark wizard must first.... _Severus, this – this can't be good. I don't think we should be reading this...'

"Lily, it's not as though we are going to try out that incantation. There's loads more stuff in there.'

He showed her the parts wherein the strange creatures were described.

'They look evil.' she said

'All the more reason to know about them.' he said, but Lily remained unconvinced and although she looked through the pages with him, she grew increasingly uncomfortable with the book that had fascinated Severus so much.

It was her first encounter with dark magic. Previously she had not even known that it existed – she thought that magic was just making wonderful things happen. It never crossed her mind that in the wizarding world, as in the muggle world, evil existed and had been refined into an art.

The book was a real eye-opener, and it scared her.

Severus on the other hand, although disappointed she didn't like it, had known about the existence of Dark magic, and like his mother, had a more matter-of-fact attitude towards it. Actually, he thought that knowledge of the Dark arts was better than remaining ignorant, but he saw that Lily was rather shocked at the book's contents – she was a muggle-born and had led a far more sheltered life than he had. So, from then on, he did not get the book again when they were together, but replied he had put it back were he found it, in answer to her anxious enquiries.

The truth was of course, that he kept the book hidden under a loose floorboard in his room, to be perused whenever he was sure to be alone.

The last few weeks of summer passed happily for them. They met almost every day in 'their' spot by the river, collecting plants and fungi and small water creatures, and learning to identify them. Severus was an inexhaustible mine of information and Lily was quick and eager to learn. Soon she knew all of the more important ingredients of potion-making and where to find those that grew, or lived, by the riverside.

However, the day before Lily had to start school finally came. She had persuaded her mother to let her have some sandwiches and snacks for a 'picnic' because she wanted to make her last day with Severus last as long as possible. So they had been down by the river since early morning and had managed to collect quite a few berries and early mushrooms. Severus had even taught her the first steps for preparing simple potions. 'My Mum will finish them off' he said. Though, many times it was he himself who did so – whenever he could get his hands on Eileen's wand.

In fact, as the day was drawing to a close, he surprised her by giving her a small glass phial with a transparent, slightly bluish liquid inside.

'This is for you. 'he said 'I made it myself'.

'What is it?'

'It's invisible ink. Not like the muggle one with lemon juice. This reveals itself only to one person. In this case – yourself.'

"Wow! Severus, how did you do it?'

'Well, I thought since you said winter seemed kind of long last time, I thought we could write notes without alarming your parents by owl post, at least until you get your Hogwarts' letter'.

'That's brilliant! Severus, you're a genius! And I only got you a couple of sandwiches! Nothing as nice as this.'

He reddened. He did not tell her he had used one long red hair, which he found in one of the books he lent her, to make the potion, as well as one of his.

'Only you and I can read whatever is written with that ink, it will be invisible to anyone else. I've got some flyers and old brochures you can write on the back of - they won't attract anyone's attention.'

'But how do I get it to you? Do I post it?'

'Um-, no, better not. There's a house nobody's lived in for years in the street parallel to yours. It has a broken mailbox at the edge of its garden – I thought you could leave any note you write there.

'You mean the derelict house at the end of Spencer Street? Yes, I know the one. I could easily slip a note in on the way to the shops on weekends. I'm glad you thought of this Severus, it won't seem such a long time this winter, if I could keep in touch\at least'

'Here, do you want to try it out, Lily?'

He gave her some parchment and a quill. They moved out of the shadow of the trees to a well-illuminated part of the river where they found a flat smooth stone by the water's edge. Lily knelt down and carefully opened the phial. She dipped the quill in the transparent liquid and wrote on the paper. The watery substance glowed for an instance on contact with the paper, and then turned black, so that the word 'Lily' in large girlish letters appeared on the top of the paper.

Lily admired her handiwork 'There isn't a lot of ink – better not waste it' she said as she carefully stoppered her phial. She looked at her name on the top of the page, then carefully folded it in two, and then twisted the corners inwards and the bottom upwards so that she had a paper boat with 'Lily' written on the side.

'Look, Severus, I'm going to float it down the river'

'Give it here first Lily. I'll put the frog-spawn preparation we made earlier on it – it will keep it afloat longer' He sat down and smeared her paper boat with the slimy substance. Then he noticed she was writing something else on another parchment, which she then folded in the same way until she had another paper boat. This time, there was 'Severus' written on its side.

'There' she said 'Now we can both float down the river together'

Severus smiled and handed her the boats. She waded to where the water was flowing faster and released the two white boats onto the river.

They watched them flowing gently away down the river till they were two tiny white specks that disappeared around the river bend.

The sun was setting now and they both knew it was time to say goodbye. Lily picked up her things sadly

'Well, I've got to be off now' she looked up at him 'I'm going to miss you, Severus.'

'Lily, this won't have to be like last winter. Just leave me a note and I will find you somehow, somewhere. I promise' he said earnestly

She gave him a small smile and turned away quickly, not wishing him to see that she was close to tears, and hurried up the sloping bank.

Severus stood watching her till she was out of sight, and then shivered slightly with a sudden chill that was not only due to the fading sun. Tonight he would take out and read the book of Dark Arts - he couldn't think of anything else that might fill the sudden empty feeling inside.

11


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Broken Mailbox.**

The soft, September rains washed over the little northern town. Most children were at school now, so the streets were quiet and for the most, deserted. Only one lone, dark-haired boy was loitering in Spencer Street. He hovered around the last house, a dilapidated building with a garden overgrown with weeds fed by the early autumn rains. After looking around him furtively to see no one was around, he put his hand in the broken metal mailbox at the edge of the garden, and pulled out what appeared to be an old, yellow flyer advertising the arrival of a circus in town. He flipped it over and looked at the blank side intently. Then, with another quick look around him, he stuffed the flyer in his jeans pocket and hurried off in the direction of the river.

Severus Snape knew that it would not do to be seen roaming around the streets when all the other muggle children were at school. He had already been reported to the truancy officer once, a couple of years ago, and his mother had to perform a Confundus charm on the officer to assure her that her son had been at school, really.

He had received quite a tongue-lashing from his mother that day, and a threat to _really _enroll him in a muggle school once more, if he was caught again.

Eileen had taught him herself how to read and write when he was only four or five years old, and he had caught on quickly.

At Tobias' insistence, he had first been enrolled in a local primary school, but after a few months, it was clear to her that it had been a disastrous decision. As she knew would happen, he had been picked upon by the other children, often coming home with bruises or scratches which were not the usual playground hurts.

Tobias did not help matters by telling him not to be a ninny and fight back. As time passed, and he did not come home bruised anymore, she thought that perhaps he may be settling down, though somehow he seemed even more reluctant than before to go to school. But it was when the Teacher started to send her notes about how he somehow hurt other children, that she decided to take matters into her hands.

She paid a visit to the school and her fears were confirmed when the teacher told her, that although she had no problem with Severus during lessons, since he was quiet and already knew how to read and write way beyond what his classmates could, yet during break it was a different matter –

'He was bullied at first, Mrs. Snape, you know… some of the larger kids. But we managed to put a stop to that. He is still teased sometimes, but what worries me is that the children that do so, end up hurt.' She paused, as if wondering what to say next. 'There were times when I actually saw it happen….Severus was visibly upset and angry when teased about his torn schoolbag, but he only pointed his finger at Billy Jones and .. and... Billy's schoolbag twisted round his neck, almost choking him. I can't imagine how.'

There was a frown on her forehead, and she spoke almost apologetically, as if even she doubted her own words. When she continued, she seemed to be trying to convince herself:

'…and Emilia's coat – it ripped right down the middle – she had been teasing him about his clothes, but he only looked angrily at her, nothing else.' she paused, shaking her head. 'There were many other incidents, Mrs. Snape; some reported by other children, so perhaps not very reliable, but when John's shirt suddenly caught fire…. They always say it was Severus....'

Eileen sighed. She was glad she had started teaching Severus at home, because that is what she would continue to do now, and Tobias be damned. She pulled her wand out of her coat pocket and pointed it at the teacher.

'_Obliviate!_.' she said.

Back home she explained he would not need to go back to 'that stupid muggle school', and if she had had any doubts, his relieved expression was proof enough of what he thought about school.

From then on, all she did was provide Severus with increasingly difficult books and papers (both muggle and magic ones) for him to gather the needed information, year after year. By his eighth Birthday, he was already raiding his mother's old Hogwarts schoolbooks for further knowledge, without being prompted to do so.

--------------------------

Severus arrived at the pool by the river, and there, sure of protection from prying eyes, he opened the flyer, blank side up. Only for him, it was not blank. In large, round, handwriting a small note was written:-

_Dear Severus,_

_I got your note last weekend, but I haven't been able to get away, yet. However, next Saturday, I will come – come what may! Wait for me by our riverside pool._

_Lily._

Severus folded the paper and put it back in his pocket, feeling considerably lighthearted. It would not be as bad as last winter, if they could meet every once in a while.

When Saturday morning dawned, however, it was rather chilly, and, in the distance, the single tall chimney of the mill, pointed up at a dark, lowering sky. A faint rumbling in the distance confirmed that a thunderstorm was on its way. Severus sighed; he hoped it would not be so bad as to keep Lily at home. He flung on his overlarge coat and set off. By the time he arrived at the pond, the first drops of rain had started to fall. He sat down on a log and held his coat over his head.

The rain started coming down quite heavily and Severus was soon drenched. He was thinking of finding some shelter, when he saw a flowery umbrella making its way through the trees. Lily peered at him from beneath it and waved. She was dressed in Wellies and a brightly-coloured raincoat. He hurried towards her, holding his sopping wet coat over his head.

'Severus, you're wet through! Come under my umbrella' and she held it over both of them. He got under it gladly, shrugging on his coat and shaking his long, wet hair out of his eyes, showering her with raindrops.

'Lily, I think we ought to ....' but his voice was drowned by a clap of thunder overhead.

He grabbed her arm and indicated that they should move out of the grove. The rain was really pelting down now. They started running. Severus, being the taller, was holding the umbrella over them both with one hand, and pulling Lily, who was giggling, with the other.

They arrived at the row of houses closest to the river. They all seemed in a very bad state but the last house was the worst – it looked abandoned and unlived in.

'No one lives here. We can go in by the back door – it's open.' Severus shouted over the storm.

She seemed to hesitate, so he pulled her after him through the overgrown garden round to the back of the house. The backdoor was old, cracked, and all the paint had peeled off. Severus pushed hard with his shoulder against it, and it slowly grated open, gauging out a groove in the dirty floor, since it had come off the top hinge. They fell inside, breathless and wet.

A sudden lightning bolt illuminated the sky behind them, followed almost immediately by a crash of thunder that almost deafened them. It had only been a split second, but they had seen the bright snaking finger of the lightning hit the mill chimney.

'Wow! I'm glad we left the trees.' said Lily 'what is this place?'

She was squinting, trying to see in the dark room. She wrinkled her nose – it certainly smelled very musty, and she was treading on what felt like broken pottery, but she couldn't see anything.

Severus seemed quite at home, however. She could hear him scrabbling at something at the far end of the room. There was a scratching sound, and Lily saw that he had struck a match and lighted a small candle.

'I've sheltered here before.' he said in explanation.

In the flickering candlelight Lily saw that they were in a small kitchen. Some cupboards lined the wall on one side, with a small, blackened space in the corner where the stove must have once stood. There was a small wooden table and chairs in the middle of the room, and a thick layer of dust and debris over everything.

Severus gave her the candle while he pushed the door half-shut.

'We should wait till it clears a bit' he said 'I'm sorry Lily, I shouldn't have asked you to come in this weather. Your parents will be worried...'

'It's only a bit of rain, Severus. They'll know I'd 've stopped for shelter. Though, I don't think they'll imagine somewhere like this. How did you find this place?'

'Most of the houses closest to the river are not lived in. This one has been abandoned for a long time. I needed shelter and the door was open...' he shrugged 'It's not much but at least it's dry.'

'Yes, but you still look like a drowned rat, Severus - I wish they had left the stove, we could have kindled a fire there –'

'I'm not too bothered, Lily, I'm used to it. And it's not winter yet, anyway. You look a bit damp, though. Here, wait –'

He went to the cupboards and rummaged around for a minute, then came back holding a large, dusty glass jar. He wiped it on his sleeve, dug into his pockets for something, which he then threw into the jar, and placed it on the table. Lily followed, holding the candle, her curiosity aroused. He leaned slightly over the jar, held both hands around it and started to murmur an incantation.

Lily watched in amazement as the jar glowed bluish-white. However, the glow faded and died out. Severus, frowning, leaned a bit closer and repeated the incantation. This time the glowing light came back brighter, almost blinding, until suddenly, a blue flame appeared in the jar.

Severus straightened up, evidently pleased with the result.

'There.' he said 'This'll keep you warm.'

He took the jar from the table and offered it to Lily.

Lily realised her mouth was still open. She shut it quickly and gulped. 'Severus, _that_ was really amazing! How did you do it?'

Severus felt his face flushing with pleasure. He was glad that there was only the dim bluish light of the jar, but he couldn't help smiling as he handed her the jar.

'I've been practicing' he said 'It's a pretty useful fire – hot enough to warm and dry you, but not to burn you. It's not easy to produce without a wand, but I got some floo powder from home - I've found that helps.'

Lily was hardly hearing him; she was still turning the jar in her hands, wonderingly.

'You are _so _good, Severus.' she said finally, looking at him over the top of the jar. 'But won't you get into trouble for this? This looks like advanced magic!'

Severus grinned 'Not that advanced. Simpler, with a wand. But I decided to make the most of the few months left'.

'Few months?'

'Yes. Remember what I told you? Once we're eleven or, at least, once I get a wand, I could be punished for something like this. So I'm going to make the most of it, while I can.'

'Here, Severus, you need this more than me. You need to get dry.'

Severus, whose hair was still hanging in wet rat's tails around his face, protested, but Lily insisted, and finally they compromised by sitting on the small table and placing the fire jar between them.

'I was studying poisons these last weeks.' he said after a while.

'Poisons?! What on earth for?'

'Well, we will be doing them in Hogwarts', though I think not in the first years. Not poisons, actually but, antidotes to-' he stopped. He did not want to tell her that he was studying poisons from his book of the Dark Arts, and there were no mention of antidotes _there._

'Look, I've managed to find some seeds from the Conium plant or Hemlock – highly toxic even without magic. _With_ magic, a colourless, tasteless poison can be made that would make drinker ....Well, never mind. But you should know how to recognise it and I've just found out how–'

'How?'

'Like this-' He put one of the small, dark yellow seeds on a broken bit of crockery and placed it over the blue flame. Suddenly, it glowed green.

'Anything that has poison magically made from these seeds, will always glow green' he said with an air of having discovered something new.

'Well, I hope I will never have to test my drink this way!' laughed Lily

They played a while longer with the blue flame, turning it green with the aid of the poisonous seeds. When the storm blew over, Lily got up reluctantly to go, promising to keep in touch.

Severus watched her go, like a bright, spring butterfly among the dreary grey of the brick houses, until she was out of sight. Then he turned back and went inside. From the pocket of his overlarge coat he drew out some dried leaves and a phial of clear liquid. He picked up what was left of the conium seeds and started to grind them in a chipped old mortar. He would finish the first phase of the poison as described in his book of Dark Arts today.

The weeks rolled by until winter had well and truly set in. The mailbox in Spencer Street was kept busy. There was always a little note every weekend for Severus and he always left one in return. Sometimes, Lily only wrote to say that she couldn't manage to come. Other times, when she could, she wrote to tell him to meet her in the usual place – this was becoming, more often, the abandoned house by the river, because of the bad weather. Even when she _did _come however, her time was severely curtailed for she had a lot of schoolwork now and most of the weekend was devoted to finishing it.

She rebelled against this sometimes, because she couldn't see the point in beginning algebra and French dictation when she knew she would not be needing them.

The temporary respite she expected during the Christmas holidays also did not materialize, since her father announced that he would be taking them to his brother's for the holidays. Lily knew she should have expected this, because there had been several occasions when they had spent Christmas with Grandparents or other relatives, but after her experience with her cousins last summer, she wasn't so keen on spending so many days in their company. With a heavy heart she sat down to write a note to Severus. She wondered how he would spend _his _Christmas. From what he had let slip about his family, he didn't seem to have anything to look forward to either.

Next Saturday, when Severus put his hand in the letterbox, he was surprised to find a small, brown paper package inside, as well as the usual yellow flyer. He looked at it closely, but there was no name on the package. He glanced around him, but in the gloom of the early evenings, he was hidden from view (The street lamp closest to the house was broken). He hurried off to another nearby streetlight, where there was better light and glanced at the flyer. Lily's words were brief:-

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm afraid that I won't be seeing you much these holidays. Yesterday Dad said we'll be spending the next ten days with my cousins in Norfolk. I know you are as disappointed as I am, so I'm leaving you something to cheer you up. Happy Christmas!_

_Lily_

_PS: My ink is getting low. Have to write shorter notes._

He tore open the package. It contained a tin of Cadbury chocolates. Severus did not remember ever receiving a Christmas gift before – it made him feel strange – elated, yet almost unbelieving. He hid both tin and paper in his pocket and hurried home.

Back in his room, he prised off the loose floorboard and carefully placed his tin of chocolate alongside his hidden book. Then he leaned back observing it. He did not want to open his tin of chocolates – he wanted to keep it as a reminder (or as proof?) that Lily had given him a Christmas gift. He knew he was being foolish of course – leaving it there would probably only attract the mice. He sighed and pulled it out again, then unfolded Lily's note. She was right of course – he had been looking forward to her holidays. He reminded himself that she had written she was disappointed too. That, and the tin of chocolates helped lift up his mood. He opened the tin and took out a colourfully-wrapped sweet ...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter** 5: **Letters from Hogwarts.**

Soon, however, something happened that made him forget everything else. His father had been to the pub for the New Year's celebrations and had frittered away what was left of his monthly wages on drink. His mother had lost her temper with him, and a frightful row had ensued. Severus heard them shouting into the early hours of the New Year - his father was too drunk to do much harm that night, but the next few days were harsh...

His mother managed to burrow enough on credit to provide a meal once every day or two, and his father eventually returned back to work at the factory. Severus was glad of Lily's gift of sweets, but it finished pretty quickly.

In the early hours one Saturday morning, having gone to bed hungry again, Severus was woken up from a restless sleep by a tapping noise at his bedroom window. It was a huge tawny owl and it was carrying a crested letter. Severus opened the window and the owl flew in, in a flurry of snowflakes. He knew what the letter was as soon as he glanced at it – it was addressed to _Mr. Severus Snape, Small-bedroom-under-the-Attic, Spinner's End_, and the rest of his address. He had been expecting it, of course, but somehow he thought he would be getting it on his birthday, the 9 th of January, which was still some days away.

He opened it with trembling hands. Inside were two parchments written in green ink. The first one was addressed to him:-

_Dear Mr. Snape,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 st September. We await your owl by no later than 31 st July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

The second parchment held a list of all he would need for the first year.

He looked up and out of the dark window. In the distance the first grey, cold, light of an approaching dawn silhouetted the long finger of the mill chimney. Slowly, happiness swelled inside him, banishing the memory of the last few days of cold and hunger. It had come! He would soon be free! Without thinking, he ran downstairs, calling his mother, the letter in his hands.

She was already up – usually to prepare her husband's lunchbox, since he started work early. However, today was Saturday and he did not work on Saturdays. Severus realised this too late as he heard his father bellow down the stairs:

'What are you making that confounded racket for, boy? It's a bloody Saturday morning!'

Severus heard him grumbling on his way back to the bedroom to get dressed. His mother was reading the letter. She did not appear as delighted as he expected. In fact, she looked apprehensive.

'Yes, yes' she said biting her lip. "It's best if we send an owl straight away'

The reason for her apprehension soon became clear. She looked up as the sound of heavy footsteps told her Tobias was coming down the stairs.

'What's this about a letter I heard you shouting?' he said, by way of greeting.

'It's my letter from Hogwarts' Severus said 'It came this morning. And I'm going!' he added defiantly. He knew what his father thought about magic, but nothing and nobody was going to stop him from going to Hogwarts.

He hadn't quite fathomed how deep his father's dislike had become, however. He hadn't been there (or he had cleared out of the house) when his parents had argued about his attending Hogwarts.

'No son of mine is going to some blasted freak school without my say-so!' he shouted

'What do you want to go there for? To learn magic tricks that are no use in putting food on the table, like your good-for-nothing mother?!'

'What food on the table?' screamed Eileen 'You poured our money down the drain! We would have starved this week if it wasn't for me!'

'It's _my_ money! _I _earned it! And if I say he won't go to that school, then he won't go! Give me that letter!' and he snatched the parchment which Eileen was still holding in her hand, and proceeded to tear it in two.

Severus felt something explode inside him. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the letter he was tearing flew out of his hand. Tobias found himself on his back, a searing pain in his hand. There was a red weal, like a burn mark on his hand. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew it was his own son who had done it. Rage blinded him and he lunged at Severus, who was bending down to retrieve his letter. He caught him by the scruff of his neck and took off his belt. Severus knew what was coming now, but his letter was stuffed safely in his pocket.

The thrashing was the worst he could remember. The studded belt cut across his back, drawing blood. Again and again it rose and fell, while his mother pleaded helplessly – her wand was hidden away, as usual, and she didn't seem to be thinking straight.

'Stop it, you brute! He's only a child! Stop it or I'll...'

'Or you'll what?!" he turned on her, letting his son go with a final blow to the head.

'Or you'll use magic on me? Like your worthless son? I'll teach him to use magic on me! And if you don't quit your sniveling, it'll be your turn next!'

He turned round just in time to catch Severus, who was trying to sneak away, by his threadbare, and now blood-stained, vest. He hit him around the head some more, saying he would beat the magic out of him, when suddenly he froze and keeled over backwards, stiff as a board. His mother was standing with her wand pointing straight at him. She had managed to find her wand and had used a petrifying curse to immobilise him.

'Quick, Severus' she said 'Let's get an answer back to Hogwarts. Is the school owl still upstairs?'

'Yes' Severus mumbled, trying to stem the flow of blood from a cut lip. They hurried upstairs and sent a note with his acceptance of the Hogwarts' place.

'Mum, why don't you wipe his memory?' he said, when they were back downstairs 'He's going to make you pay for this!'

'That won't work. He will get to know you're going to Hogwarts, eventually. It will only postpone the inevitable. You shouldn't have used magic on him. You know how he hates it. What were you thinking!? Now I want you to get dressed, wash your face and go out for a bit. I will release him from the petrifying curse and I'll make him see sense!'

"Mum, he'll – '

'Don't worry. This time, I'm keeping my wand in my hand. No muggle, even if he is my husband, is going to prevent my son, a descendant of the Prince bloodline, from going to Hogwarts!' She shook back her hair and grasped her wand proudly. 'Now go!'

Severus didn't argue. Her tone was calm, icy cold and determined. He stripped off his bloodstained clothes, splashed cold water (there was no hot running water anymore) over his head and back. It was freezing, but felt good on his hot, throbbing back. Then he threw on some clothes and ran out of the door. As he glanced back at their house, he could see a flash of green light.

He kept on going without any real idea as to where he was heading. It had snowed in the night, and he slipped a little where the snow was compacted by early traffic. He felt tired, the elation of that morning considerably dampened by what had happened. What _was_ still happening at home! He wondered what he would find when he went back.

He found that he had come to Spencer Street. It was till very early, and no one was around. He made his way to the last house and, for the heck of it, put his hand inside the mailbox. To his surprise he found one of the yellow flyers with Lily's handwriting:

_Am back finally. Can I see you tomorrow?_

_Lily_

Severus stared at the yellow paper in shock. He had forgotten Lily was due back. For the first time, he was not pleased he was going to meet her. He had looked at his face in the mirror that morning- discoloured and bruised, with a cut lip already swollen to twice its normal size. She would probably know what happened, and would feel sorry for him. He didn't want her pity – or anybody's! She must not see him like this. Glad that he always carried his quill and ink in his coat pocket, he quickly scribbled a note on the same yellow paper:

_I'm afraid I can't see you tomorrow._

_Severus_

He stuffed it back in the rusty box and made his way out of Spencer Street. His head was aching, and he was cold, very cold – all except his back, which felt like it was on fire. Some people were stirring now, and they kept looking at him as he went by. Fed up of their stares, he made his way to the river, He wanted to avoid all the places he and Lily usually stayed in, just in case she came looking for him. He knew other hiding places along the riverside, after all, and in a while, he would go home...

------------------------------------

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright. Where undisturbed, the white snow gleamed in the winter sun. For Lily however, it was a depressing morning. She had already been out, with the excuse of buying newspapers and magazines, and had found Severus' note. She had been so eager to see him again, though her holidays hadn't been so bad. There were other cousins, relatives and friends at her grandparents, so, overall, the time had passed rather quickly.

But she had been looking forward to see Severus, especially since this was January, and he had said their letters would be arriving this month. He had never been unable to see her before – she wondered why, and felt slightly uneasy, even though she couldn't tell why. Perhaps next week...

The next week, however, it was Severus who didn't find anything in the letterbox. He was worried. Had Lily been offended because he couldn't make it? He dug his hands into his pockets and left, disconsolately. She had always left a note before...

He decided to go back home. His father was hardly speaking to him since that fateful day his Hogwarts' letter had come .He only spoke to him to bark out orders, which Severus grudgingly obeyed. At least his mother was Ok, and her usual, dour, self again.

He had been almost afraid to go home last Saturday – had gone back earlier and sat down on the doorstep, listening for sounds of a fight (though he wasn't sure what he could do, even if there had been). However, after half an hour, all was still quiet and he had decided to enter the house.

He had discovered his father looking rather subdued, and his mother going about her work silently, but with a spring in her step, and a triumphant gleam in her eyes that Severus had never seen there before. Neither of his parents mentioned Hogwarts' again, but he knew that that is where he would be going next September.

Another week went by and the icy weather did not let up .Once again Severus found the letterbox empty. He was sorely tempted to leave a note, but decided to wait till the next day, Sunday – perhaps he would wait there, near the letterbox, to see if she would come. He took a meandering route back to the empty house by the river. It was the best place to stay when it was cold .He did not feel like doing anything – he hadn't even bothered to get a book with him. He kept wondering what Lily was doing and was thinking with regret, how he had not even told her that the much-anticipated letter had come.

He had just managed, with considerable difficulty this time, to light a blue fire in a jar, and was sitting at the dusty table, trying to warm his hands on it, when there was a sharp knock on the door. Then somebody started trying to open it, setting it rattling on its broken hinges.

'Severus! It's me! Open up!'

Severus, who had nearly dropped the jar in surprise, went to drag the door open.

'I saw the blue light through the broken window, and I knew you were in here' she said, breathlessly, as she almost fell inside.

'Why didn't you write?' Severus' voice held a hint of an accusatory tone.

'I had no ink! The last few drops dried out.'

'Oh!' He had forgotten she had said so in her note.

'Well, I'm sure you can make me some more. Or perhaps we won't need it anymore. Listen, Severus, I've got some really exciting news!'

Before he could think of an explanation about not being able to make more invisible ink, she continued.

'It came! The letter from Hogwarts came!' She was so excited, she was practically hopping up and down. Severus beckoned her to sit near the fire. They sat down, hands outstretched towards the blue, glowing jar.

Her eyes shining, Lily told him what had happened.

'It came yesterday. Actually, somebody brought it – a witch by the name of Minerva McGonagall. You should have seen the look on my Fathers' face when he opened the door! She was dressed in a long tartan suit and a green cloak!" Lily giggled 'She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts, and asked to see me. Then she handed me the letter.'

'Did she explain everything to your parents then?'

'Yes. But it wasn't easy to convince them at first. Then she changed the living room table into a shire horse, and that did the trick! Petunia still won't go near the table till today! It was fantastic!'

Lily smiled. It had been very exciting but satisfying too, to see her parents finally see and accept the truth. The thin, severe-looking witch had then requested to speak to her parents privately, but she gave her a small, encouraging smile before she left the room (Petunia had already ran shrieking upstairs), and that made her look a little less formidable. Much later, when she was called in again, her parents still had a rather dazed expression, but they asked her if she really wanted to go to Hogwarts, and she had said 'yes' so fervently, that they were convinced.

'McGonagall said she had come to give me my letter before my birthday, on the 30 th, so that she'd have time to explain to my parents. I've got the letter with me – there are so many weird things I have to get in the school list! Anyway, I couldn't write to you, but I guessed you might be here...' she paused. Severus was looking at her with a bemused expression on his face.

'How about you Severus, did you get yours? When's your birthday?'

"On the 9 th. Yes. I got mine too. I wanted to tell you, but ...ehm... something came up and I couldn't make it.'

Lily grinned. 'I'm so happy! At last something real! It feels closer now too'

Severus smiled. His happiness now matched hers and the gloom of the last few weeks was forgotten. They would be leaving here together now.

'How did your parents take it?' he asked

'Well, Mum told the witch from Hogwarts that she had always known something was different about me, and that it was a relief to find out. Dad wanted to know a lot of things though, he kept asking questions – I think he was worried about safety and stuff. I don't know what the witch told him when they were alone, but it convinced him.'

Lily stamped her feet, trying to get some warmth into them. It was icy cold in the old house and draughts were coming in from the broken window and door. She wondered how Severus could stick it out, but remembered that many times he avoided going home, preferring the dreary, cold, and derelict of a house. It explained a lot about his home life, she thought. It appeared to her that he seemed thinner than when she had seen him last.

'Oh, and something else' she said, looking at him 'I told them about you.'

'You... What?!'

"Told them about you .They realised I knew more than I let on, because I already knew about Hogwarts, and they asked me how come.'

'And?' Severus sounded anxious. He knew many grown-ups in the neighbourhood referred to him as 'that slum kid'. What if Lily's parents were the same?

'Well, I told them you're a wizard, and that you had explained everything to me.'

'And?' he repeated, this time a little impatiently. Lily grinned mischievously.

'And they would like to meet you.'

'What?! Why?'

'They said they would like to get to know you. After all, we'll be going to the same school. You're to come over week after next, for tea. '

Severus stared at her, horrorstruck. He knew they would be judging him and he cringed in fear. Lily seemed to guess what was on his mind.

'Oh, come on, Severus – they're my parents. They won't bite! And I'm sure yours won't mind you coming.'

He remained unconvinced, but she took out her letter and they poured over the list of school things they had to buy until he forgot about it and relaxed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Evans' House.**

Lily was still euphoric over the events of yesterday. It had been so amazing to see the Hogwarts teacher perform such marvellous magic. Her family, including herself, had been totally flabbergasted.

That evening they had spoken to her for a long time. Her Mum told her that she had known she was meeting Severus, but she never imagined that he was a wizard. Lily told her about the books on magic they had been reading, and confessed that she had not told them anything, because they would not have believed her. Her father harrumphed a bit at this, but was forced to admit that she was right. Then he asked her to invite Severus over.

Lily was delighted, but she didn't see her parents exchange a worried look.

They knew the boys background, the reputation of his father as a violent man. Her mother knew who Eileen was, though she had never spoken to her, for Eileen kept herself to herself. People said that she was very strange, with a dour and short temper. Others whispered that her husband was abusive. Rose Evans hated listening to these snide remarks, but having seen Severus herself on occasion, she was in no doubt that he was a neglected child, and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

John Evans, however, pointed out that now they knew he was also a wizard, and with such a background, he was not sure it would be safe for his daughter to associate with him. What if he used magic to harm her? After all, they had only finally agreed to let Lily go to Hogwarts because McGonagall had convinced them of the danger to Lily herself, if she did not learn how to control her magic. They finally compromised by agreeing to invite Severus over and see for themselves.

Lily was blithely unaware of all this, and eager to introduce her friend. Her only worry was that Petunia, who was behaving very strangely recently, could ruin the day. Her sister had asked to see her letter soon after it had come. She read it silently, then went off without a word, refusing to speak to her, as though the letter had offended her in some way.

If Lily was unaware, Severus certainly knew why her parents wanted to see him. For Lily's sake, he wanted to make a good impression. He had had no previous experience of such niceties as Sunday tea with neighbours or friends, but, he mentally admonished himself angrily – he was, after all, considerably intelligent, and therefore he could and he _would,_ find a way of passing an afternoon in the company of muggles without embarrassment.

In fact, it wasn't until the Easter holidays that Severus got to go to the Evans' house, because Lily fell sick with a bad cold, and it had to be postponed till much later, till after her half-yearly exams (To her annoyance, her parents still insisted she do well in her muggle studies).

That Sunday, Severus made an effort to look as though he could fit in with the muggle world. Of course, he did not tell his parents where he would be going, but he told his mother to cut his hair (he had decided against doing it himself, for it had produced disastrous results before!).His mother used magic to do it, and the end result was a bit ragged, but at least his hair now just reached his shoulders, not below.

He looked in the cracked mirror nnear the front door uncertainly. His thin, pale face, framed by his silky, dark hair stared back at him. At least all the bruises there had healed well, and Lily hadn't noticed anything.

He had discarded his overlarge coat after careful observation of muggle children around Spinners' End, and wore an old black sweatshirt he had managed to scrounge, over his jeans. He had even tried to comb his hair, but, being silky, it had not seemed to make much difference. He sighed – he looked less scruffy than usual, he supposed, but it would have to do.

At the Evans' house, it was Lily who rushed to open the door when the bell rang. Her mother was close behind her.

'Come in, Severus. Mum- this is my friend, Severus Snape.'

'Hello, Severus.' Rose smile warmly at him to put him at ease.

'H-Hello, Mrs. Evans' he stammered. Then Lily's father came out of the living room.

"Hello, Severus, we meet finally. Lily's told us a lot about you' His words sounded rather ominous, but he, too, was smiling.

'Good afternoon, Mr. Evans' Severus looked up steadily, and a touch defiantly, into John Evan's eyes, as he shook his hand.

'Well, come in the living room, lad. Rose has prepared some tea and cakes. Come sit down and tell us all about Hogwarts. You're both going to be classmates soon, I gather. Although we did have a visit from a teacher from the school, we're still in the dark about many things. And you could help us out there, because Lily says you're a genius at magic!'

Severus reddened and gave a reproachful look at Lily, but she just winked at him.

They were sitting down in the Evans' sitting room now and the table (which bore no sign of having been turned into a horse), was laden with the kind of food Severus had only seen in shop windows.

'So, tell me, Severus, how did you know our Lily had magic powers? I always thought she was special, but had no idea....' Rose smiled encouragingly at him, and he explained how he had seen her do magic, and realised what she was. Lily made them laugh when she told them how he had called her a witch, and she had thought it was an insult.

Rose and John Evans saw that he was becoming more at ease, losing his initial awkwardness, although some wariness remained.

He filled them up on all they wanted to know about the hidden world of witches and wizards, speaking quietly and with confidence. He also confirmed what McGonagall had told them. Lily intervened every so often, clarifying some points, and adding detail to Severus' somewhat bare facts.

Rose noticed how his eyes would seek those of her daughters' constantly, as if for approval, and he appeared to hang on to her words more than anyone else's.

Rose also noticed that although he answered their questions truthfully, and without hesitation, he clammed up, or avoided answering, when they wanted to know about his family in particular. A hunted, angry look came across his face on these occasions, reminding her of a cornered, wild animal.

That his mother was a witch and had been to Hogwarts too, was all they could discover. Rose did not want to press him further on this, and silently indicated to her husband that he should desist too.

He relaxed only when Lily started describing his books, chiding him for not getting them along – it seemed that they had moving pictures which she had wanted to show them.

Rose observed them quietly. Severus rarely smiled, and when he did it was usually at Lily. His face lighted up then, and he looked different .

'A solemn and strange child...' she told her husband when they were alone, Lily having dragged Severus upstairs to show him her room. 'But he seems very intelligent, in spite of the shabbiness and neglect. But very guarded and wary.'

They supposed it was not unexpected, given the horrors he may have witnessed at home. He had raised more questions now that they had met him, than if he hadn't come.

However, one thing they agreed upon – they knew that Lily would be safe with him, even if he _was_ a wizard.

As Lily gave him a tour of her room and proudly showed him the progress of the frogspawn they had collected weeks ago, he gazed around him wonderingly – everything was quite neat and very clean – no peeling wallpaper or torn, threadbare sheets like his. There was quite a mismatch of furniture in Lily's room – the bed had white, satiny flounces and lace trimming; then there was a large, sturdy, old-fashioned desk in the corner with books and papers scattered haphazardly over it; shelves that groaned under the weight of lots of books and, on the bottom one, he was pleased to note that she had a row of neatly-labelled jars containing all the berries, roots, and dried leaves he had helped her pick last summer. A plain wardrobe; a dresser with a mirror, and some pictures made up of small seashells completed the room.

After a while, he helped her put away the frogspawn, and some of the jars she had taken out to show him and they headed downstairs, as it was now getting a bit late. When they got to the landing however, Lily insisted on showing him Petunia's room.

'Shhh! Just a peek, Severus. She's out visiting friends today.'

Lily opened the door and they peeked in. Severus got the impression of a pink explosion – everything was pink: the walls, the furnishings – even the carpets. Lily was giggling.

"I told her that her room looks like a giant candy floss!'

Severus started to back out – he wasn't really interested in anything belonging to someone who disliked him so much, but then he saw something which made him stop in his tracks. There, on the pink doilies that covered the white immaculate surface of Petunia's desk was something which he recognised immediately. In the red glow of the setting sun coming through the window, the red crest of Hogwarts glinted on an open envelope.

'Lily- that's- that's a Hogwarts' letter on your sisters' desk! It can't be that she has one! Is it yours?'

"No, mine is in my desk drawer.'

They went in to see. Petunia's desk was extremely neat – rulers and pens lined up with military precision on one side, and a pink flowery pencil holder on the other side. The only other thing on the desk was the letter. And Severus had been right – it _was_ from Hogwarts. Lily took it in her hands and saw it addressed to 'Miss Petunia Evans'

'That can't be!' said Severus 'She couldn't have a letter from- She's not a witch!' He tried to keep the anger from his voice.

'I – I don't know why she has a letter. But she _did_ ask to see my letter when it came...'

"She couldn't have written to the school – Hogwarts cannot be contacted by muggles. They can't even see it! I'm sure there must be wizards controlling the Postal Services to see what goes to, and from, Hogwarts. And she couldn't have used owl post!'

'Perhaps you're mistaken. I'm sure my parents would be allowed to send me post...'

She stopped .She was thinking that if Petunia wrote the letter as 'Ms Evans', they may have thought it from her. But then...

'What if they sent _her_ a letter, too? Perhaps, being my sister ...'

'No. Definitely not. Listen, we need to know. Go on, open it!'

Lily hesitated, she knew her sister wouldn't be too pleased with her reading her mail, but this was different.

She took the letter out of the envelope and they read it together. In thin loopy handwriting they found a short letter:-

_Dear Miss P. Evans,_

_Thank you for inquiring about the possibility of a place here at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I am afraid that such places have to be reserved for those that are born with magic powers, in order to teach them how to control their gift, and use it wisely._

_Anyone who does not possess such a power would feel hopelessly out-of-place and overwhelmed in such a place as Hogwarts, for magic cannot be acquired through lessons._

_Although I know you may not wish to hear this , please try and put Hogwarts out of your mind and concentrate on your own studies, because whether magic or non-magic, the wisdom gathered in a successful school career is the best tool one can possess in order to be prepared for whatever your future may hold._

_I am sure that both you and your sister, each in her own way, will be a credit to her parents._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster_

Lily quietly put the letter back in its envelope, and they went out and closed the door. Severus wore a smug look, but she was astounded at what she had seen – she had never dreamt her sister wanted to go to Hogwarts- she had seemed to hate magic so much, especially this last year. The letter would certainly explain her increasingly strange behaviour over the last few weeks.

Downstairs, Severus bade goodbye to Lily and her parents. Overall, it was not such a disaster as it might have been, although Lily had gone a bit quiet since they found the letter.

Her parents had even told him to come over whenever Lily had no schoolwork. He doubted how much he would, since he felt more at ease in his usual haunts, but he was glad of the offer – at least it meant they could get together whenever they wanted.

As he walked home that evening, Severus mused on how different, how open and friendly, Lily's parents were.

'Just like her.' he thought, finding it difficult to avoid comparing Rose and John Evans with his own Mum and Dad. The former looked so happy together, they did not snarl at each other constantly, and, what was somehow even harder for him to accept, they had been very kind to him– it made him feel uncomfortable.

He arrived at the last brick house of Spinner's End, put his hand to the rough wood of the door and with a sigh pushed it open and stepped inside.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Severus's Wand.**

The weeks went by and Spring, and then Summer, arrived. Lily was kept very busy, for this was her last year in Primary. Also because, as her parents pointed out , they would be quite ignorant of her Hogwarts studies, so they wanted to make sure that she did her best in subjects they _did_ know something about, and which subjects she may never do again.

There were times however, when they did meet up, and, now that summer was in, their meeting place had become once more the grove by the river.

Severus never went to the Evans' house again, finding a ready excuse in Lily's schoolwork, and neither had he told his parents – his mother would probably fly off the handle if she knew he had befriended a muggle, and his father – he didn't know how his father would take it. None too well probably – he hated people from Lily's neighbourhood on principle, calling them 'stuck-up' and a few more descriptive adjectives, especially when he had had too much to drink.

Severus had spent the weeks preceding the summer holidays practicing incantations from his Hogwarts schoolbooks. His fascination remained, however, the book of Dark Arts. He usually read the book late at night, when it was very quiet. The spells were difficult, but he memorised incantations and charms so as to be better prepared for when he was finally allowed a wand. Sometimes he was tempted to take the book out of his room and read it elsewhere, because recently his parents were arguing worse than ever, sometimes far into the night.

On particularly bad occasions, when his father also came home drunk, he knew that if he _did _have a wand he would probably practice the spells on his own father. He was becoming more and more unreasonable, and aggressive, as the time for him to go to Hogwarts came closer.

Usually the arguments started about money – his mother wanted money to buy him his school things, and this invariably provoked Tobias to a towering rage. He shouted at her to get his school things by magic, if she wanted. But Eileen always screamed back at him that she would never stoop so low as to use magic to steal anything. She had never done it before, even in the worst of times, and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

'I have already disgraced the name of Prince by marrying you!' her hysterical voice came through the bare floorboards of Severus' room 'I will not be called a thief too!'

Severus put his fingers in his ears to avoid hearing his father's angry retort. It had been like this almost every night now.

What kept him going was the thought that it would soon be over, and he would be meeting Lily the next day by the riverside where they would spend their time daydreaming and making plans for next September.

--------------------

One day, quite unexpectedly, Eileen told her son that they would be leaving for Diagon Alley the next morning to get his school things. Severus was delighted, and, though he had had some half-formed ideas of going with Lily, he knew that that couldn't be.

They travelled by Floo powder. Severus was so excited that he even found the spinning, choking sensation almost pleasant. He had very rarely travelled anywhere – floo powder or otherwise, because Eileen rarely went anywhere, and his father only left town to go to the occasional football match.

They left the bare, grey hearth of their house in Spinners' End, and came out at the big, wide, fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron Inn

He had almost lost his balance as he landed, but Eileen came out gracefully soon after him, brushing ash from her best robe.

The bartender, a middle-aged man with very little hair, seemed to know his mothe,r for he nodded at her and addressed her directly.

'Mrs. Snape, what a surprise! We haven't seen you here in a long time. Is this your son?'

'Yes, Tom. This is Severus. He will be starting at Hogwarts next September.'

Severus mumbled a greeting. He had never been to an all-wizard pub before, and was gazing around him with interest.

It was very dark, and the furniture had seen better days. There was an air of shabbiness and the accumulated grime of centuries seemed to be ingrained in the wood of the table tops. The people sitting at the tables were all rather strangely dressed, even by Severus's standards.

An old witch in a pointed hat of midnight blue, tweed jacket and fluffy slippers sat talking to another witch dressed in a bright orange robe. She glanced round as they came in, then turned to her companion and whispered something in her ear.

A dwarf sat alone at a small table in the corner, cradling a steaming glass of red liquid with brown froth, and, closer to the bar, were a group of young wizards, talking rather loudly, goblets of firewhisky in their hands. Two of them wore hooded cloaks, but one was in a garishly-coloured muggle suit. Severus noticed that the cloaked wizards also turned to look at them intently, as they spoke to the bartender. Their expression was unreadable.

'So you're off to Diagon Alley for your school things, then, aren't you, young man?'

'Sorry- what? Oh – yes, that's right.' Severus dragged his eyes away from the young wizards to answer the bartender's question.

'Yes. And we must get going. We have a lot to procure. We'll be leaving now, Tom.'

Eileen, seeming rather tense, ushered him quickly out to what appeared to be a small backyard .Taking out her wand she counted several bricks from the ground and then horizontally, and tapped the resulting brick three times with her wand. The magic archway to Diagon Alley opened immediately. Severus watched intently, memorising the numbers of counted bricks and then followed his mother through.

In Diagon Alley, he felt as though he had entered the cave of wonders – although he had known about it, and even the names of some of the shops, he had never actually been there. It was an entirely different thing, to be able to see and handle potion ingredients in the apothecary's; to browse the books at Flourish and Blotts; to feel with his own hands the intricate designs on the telescopes, and the runes on the silver instruments that mapped out the planetary movements.

Eileen started to get impatient with him because she could hardly prise him away from each shop they visited. When he protested that he had never seen these shops before, and needed some time to see things , she surprised him by saying that she had got him to Diagon Alley once before, but that he was too young to remember.

"And anyway, we must hurry because I must change the muggle money at Gringott's first, and we have to finish all shopping today, because I am not coming here again.'

So they first went to Gringotts, the marble halls of which amazed Severus, who had only seen them in old copies of the _Daily Prophet_.

Since a few of the books he needed were different from those in Eileen's time, they visited a second-hand bookshop and managed to find one of them there, but the other two they had to buy from Flourish and Blotts .

For the Hogwarts School robes, Eileen dragged him off to a second-hand robe shop where she managed to find him some that fitted him well, and hardly looked used. Severus didn't want to linger in the robe shop - he wanted to visit the apothecary's again, and besides, he didn't like the smell of re-washed clothes.

His mother was looking inside her purse frowning 'I'm afraid we can't afford an animal. And you can have my old cauldron for potions- I mended it. But you need new brass scales, mine have deteriorated beyond repair, and that would leave us just enough for your wand....'

Severus stopped – he had forgotten in his eagerness to see everything that this is what he had been looking forward to most. His own wand, finally!

They left the wand as the very last purchase. He knew they would be going to Ollivander's, but he did not expect the shop to be so small. Despite the reputation as the best wandmakers in Britain, Ollivander's was rather shabby on the outside, and very narrow on the inside, with dusty wand boxes stacked on top of each other right up to the ceiling. However, Severus felt the prickling of magic in the very air of the shop. An old man with white hair and pale silvery eyes came to greet them.

'Good Afternoon, Mr. Olivander' Eileen said 'My son, Severus, will be starting at Hogwarts soon and he will need a wand.'

"Goodness – its Mrs. Snape – Ms Eileen Prince that was, isn't it?'

'Yes' his mother answered, rather curtly.

'Well, well – there are many powerful wands in the family of Prince, and they were all made here. Yours, madam, was yew, ten inches, with a unicorn tail core. Do you still have it?'

'Of course. Why should I not?' Eileen snapped.

'Oh, no offence meant. It's just ...' He broke off, and, in an obvious attempt to change the conversation, he bent down to have a closer look at Severus. The pale, unblinking gaze swept over him, making him feel rather uncomfortable.

'So, this is young Severus, your son. We will find you a wand, young man, don't worry.'

He shuffled off to the back of the shop and came back bearing one long narrow box.

'Elm and unicorn hair, ten inches. Try this out.'

Severus took it into his hand and made a swishing movement. Some sparks shot out.

'I see that you have used a wand before, but that is not for you. Here, try this one.'

Severus glanced anxiously at his mother, wondering how he knew, but Eileen was trying to peer out of the dusty window of the shop, and appeared not to have heard.

Severus tried wand after wand, but Mr. Ollivander snatched them out of his hand almost before he could try them. He started getting alarmed – what if no suitable wand was found for him? Then the old wandmaker went up a ladder in a dark corner of the shop, to the topmost layer of the piled boxes, and came down with a narrow black box.

'Here' he said, as he climbed down, 'Try this one. Let us see if the Prince bloodline is strong in you. This is an ebony wand, a type much-favoured by the Prince family. Or rather, the ebony wands favoured the Prince bloodline, for as you know, it is the wand that chooses the wizard.'

He opened the rather battered-looking, dusty black box. Inside, without a speck of dust on it, gleamed a smooth black wand with a carved handle.

'Eleven inches, ebony, with a core of dragon heartstring. Rather hard and inflexible. Good for the dark ... er... defense against the dark arts. Try it.'

Severus placed his hand around the carved handle, wondering at the matt smoothness of the shaft and the intricate design of the handle. He felt it suddenly grow warm in his grip, and, though he had hardly moved it, a green light shone from the tip.

Mr. Ollivander was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

'It seems that I was right .The wand _has_ chosen you. That wand has been made by my predecessor- my father, and had lain in this shop a long time. It is my theory that certain wands choose certain families. Isn't that right, Mrs. Snape?'

His mother had just come forward to see his new wand and was already opening her purse.

'I believe it runs in the family, sometimes' he repeated. 'Many members of the Prince family had ebony wands, though they differed in size and core. Your Great-great-grandfather had one similiar to this, though a little shorter perhaps. It was before my time – I was an apprentice then.'

Severus listened thirstily. It was so rare to hear anything about his relatives, except from his mother, and she was erratic when she told him anything at all: speaking bitterly at times, and with nostalgia at others.

Eileen paid for the wand with a dark look at Mr. Ollivander, and without further comment, she ushered her son out of the shop and towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Severus objected, but Eileen was in a hurry to get back before her husband returned from work. So, clutching his purchases, he mounted the hearthstone and disappeared in the emerald flames of the fire at the pub.

-----------------------

The next day he ran off eagerly to meet Lily at their favorite spot, his new wand stuck in his jeans pocket. Lily was late, and rather annoyed with him, for she had waited all day for him yesterday, and he hadn't turned up. However, when Severus explained that he had had no time to tell her he wouldn't be coming, and, even more, when he told her where he'd been, she forgot about it and asked him eagerly to tell her all about his trip.

'It's really wonderful Lily – you'll love it1 The bookshop is huge - you should see some of the spell books!! And the Apothecary's – I saw Unicorn hair in_ bunches _! And Cockatrice feathers! And there was a real phoenix at the Owl Emporium.'

"Wow! A Phoenix?! Isn't that a mythological bird?'

'You're thinking like a muggle – of course they exist – I don't think they're easy to find though. But look at this - look what I've got...."

He took out the wand from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it in her hands, holding it as though it were made of fragile glass, her eyes wide.

'A real wand at last! Oh, I can't wait to get mine!' She gave it a small wave and squealed in surprise as the wand emitted blue sparks.

'Careful, Lily. I'm not sure yet if we can use them. He took it back. 'Probably not, though' he added.

He described what he had seen in detail to Lily who listened eagerly, while they paddled their feet in the cool water of the pond .After a while, an idea occurred to him.

"Lily, when are you going to Diagon Alley?'

'I don't know. The witch from school offered to accompany me and my parents for the first time. She left us an address in London".

"Why don't I take you there? I know where the shops and things are now, and I'd love to go back. I could show you everything ...' His eyes were shining in anticipation.

'Hey, that would be great! What a good idea. When shall we go?'

"I don't know. I guess your parents would want to come with you. You'll have to ask them.'

'I'll ask them tonight- perhaps we can go tomorrow.'

'Great .I'll meet you there. I'll travel by floo powder. There's still some left.'

'Travel by what?'

'Floo Powder. Through the fireplace and chimneys – there's a whole network connecting all wizard homes.'

Lily looked at him uncertainly, but he knew it would be no problem. He would help himself to the Floo powder early in the morning, and his mother would never know. He had been considering going anyway, because he couldn't stop thinking of all the wonders in Diagon Alley, and was regretting he had never thought of going before now.

Then they spent the rest of the afternoon pleasantly talking and planning what they would do and where they would go first.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Diagon Alley.**

To his delight, the next day Lily, said her parents had agreed and would be grateful if he could show them around. So a few days later, on a sunny day in mid-August, Mr. and Mrs. Evans took their daughter to London. They had left very early in order to make it to the London address by 9 o'clock at the latest.

After a short trip on the underground, they found themselves in a busy street lined with shops. John and Rose Evans were already starting to look doubtful as they searched for the pub they had been told to go to, but Lily could hardly keep still with excitement. She had told Severus that she would meet him outside the Leaky Cauldron.

Her father was already saying that the address must be wrong, when Lily saw him. He was standing near a small dingy-looking pub, with his hands in his pockets, looking through the shop window of the bookstore next to the pub.

'Hi, Severus, we're here.'

He turned and smiled. He had been waiting for over an hour.

'Hello, Severus. Nice to meet you again. Are your parents in the bookshop? '

"Uhm, no, Mr. Evans. I'm on my own.'

'On your own?! But, my dear, in London? It's so far from home, and you're too young to travel...'

'It's Ok, Mrs. Evans. I've come by Floo Powder. It's an almost instantaneous way of travelling. There's no danger....'

Her parents looked at him uncomprehendingly. Then her father, still looking a bit worried, asked him if he knew where the pub called 'Leaky Cauldron' was, for he could not see it anywhere.

Lily stared at her father in amazement – the rusty sign of the Leaky Cauldron was practically hanging over his head.

'Daddy, its right here – look!'

But his eyes slid from the bookshop to the record shop on the other side of the pub. Her mother seemed equally bewildered.

'Where?'

'It's Ok, Mr. Evans, perhaps if I step in the doorway....'

As soon as Severus put his foot on the doorstep, Lily saw her parents' eyes almost pop with astonishment as they saw the old pub squeeze itself out from between the neighbouring shops.

'I think muggles can't always see it.' Severus whispered to Lily as they went inside.

'Its – it's like magic!' Rose Evans gasped, before realising what she was saying.

They were hardly less surprised once inside, and their eyes adjusted to the half-light of the candlelit interior. Tom, the bartender, came to greet them. He seemed to realise immediately that they were muggles, and tried to put them at ease, introducing himself, and asking them if they wanted anything to drink.

"Ehm – no, thank you, I don't think so – we...er... have to go to this Diagon Alley place to get our daughter's school things , she is starting first year at – '

Mr. Evans was distracted for a moment as an empty goblet floated by his nose towards the bar.

'Another firewhisky, please' shouted a venerable warlock in long, spangled robes from a dark corner. Mr. Evans dragged his eyes away from the goblet with difficulty.

'We're with young Severus, here. He kindly offered to show us around.'

'Oh, you're with young Master Snape. Yes, he has been here not so long ago. Well, let me open the archway for you. Follow me.'

And with that, the bartender put his arm around Severus's shoulders and led them to the backyard. Then he took out his wand, but Severus beat him to it, tapping the brick three times with his own wand and stood watching the bricks shift themselves round to form an archway.

Tom was laughing. "Well, I see you're in good hands, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Mr. Snape here learns quickly. Good day to you all.' and with that he went back inside.

Lily and her parents stepped through the archway after Severus.

'I think you should go to Gringott's first. You have to change muggle money, I guess, Mr. Evans'. He got no answer. 'Mr. Evans?'

But John and Rose Evans were standing still gaping at the scene around them. Lily however, had already run to the first shop.

'Mummy, look!' She squealed in excitement 'a gold cauldron! And ... it's … its… Wow! It's the phoenix you told me about!'

She ran back to her parents, who were still standing transfixed

'Come _on_!'

She grabbed her mother by the hand and pulled her towards a shop called 'Eelops Owl Emporium', where a bird with astoundingly beautiful, red plumage was tethered by a leg to a perch outside the shop. As Lily pressed her nose to the shop window, many large, glittering, amber eyes swiveled toward her, for the shop was full of different kind of owls, each on its own perch. Big ones, small ones, white ones and brown. Then the Apothecary caught her eye next and she was soon reading the signs stuck in the shop window: - Dragon Liver, 16 Sickles an ounce; another sign advertised Fire Salamander tails, for brewing potions to cure colds. She realised Severus was looking at her, grinning.

'We need to go to Gringotts bank first. I think you should tell your father. We have to come here, to the apothecary's later, anyway.'

Lily started off towards her father, but got distracted by a group of rowdy boys looking at a shop window full of broomsticks.

'Don't tell me...!?' she said, pointing at the broomsticks.

'Yep. Flying broomsticks!' Severus said 'They'll take you anywhere, anytime – and fast! That's the new Nimbus 1500 series, I believe. Wish I had one!'

He went closer, trying to see over the heads of the group of older boys by the window.

'What's Quidditch?' Lily, who had followed him, was listening to the boys' rather loud conversation.

'It's a game – sort of like football, but played on broomsticks. Very popular in the wizarding world'

'These boys are saying they're on the Hogwarts Quidditch team...' she said, lowering her voice.

Severus gave them a disdainful look. They still hadn't budged from the window.

'Perhaps. Or perhaps they're just bragging – only the best get chosen for Quidditch. You know... some legends say it was a witch who actually invented the flying broomstick...'

'Really? I'd love to try it..'

'You will. At Hogwarts we'll have flying lessons. My Mum knows of course, but she doesn't have a broomstick anymore. Look, I think we'd better get a move on....'

Reluctantly, Lily came away from the shop window and went to speak to her father, who still looked dazed.

'Where to, Severus?' She said, tugging her father by the hand.

'Gringotts Bank. That big, white building over there.'

Lily looked up and saw a tall building of white marble, towering over the rest. When they got there she gasped, and turned wide-eyed to her friend.

'Yes, Lily, - Goblins'. He said, anticipating her question 'The Bank is run by Goblins'.

Mrs. Evans clutched Lily by the hand, and inched apprehensively around the liveried Goblin holding the door open for them.

'They – they look rather unpleasant, Severus.' Lily whispered, as her father went gingerly to the counter and spoke to the Goblin there.

'Well, they don't like wizards too much, but they know their job well. There are many vaults full of gold and treasure in a labyrinth deep underground and they've got it protected with loads of enchantments. Look at what's written up there...'

Lily looked to where he was pointing and saw an inscription:-

_Enter, stranger, but take heed, _

_of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take but do not earn,_

_must pay most dearly in their turn,_

_so if you seek beneath our floors _

_a treasure that was never yours_

_Thief you have been warned, beware_

_of finding more than treasure there._

She wondered at all the gold buried underneath London. She heard the goblin at the counter explaining the wizard currency to her father.

'1 Galleon is 5 pounds, or 17 sickles. There are 493 Knuts to every silver Sickle"

The goblin handed over the money to Mr. Evans, who looked at the bag of gold and silver in his hands in mute surprise.

Outside, Severus pointed out Mrs. Maulkin's Robe shop to Lily (he assumed she wasn't going to buy anything second-hand), and while Lily and her mother went to get her robes, Severus and Mr. Evans went to Flourish and Blotts.

Almost an hour later, Lily had finished from the robe shop and she and her mother went to the bookshop, too. At first Lily couldn't see where Severus and her father were, because there were quite a few people inside, especially boys and girls her age, all buying their schoolbooks. Then she saw him in a corner, dark head bent over a book. She came up behind him and tapped him on the back, making him jump.

'What're you reading?'

He held up the book.

' "_Curses and counter-curses_" by Professor Vindictus Viridian' she read off the cover.

'Well, they're useful to know. '

'Yes, who would you want to try them out on? Me?'

'Of course not, Lily' he said earnestly 'Never on you, you're ... I mean, these are for your _enemies._'

'I'm only teasing you. I know you wouldn't. Wow, look at that book up there, it's at least 2 feet across! Let's have a look....'

Severus, with the aid of a footstool, managed to get it down. It was about charms and their application to the four elements. It was a handsome leather-bound volume with a beautiful, jewel encrusted clasp. Lily couldn't open it, but Severus tapped it with his wand and the clasp opened. They sat down on the footstool, the huge book open on their laps, and were soon engrossed in the beautifully-engraved pages, red head and dark head bent close together, lost to the world.

It was Mr. Evans who finally found them, as he came round the tall bookshelves laden with Lily's schoolbooks that he had just purchased.

'There you are.' he said, amused to find them in their improvised bookworm's corner, as they looked owlishly up at him.

'It says a wand on your list, but I haven't seen any wand shops. Care to show us where, Severus?'

'There's only the one shop, Mr. Evans – Ollivander's. I'll take you there now.' he struggled up with the book and placed it back on the top shelf.

Lily was chattering nineteen to the dozen on their way to Ollivanders. She kept wondering what her wand would be like. Severus had explained how all wands were different.

'Perhaps it'll be ebony like yours, Severus.'

'Ollivander has a theory about how certain types of wands run in families. He said ebony wands were quite frequent in my Mum's family, but then hers is completely different from mine, so I don't know.... Here we are'.

They went inside the small narrow shop, and a tinkling bell summoned Mr. Ollivander from the back of the shop. His pale gaze swept over them, and Mr. Evans had hardly even introduced himself, when Mr. Ollivander spoke

'Oh, Muggles – and your first time in Diagon Alley, I presume?'

'Er, yes, this is our daughter Lily, she'll be starting at Hogwarts next month, and this is –'

'Young Mr. Snape. I know. You're breaking in your new ebony wand, aren't you?'

Severus nodded, though he hadn't had really much time. He knew that magic shouldn't be performed outside school, but he wasn't yet at school, and in Diagon Alley, being a wizarding street, perhaps it would not be noticed.

'Yes, and the young lady requires a wand. Now let's see....' and Mr. Ollivander took out a tape measure, which started measuring Lily by itself, and moved off to the stacks of dusty, narrow, boxes lining the walls.

'You are a muggle-born. Hmmm. We need to get your measurements just right. I have no idea of what may be suitable – anything, really ...'

Lily was giggling and trying not to wriggle as the tape measure, that was trying to measure under her arm, tickled her. Finally the wand maker came back with a reddish-coloured wand.

'Here, try this: cherry and unicorn tail core, nine inches, springy.' Lily waved it, but nothing happened. Mr. Ollivander, snatched it out of her hand and gave her another and another ...and another....

When the counter was overflowing with open wand boxes and what seemed like an enormous number of wands of every size and colour, Lily gave Severus a worried look, but he seemed unperturbed.

'Don't worry. It took almost as long with me. I think he likes doing this.' he whispered, indicating the growing mound of wands on the counter. Lily wasn't so sure – she was muggle born after all, and Severus wasn't. However, as if to prove him right, Mr. Ollivander came back with another box, a relatively smart, new box, and he was positively beaming – it was clear he was enjoying himself.

'This is willow, ten and a quarter inches, swishy. The core is unicorn hair and it's excellent for charm work. Try it.'

He handed her the light-coloured, slim wand and as soon as she placed her hand around the delicately carved handle, her green eyes widened in surprise. Ollivander was looking at her closely. She waved it and a red, intense glow emerged from the tip.

That wand, my dear,' said Ollivander 'has chosen you'

Lily her hand gripping her new wand tightly, looked round at Severus. She held it up proudly for him to see. Her parents too came for a closer look.

'My own wand' Lily said softly, cradling it in her hands. She saw Severus looking at her, a half-smile on his face. 'Now I feel like a proper witch' she told him.

After Ollivander's they went to the Apothecary's for her potion ingredients, then to the cauldron shop and then finally her bought her telescope and brass weighing scales.

Her parents, who were becoming more at ease in the strange shops of Diagon Alley, were finding it increasingly difficult to prise the two of them away from each shop they entered, especially since they sensed that the day was drawing to a close.

However, finally they had bought everything on the list and Severus and Lily could find no further excuse to delay, so they all headed back to the leaky cauldron where Mr. Evans brought everyone a drink, and then they headed for home, the Evans laden with many packages of strange shapes and sizes.

Mr. Evans offered Severus to join them for the ride home, but he refused, since it was too slow a way of traveling, and his mother might notice where he'd been if he arrived in the middle of the night.

The remaining few weeks before they left for Hogwarts passed like a wonderful dream. Despite the frequent flare-ups at home ( even though his father seemed to have accepted the inevitable) , the days that followed were good for Severus - he practiced spells from his secret book on Dark Arts at night, stopping short of actually performing the spells, and during the day he went to the riverside grove with Lily.

Long, hot, hazy summer days in the dappled sunlight, discussing their soon-to-happen-adventure of going to Hogwarts.

For Lily, however, there was something that marred the happiness – Petunia was becoming colder to her, hardly even speaking to her and behaving like she had so long ago, when she had discovered Lily and Severus talking about magic by the riverside. Although, since having read the letter from Dumbledore, it _did_ occur to Lily that Petunia was, after all, a bit jealous, she asked her mother if anything had happened to her sister. Her mother had answered that perhaps Petunia had expected Lily to go to her own school and was now feeling a bit left out in all the excitement.

'But, Mum,' Lily protested 'She didn't even want to come to Diagon Alley! She would have found it interesting, too. I'm – I'm sure she would.'

Her mother shrugged – she knew Petunia resented being shoved out of the limelight of being the eldest and going to boarding school, but there was no helping it - it _was _Lily's turn now, and it wasn't anyone's fault that it happened to be such a dramatically more interesting school she had to go to.

Rose's mind had been more at ease about Hogwarts since her visit to Diagon Alley – she had seen many families with kids shopping for school things there, and they all seemed happy enough. She had been, and still was a bit, worried that she had to send her youngest to school in such a closed, secret world.

Lily, having seen Petunia's letter, thought it was more than just being left out, but she said nothing else, and, seeing the bright early morning sun beckoning, she quickly put her sister out of her mind and eagerly went to meet Severus, as she did every day now. She usually took something of her new school things with her to the grove – today she'd take her moon chart – probably Severus would be able to explain it to her.

Stuffing it in her pocket, she skipped off happily into the bright sunlight, her dark red hair swinging in a ponytail.

52


	9. Chapter 9:First Year

**Chapter 9: Hogwarts.**

The first of September dawned bright and sunny. Lily who had hardly slept in her excitement, was up at the crack of dawn .She was going to Hogwarts today! Severus had explained how to get onto platform nine and three quarters, with its secret barrier, at the London King's Cross train station. He said he'd be going with his Mum and would meet her on the Hogwarts Express, the train that would take them to the school.

Lily dressed quickly and went down to her sister's room and banged on the door, thinking it better not to barge right in as usual, given her sister's sour temper recently.

'Tuney, are you up, yet?' she called

'Whassup?' Petunia, her hair tied in a band, put her head around the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes 'Why, - the sun hasn't even come up yet! What did you wake me up for?'

'We have to leave early, remember? You're coming with us to London, aren't you? To see me off.'

'I'm coming because Mum and Dad made me! Why should I come to see you go off to a school that isn't interested in anyone else except people like you! Now leave me alone!'

And she slammed the door in Lily's shocked face.

They drove down to London, with Lily's school trunk in the booth, and a tense, awkward silence in the backseat where the two sisters were sitting. Lily who had been so happy that morning, almost had tears in her eyes. She didn't wish to leave for Hogwarts like this. Petunia sat looking out of the window with a scowl on her face, which remained there even when Lily showed them how to get on the platform through the secret barrier between platforms nine and ten in the London Train station.

_On Platform nine and three quarters, Severus Snape stood next to a thin, sallow-faced, sour-looking woman who greatly resembled him, and he was staring at a family of four a short distance away. The two girls stood a little apart from their parents. Lily seemed to be pleading with her sister._

'_...I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen- 'She caught her sister's hand and held tight to it, even though Petunia tried to pull it away.' Maybe once I'm there – no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!'_

'_I don't- want – to – go!' said Petunia, and she dragged her hand back out of her sister's grasp. 'You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a-'_

_Her pale eyes roved over the platform, over the cats mewling in their owners' arms, over the owls fluttering and hooting at each other in the cages, over the students, some already in their long, black robes, loading trunks onto the scarlet steam engine or else greeting one another with glad cries after a summer apart._

'_- you think I want to be a – a freak?'_

_Lily's eyes filled with tears as Petunia succeeded in tugging her hand away._

'_I'm not a freak', said Lily 'That's a horrible thing to say.'_

'_That's where you're going said Petunia with relish 'A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy ... weirdos, that's what you are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety.'_

_Lily glanced towards her parents, who were looking around the platform with an air of wholehearted enjoyment, drinking in the scene. Then she looked back at her sister, and her voice was low and fierce._

'_You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you.'_

_Petunia turned scarlet._

'_Beg? I didn't beg!'_

'_I saw his reply. It was very kind.'_

'_You shouldn't have read – 'whispered Petunia 'That was my private – how could you -?'_

_Lily gave herself away by glancing towards where Snape stood, nearby. Petunia gasped._

'_That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!'_

'_No- not sneaking – 'Now Lily was on the defensive. 'Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He said there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of - '_

'_Apparently, wizards poke their noses in everywhere!' said Petunia now as pale as she had been flushed. 'Freak!' she spat at her sister, and she flounced off to where her parents stood._

_Once aboard, Snape hurried along the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, as it clattered across the countryside. He had already changed into his school robes, had taken the first opportunity to take off his dreadful muggle clothes. At last he stopped, outside a compartment in which a group of rowdy boys were talking. Hunched in a corner seat beside the window was Lily, her face pressed against the window pane._

_Snape slid open the compartment door and sat down opposite Lily. She glanced at him and then looked back out of the window. She had been crying._

'_I don't want to talk to you,' she said in a constricted voice._

'_Why not?'_

"_Tuney h- hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.'_

'_So what?'_

_She threw him a look of deep dislike._

'_So she's my sister!'_

'_She's only a – 'He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him._

'_But we're going!' he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. 'This is it1 we're off to Hogwarts!'_

_She nodded mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled._

'_You'd better be in Slytherin,' said Snape, encouraged that she had brightened a little._

'_Slytherin?'_

_One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked round at the word. He was slight, black-haired, like Snape but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked._

'_Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?' he asked the boy lounging on the seats opposite him. The boy did not smile._

'_My whole family have been in Slytherin,' he said_

'_Blimey,' said the first boy, who wore round glasses 'and I thought you seemed all right!'_

_The other boy grinned._

'_Maybe I'll break the are you heading, if you've got the choice?'_

_The boy with glasses lifted an invisible sword._

"'_Gyiffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" Like my Dad.'_

_Snape made a small disparaging noise. The black haired boy turned on him._

'_Got a problem with that?'_

'_No,' said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. 'If you'd rather be brawny than brainy- '_

'_Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?' interjected the second boy.  
The other boy roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from one to the other in dislike._

'_Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment.'_

'_Oooooo....'_

_The two boys imitated her lofty voice; the boy with glasses tried to trip Snape as he passed._

'_See ya, Snivellus!' a voice called as the compartment door slammed.... _

They found another compartment towards the back of the train, which was empty, and where Severus had already stored his trunk. The latter was the same one that belonged to his mother, but now it carried his name, as well as the book on dark arts stored safely away in its secret compartment.

They sat down opposite each other and spent the rest of the long train journey discussing the school houses, and the lessons they were soon to start. Lily was still sad and upset at the way she had parted with Petunia, because she knew it would never be the same again, but as she listened to Severus's enthusiastic explanation of the schoolhouses, his thin face alive with excitement, she reflected that after all, she had him by her side, and that perhaps leaving her family to go to boarding school was a necessary part of growing up. She felt sorry for snapping at him earlier on, but he did not seem to bear her any grudge.

As darkness fell outside, a tall, fifth year boy with a prefect's badge on his chest came to their compartment and told them that they would soon be arriving.

Lily took off her jacket and pulled on the long, black, Hogwarts robe and they looked eagerly out of the train window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous castle, but all was dark outside.

The train slowed down and they got off, jostled by the other, rather frightened-looking first years.

A lamp appeared suddenly a short distance away from the small platform, coming towards them. It loomed closer high above their heads and they saw that t it was being carried by an extremely large man with bushy hair and beard.

'Is that a giant?' Lily whispered.

Severus shook his head. 'Don't think so, giants are over twenty feet tall. But this one's no midget either.'

Lily, who hadn't even known giants really existed, stared up at him. The large man waved his arm, beckoning them

'Firs' years over here' he shouted 'Gather roun'. '

They formed a group around him, their pale faces lit up by the glow of the single lantern held up high.

'I'm Rubeus Hagrid' he said 'Keeper of the Keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Now I want you to follow me and stick close, cos of the dark.'

They all stumbled after him along a narrow path till they came upon a large, black, lake, and across the lake, perched on a cliff was a huge castle, its many turrets and battlements twinkling with the lights of hundreds of windows.

'Ooooh, its' beautiful!' exclaimed Lily, clutching Severus' arm

He looked at her, dark eyes glinting in the lamplight : 'Even better in real life than the books, isn't it?' he said happily.

At the edge of the lake, boats were waiting for them and they climbed in one of them, together with a blonde girl with pigtails and glasses, and a small boy clutching a rat.

The boats glided over the dark waters of the lake by themselves, towards the cliff face – the only sound was the lapping of the wavelets along the prow of the boat. They went through a large crevice in the cliff face, hidden by overhanging ivy, and into an underground cavern that had a small pebbly beach. They climbed out, and once more followed Hagrid up some stairs and along a passageway at the back of the cavern, until they finally emerged onto a grassy slope right in front of the enormous oaken doors of the castle. Hagrid knocked three times on the castle doors with his huge fist and they opened.

They crowded inside an entrance hall as big as a cathedral, and a thin witch in emerald green robes and black hair pulled tightly in a bun, stood waiting for them.

'That's her!' whispered Lily 'The witch that came to my house – Professor McGonagall'

As if to confirm her words, Hagrid stopped right in front of her and said:

'The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall.'

She thanked him and beckoned them towards her, then introduced herself and explained that there were four school houses Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin and that the sorting ceremony, which would be taking place in a few minutes, would place them in one of the four houses. This house, she explained, would be like a 'home away from home' for them, for the next seven years.

Some of the first years started looking anxious. Severus and Lily looked at each other, and knew they were thinking the same thing: they wanted to be in the same house. They had never given it much thought previously, their main aim being just getting to Hogwarts, but now Professor McGonagall was making it sound like a very clear separation.

They followed her nervously into the great hall, where all the other students were already sitting at four long tables. The sea of faces gazed at them as they went by to stand in a line in front of the teacher's table where the headmaster was sitting on a raised seat in the middle. Many of the first years were gazing open-mouthed at the ceiling of the great hall, which had been bewitched to look like the sky outside.

Lily, gazing up at the twinkling stars above, was feeling very nervous, despite the beauty of the surroundings. She glanced at Severus, and saw that he was very pale, and was looking anxiously at an old, battered wizard's hat that McGonagall had placed on a stool in front of the teachers' table.

Professor McGonagall then took out a long parchment, and began to read out the first year's names, and whoever was called out had to go forward and place the hat on his or her head. A rip at the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and called out the name of the school houses.

'Abbott, Melchior' was placed in Hufflepuff, and so forth.

_Then Professor McGonagall said, 'Evans, Lily!'_

_She walked forwards on trembling legs and sat down upon the rickety stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the sorting hat on to her head, and barely a second after it had touched her dark red hair the Hat cried 'Griffindor!'_

_Snape let out a tiny groan. Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried towards the cheering Griffindors, but as she went she glanced back at Snape, and there was a sad little smile on her face. One of the boys who was on the train, the second one, moved up the bench to make room for her. She took one look at him, recognised him from the train, folded her arms and firmly turned her back on him._

_The roll call continued. The boy with glasses from the train, the boy with the rat and the girl with pigtails also joined Lily and the first boy at the Griffindor table. At last, when only a dozen students remained to be sorted, Professor McGonagall called Snape._

_He walked to the stool and placed the hat upon his head. 'Slytherin!' cried the sorting hat._

_And Severus Snape moved off to the other side of the Hall, away from Lily, to where the Slytherins were cheering him, to where Lucius Malfoy, a prefect Badge gleaming upon his chest, patted Snape on the back as he sat down beside him... _

At the end of the sumptuous meal, Dumbledore welcomed the first years and gave them some beginning-of-term notices: it seemed they were not allowed to go anywhere near the Forbidden Forest; they had a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Brocklehurst, and Quidditch practice and team tryouts were to start in two weeks' time. Lily saw the two boys from the train give the thumbs-up signal to each other, at this.

Then Dumbledore bade them all goodnight, and the first years followed their prefects to the dormitories. Lily tried to catch Severus' eye when she got up, but couldn't see him in the milling crowd of students.

She suddenly felt a bit lonely, without his familiar face at her side. She did not know anyone else, but looking around her, she saw others looking rather lost too, as they followed the Gryffindor prefect, who had introduced herself as Sarah MacDougal, through a maze of corridors and staircases (some of them changed direction even as they stood on them). The bewildered first years strived to keep close to the tall prefect, who seemed entirely unphased by their mutating surroundings. Even the portraits moved – their occupants followed them into each others' portraits, seeming eager to get a good look at the new students.

Lily's first night at Hogwarts' was one she would never forget, for, although she and Severus had spent all summer pouring over the book on Hogwarts' History, it was quite something else to be actually _in_ the castle.

They eventually came to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.

'Password?' said the lady.

'_Spada aureous_' replied the prefect, and the portrait swung open, revealing a hole in the thick wall.

They clambered through it into a circular room with comfortable armchairs, a roaring fire, and red Gryffindor wall hangings.

'This is the Griffindor Common room' said Sarah MacDougal. 'Do not forget the password, or you'll be stuck outside. Boy's dormitories through that door. Keep going up until you reach a door marked "first years". Your trunks have already been taken up. Girls follow me.'

She led them through another door and up a spiral staircase. Lily knew they were somewhere in Griffindor Tower, but they kept climbing for what seemed like ages before Sara MacDougal stopped at a door marked 'fifth years'.

'This is where I get off.' she said 'The next door is yours. Goodnight.'

They went up another level and found their dormitory. Inside the circular room were five four-poster beds with red, hanging curtains. Each bed had her owner's trunk near it.

Lily sat down with relief on her bed, feeling suddenly very tired. She saw that her bed was near the mullioned window.

On the bed next to hers, sat the girl with glasses and blonde pigtails. She had just opened a wicker basket and taken out a black cat with a very long, sinuous body and green eyes. It arched its back in pleasure as the girl stroked it; her head bent low over the animal. Lily thought she saw tears in her eyes.

'Hello, I'm Lily Evans. You've got a beautiful cat. What's his name?'

The girl looked up, blinking rapidly from behind rather thick glasses.

'He's called Shadow. I've had him since I was small. I'm Mary – Mary MacDonald.'

'You're lucky – Mum never let me have any pets, because my sister says she's allergic, but I know its because she hates them. Can I stroke him?'

'Sure.'

The two girls sat down side by side and Shadow went from one to the other, enjoying all the attention.

'He's very intelligent' said Mary, who had brightened up considerably now. 'He always lets me know when owls from my older brother in France are coming, so I'm always the first to get his news. He's good at finding Sithiens, too.'

'Finding what- ? You come from a magic family, then?'

'Half-and-half. My father's a wizard, but my Mum's a muggle. She was pleased I took after my Dad, though. My brother didn't show any signs of magic till he was almost nine. They thought he'd be a squib.'

'I'm muggle-born and my family were very surprised when they found out. So was I. But I found out a bit before they did. A boy from my home town saw me do magic and explained all about the wizarding world. He's here too now, but he's been sorted into Slytherin.'

'Slytherin, eh?' a petite girl with a round face came over. 'That house has a reputation for turning out more dark wizards and witches than any other. I'm Alice Walker , by the way.'

'Are you – are you from an all-magic family too?' Lily asked, starting to feel a little like the odd one out.

'Yes – Pure blood all the way back to I don't know what century. But Jenny Trimble over there is a muggle-born too. And Thalia is half and half.'

She indicated the other two girls still busy unpacking. One of them, who had short, wispy, brown hair heard her and join them.

'Yes. My Mum and Dad are muggles, and they were very surprised when they found out all the weird things I could do was magic. I must say it was a bit of a relief – I thought there was something wrong with me. Anyway – this is a hundred times better than the school I was going to be sent to!'

"See, Lily? You're not the only one. There are many muggle-borns in all the school houses. Except, perhaps, Slytherin...'

'Why not Slytherin?'

'Well, they've got some funny ideas. Most of them come from Pureblood families, and they think that Hogwarts should be restricted to magic families only. They think that muggle-borns have somehow stolen their magic powers from real witches and wizards. That they're not really ...'

'So it _does _matter if you are muggle-born!' Lily couldn't help interrupting Alice.

Severus had told her it didn't matter.

'Well, to some people, it _does_ make a difference. There weren't so many who thought so, - perhaps the old pureblood wizarding families. Or else they used to keep their opinions to themselves. But now their numbers are on the increase. My Dad tells me they have formed a kind of sect....'

'Are they dangerous?' piped up Jenny.

'My Dad thinks so. He said there have been people mysteriously disappearing recently. And lots of muggle-baiting, too. The Ministry has a hard time hushing it up. My Dad tells me _everything, _because he says I'm not too young to know.' she crossed her arms and nodded importantly.

'_My_ Dad says it was Salazar Slytherin himself who started this' said Mary.

Lily had read that name somewhere. Yes- it was one of the founding members – he had founded Slytherin house. She remembered reading it in Severus's book on Hogwarts. Sarah however, did not know who he was.

'He was one of the four founding members of Hogwarts, and he wanted to keep magic in wizarding families only 'explained Mary 'and the founders had fallen out over this.'

'Exactly. And this is what this new sect is using as their guiding principle – Salazar Slytherin's doctrine on pureblood witches and wizards and anti-muggle ideas.' Alice's round face was flushed in anger. 'I'm not like that though. I think it's a load of old rubbish! If purebloods hadn't married muggles, we'd have died out!'

The others nodded in agreement, except Lily and Sarah, who were starting to feel a bit apprehensive at the secret world being unfolded before them.

As it was now very late, the girls got into their pyjamas and went to bed. It was a long time before Lily drifted off to sleep however, even though she was tired. She kept thinking of Severus – he had been sorted into Slytherin House. But then it was he who had told her that being muggle-born did not matter. It was confusing. Perhaps she would ask him in the morning she thought, as she drifted off to sleep...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. The First Day.**

Severus too had followed the Slytherin prefect after the beginning of term meal. The prefect, who was tall, with sleek, rather long, blonde hair and grey eyes introduced himself as Lucius Malfoy. He told them to follow him and led them through a door off the main entrance hall, down some stairs, and along a tunnel-like corridor, lit only by flickering torches. He kept leading them on until Severus started wondering how long they would be traveling in this maze of dark corridors and staircases – they seemed to be going further and further down beneath the castle, and it was getting colder too.

Finally, Lucius Malfoy stopped in front of a stretch of bare, grey, wall, it's rough stone surface shining dankly in the light of torches held in iron brackets on either side, and said:

'_Vipera!'_

The stretch of blank wall slid open to reveal a long, low room with a very large fireplace surrounded by an ornate mantelpiece of carved stone. There were stately wooden chairs and low, cushioned benches made of white, silvery marble. Elaborate iron lamps suspended by chains from the low, vaulted ceiling provided light in the room.

'This is the Slytherin Common Room' Lucius was saying 'It's in a section of the castle that lies beneath the lake, near the dungeons. It was also the first part of the castle to be built, so you can say it is also the _oldest _part of the castle. Now, I want you boys to follow me to the dormitories. Girls dormitories are through there –'

He indicated a door hung with green curtains with silver trimmings at the far end of the common room, and then turned and led the group of first year boys through a similiar door on the opposite side.

Severus was glad they didn't have far to go to reach the dormitories. Just down a narrow, torch-lit corridor with doors leading off it on both sides, marked according to the school years.

When they reached the door marked first years, they filed inside, and found their school trunks at the front of six large four-poster beds lined along the walls of another low, long room. Severus quickly found his trunk (it was the most battered of them all) and made his way towards the bed at the far end. He checked his trunk. It was all in one piece and the secret compartment was sealed.

He breathed a sigh of relief and started to look around him.

The boy opposite him was already unpacking. He had dark blue eyes, dark wavy hair and a haughty look on his face. He had already taken off his Hogwarts robes and was pulling out what appeared to be dark, silk pyjamas with what seemed like a family crest over the pocket. Severus decided to follow suit and unpack, but the dark-haired boy had noticed him looking. He came over.

'What on earth's that?!' He said pointing at a white garment Severus was pulling out from his trunk. It had been one of his father's shirts that Eileen had modified into a nightshirt.

'Nightshirt.' he said curtly.

'I thought those things had gone out of fashion last century!' the boy sniggered.

'And I thought only girls wore silk pyjamas!' Severus snapped. 'But then, perhaps I don't understand that much about _fashion,_ muggle or otherwise, as _you_ seem to do!' He wasn't going to stand any nonsense from anyone – not here at Hogwarts!

Severus expected the haughty boy to retort angrily, perhaps even fly at him, and his hand inched closer towards his inner pocket, were his wand was. But surprisingly, after the briefest of shocked expressions, the boys lips twisted into a smile.

'Well, for your information,' he drawled 'Those pyjamas are specially woven with our Family crest by Twyfords and Tattings, exclusive robemakers – but my father still swears that nightshirts are the only decent thing to wear , so...' he shrugged, grinning

Severus continued to unpack, ignoring him.

'I'm Evan- Evan Rosier' the boy continued 'Who are you? I haven't seen you at any wizarding event, or even in Diagon Alley...'

"I'm Severus Snape, and there are almost no wizarding families where I come from.'

'Don't tell me you're a ....!? You're not _muggle-born_ are you?' Rosier's expression changed into one of disgust. The boy in the bed next to his, a hulking fellow with close-cropped hair, looked up too, at the words 'muggle-born'.

'No, I'm half-and-half' Severus said, feeling a slight twinge of apprehension at their reaction 'So what?'

'There are precious few muggle-borns in Slytherin, and that's the way we want to keep it' said Rosier, defiantly.

'This House is for the _real_ wizards and witches' said the big boy from the bed adjacent to Severus's. 'My names' Wilkes – Marcus Wilkes, and I'm pureblood, like Rosier. That's why we're in Slytherin!'

He had a low, rough voice, bordering on a growl, long arms, and, perhaps because of the close-cropped hair, his head appeared too small for his body, giving Severus the impression of a rather dim-witted gorilla.

'There are other qualifications for being sorted into Slytherin.' Severus replied 'Like being smart, for example,-' And his scathing look clearly showed that he did not think Wilkes fitted that description.

'Anyway –' said Rosier, coolly, giving Severus a calculating look. 'Which one of your parents is magic? I never heard the name Snape before...'

'My father's a muggle. My Mum's a witch – she comes from the family of Prince"

'Ah – that explains a lot.' Rosier folded his arms and nodded. Severus was mystified, but did not want to let on how ignorant he was of his family's history.

'You must know, Snape, that there are the right sort of wizarding families, and the wrong sort: the sort who shouldn't be allowed in Hogwarts!'

"Yeah. You'd never catch _me_ talking to any muggle-born. Ha! They know _nothing_ about our ways and even our world - _nothing_!' Wilkes' low voice was lost in a snorting laugh.

'Be that as it may, Wilkes, I'll decide who to talk to or not. Now, if you're finished, I've got some reading to do.'

Wilkes gave a derisive laugh, but slunk off to his bed, from where, after a while, loud, rumbling snores told Severus he was asleep, as were the other three boys in the other beds.

Evan Rosier did not say anything else to him, but Severus caught him looking at him on several occasions from his bed opposite, and his looks were shrewd and calculating, as though he knew something that Severus didn't.

Though he did not let on, Severus had been rather shocked at the importance these boys gave to bloodlines. He knew, of course, having listened often enough to his mother's rants and rages, and even read articles in some copies of the _Daily Prophet_ that his mother had managed to smuggle in, that there was a great deal of anti-muggle feeling among some wizarding families – after all, his mother had been disowned because of it, but he did not expect it to be so severe, so widespread and to affect the school houses.

It was only his first night at Hogwarts and yet he was already being judged, and, from what Rosier had said about 'right and wrong' families, he deduced that the name 'Prince' must have counted for something, since they still insisted an talking to him. He vowed he would try and find out all he could about his mother's family, now that he was at Hogwarts. He was wondering whether Lily was being interrogated about her family as he was, and hoped it would not affect her in Griffindor, before drifting off to a restless sleep.

The next morning Severus woke up before the others did. The room was bathed in a greenish glow coming from narrow, slit-like windows in the vaulted ceiling. In the common room, there were similiar windows, but a bit larger, with decorative moulding in the shape of serpents, all around.

Thus, a stronger greenish light filtered down to illuminate the low room, so that Severus could see more than what he had seen in the flickering light of last night.

The windows themselves were remarkable- the view was not of the grounds or other parts of the castle building, but of the underside of the lake! Greenish-blue swaying images of the underwater world of the lake, slightly distorted by the thick glass, cast rippling shadows on the floor as the distant sun filtered down through the water.

Some older Slytherin students were already up and sitting in a group around the fire. Severus noticed Lucius Malfoy, the prefect, among them, closest to the enormous fireplace, which had serpents and skulls carved in white marble, supporting the mantlepiece.

He also noticed smaller alcoves along one of the walls, that he hadn't seen yesterday. They seemed to have smaller vaulted ceilings too, supported by narrow columns of white marble that seemed to glow eerily in contrast with the dark, rough stone, and with the gloomy interior of the alcoves, which did not have any slit windows. Some green and silver wall hangings completed the décor.

Severus wanted to hurry to the great hall, where he knew all the students would be gathering for breakfast – he wanted to speak to Lily before they started their first lessons.

However, he soon found that it wasn't so easy. He was soon lost in the maze of tunnels between the dungeons and the great hall. After several wrong turns, he finally realised where he had gone up the wrong staircase, and was just retracing his steps, when he almost bumped into Rosier and Wilkes, who were also trying to find their way to the Great Hall.

Having by now figured his way around, Severus led them towards the upper levels until they eventually emerged into the entrance hall. Then they made their way to the Great Hall which they found full of chattering, excited students already at breakfast.

Severus tried to catch a glimpse of Lily, but the Griffindor table was the furthest away from theirs, and too many students were in the way. He was thinking of going over, when Professor McGonagall passed by, giving out timetables.

Severus was too excited for breakfast - even though, like the evening banquet, there was more food than he would normally see in a whole week, let alone for breakfast.

He poured over his new timetable and was glad to find that he had Potions, Astronomy and Defense against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. The rest of the lessons were either the Slytherins by themselves, or else with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

He would see Lily later, in the afternoon, since they had double potions together. Right now he had to hurry because his first lesson, Charms, was due to start in 15 minutes.

He managed to find his way back to the common room without many mishaps – except that, in his hurry, he did not see the Slytherin Ghost, the Bloody Baron, coming round the curved tunnel-like corridor, and ran right through him. The ghost did not say anything, or perhaps he was used to it, because his dour expression did not change, but Severus felt as if he had passed through a cold shower of rain.

It was a good thing that he found his way quickly to the common room, because it gained him some time when he got lost again on his way to his first lesson, which was on the seventh floor: the staircases that led to the upper stories kept shifting direction, and one of them had a disappearing step, which he avoided only because the boy in front of him, another first year, fell into it.

After a wrong detour into a corridor that led nowhere, and trying to get through a door that was only pretending to be a door, he finally arrived at his first lesson, Charms. Their teacher, Professor Flitwick, a very tiny wizard with a squeaky voice, told them that their first few lessons would be just theory of wand position and types of incantations. He said they started proper spellwork in a few days, when they had mastered the basics.

Severus, who had been eager to start was rather disappointed at first, but soon found, as he watched Professor Flitwick demonstrate a combined hover and spinning charm on two heavy metal shields that had been hanging on the wall, so that they performed a kind of complicated aerial ballet over their heads, that he did not know enough about charms – he had rather neglected his charms book in favour of his other subjects, especially his secret book on Dark Arts.

He opened the book on the first page, determined to make up for lost time. He hoped Potions would be a bit better. At least, he reflected, he would be with Lily.

--------------------------

In a different part of the castle, Lily had just finished her first lesson, Transfiguration. McGonagall had wasted no time in giving them homework. She was very strict, and made it clear she would tolerate no messing about. They too, had started with the basics, and Lily felt she had become nothing but eyes and ears in her effort to take in all that McGonagall was saying, and miss out nothing. There was still no wand-waving by the end of the lesson, but McGonagall told them they would start soon in easy steps – transforming a matchstick into a needle first.

She wondered where Severus was – she hadn't seen him at breakfast, but knew that they had double Potions together in the afternoon, so she hurried off before the others to find the dungeon classroom where their lesson was being held. She had to ask for directions a couple of times, but eventually found the staircase that led down to the dungeon classroom.

When she got there, near a heavy iron-studded door, she saw a lone boy trying to read a book in the flickering light of a torch held in a bracket above his head. Long dark hair covered his face as he bent over the book, but he looked up as he heard her echoing footsteps.

'Severus! Thank goodness, it's you! I thought I was lost again!'

'Yes, it's a bit of a labyrinth down here. I think I have it figured out though...'

'Are we in the right place?'

Before he could answer her, the heavy door creaked open and a stout man with a walrus moustache and almost completely bald, came out.

'Well, well," he said ' Two eager, young first years. You're early for your lesson, you know. But never mind, never mind – come in.'

Inside, at one end of the long, low, dungeon classroom, they found many cauldrons piled on top of each other, and many large double desks facing the raised one of the teacher. Despite the dim light, they could see a slight haze hanging in the air as though some of the cauldrons had been brewing.

The rough, stone walls were lined with store cupboards full of ingredients, and many shelves bearing rows of glass jars with pickled things floating in them. Many smells warred with each other - some revolting, and some surprisingly nice, and others indescribable. The ceiling was dark with the accumulated age-old fumes of the innumerable potions that must have been brewed in the dungeon.

'You can go and get your cauldrons and find yourself a table – your classmates should be coming soon. I'm Professor Slughorn, by the way, your Potions teacher.'

Severus and Lily dug out their cauldrons from the pile and set them down near one of the front row desks, which they would share. They looked around them with interest, especially at the weird things floating in the jars.

" I see you really _are _eager to learn.' said Professor Slughorn smiling benevolently. ' Today I'm showing you first years such an amazing potion! It'll take your breath away!'

He smiled complacently, tawny moustache quivering.

'Can you tell me what's on my desk?' He pointed at a huge bunch of dried plants with elliptical leaves, overflowing from his desk; a jar of what looked like human fingernails, and a small sack of shiny, black leaves. The latter two items seemed to change colour in the light of the chain-held lamps overhead.

'That's Ribwort, Sir!' said Lily, standing up to take a closer look at the plants.

'And that's gillyworm scales and scarab wings' continued Severus "Will you be showing us how to make a Blood-Congealing potion, Sir?';

Professor Slughorn stared at them, impressed.

'How on earth did you -? That's very clever of you. Not even my older students would have known !' he smiled at them good-naturedly. 'I can see I'll be getting along just fine with you two in potions. And I don't even know your names - ?!'

'Lily Evans, Sir'

'Severus Snape, Sir'

He checked their names on the register.

"Ah, a Griffindor and a Slytherin. I'm glad to make your acquaintance, Mr Snape, because I'm also Head of Slytherin, and thus your Head of House, so I hope you'll be an asset to Slytherin. You've been taking a good look at your potions book before Hogwarts, haven't you?'

They nodded, glad to have made such a good impression.

'Now, Mr Snape, where did you tell me you come from?'

Severus hadn't told him anything, but there followed a cross-examination as to where he was from; who his parents were, who they were related to, and what they did for a living. Severus cringed inside – he did not want to show how little he knew about his family tree, especially in front of Lily. But Slughorn, ignoring completely his muggle father, jumped on hearing his mother's name.

"Your mother is Eileen Prince?! Why I taught her myself. And a very good student she was, too. Always very excellent work in my potions class, she had a natural flair for it! Gobstones champion too, if I recall well.' He paused, eyeing him critically. "So you come from the Prince family, eh? A very old wizarding family. Can't be many of them left alive, now. There were some very – ah – well known wizards and witches, from that family, too. And how about you, Ms Evans?'

He turned suddenly to Lily who was listening to Slughorn with almost as much surprise as Severus. She remembered what Alice had told her yesterday and said, a touch defiantly:

"No illustrious wizarding history in my family, Sir, and you wouldn't know my parents, they're –'

He did not take offence at her tone, but cut across her words, laughing instead.

'Well, Ms Evans, perhaps _you_ will be the one to make history happen. Give yourself some time – you are only just starting your magical education. We'll see in a few years - you seem feisty enough! Ah – I think I hear your classmates now'

Still chuckling, he went over to open the dungeon door.

The rest of the class filed in and were directed to get their cauldron and find themselves a desk to share. Most of the Slytherins and Gryffindor shared tables with their own house members.

Slughorn began by taking the register, stopping every now and then when a surname seemed familiar to him, and cross-examining the boy or girl as he had done with Severus .

The two rowdy boys from the train, who were sharing a table at the back, made him pause. It seemed that the one with glasses, James Potter, was from Godric's Hollow, a town well-known for the large number of wizarding families, several of whom turned out quite notable people in the wizarding community, Slughorn told them.

Potter made a victory sign, his face smug. And the other boy, Sirius Black, from London, came from an ancient wizarding family that Slughorn knew well, since they had all been Slytherins, and therefore he had been their Head of House. He shook his head in disbelief at the register when he found out Black was in Griffindor

'Tis strange,' he told him 'These things usually run in families...'

Black was looking cross, but said nothing. Then Slughorn proceeded down the list of students, skimming over quickly those that were muggle-born or whose name he did not recognise.

When he was done, he did indeed show them how to brew Blood-congealing potion. Lily watched the potion shimmer from green to red, and back again, as Professor Slughorn explained what he was doing. Lily had recognised some of the ingredients, but she had not guessed the potion as Severus had done, so she was careful to write everything down when Professor Slughorn, with a wave of his wand, made it appear on the blackboard.

At the end of the lesson, both Lily and Severus had a perfectly translucent liquid bubbling away in their cauldrons, as a perfect example of the first stage in preparing the Blood- Congealing or Wound-healing potion, which, Slughorn told them, had to be left to stew for another week.

Lily thought it felt exactly like being back in the riverside grove at home, where she would prepare potion ingredients under Severus's directions – only this was much better, for she could see the end result. She stole a quick look at him – he was absorbed in their leftover scarab wings – he was trying to prise off the shiny membrane on the underside of the scarab wings. He noticed her looking and grinned.

'Just like back home near the river, eh?' he said.

'That's just what I was thinking' replied Lily 'And this was much better than my first lesson, Transfiguration – we only took notes this morning.'

'Same here in charms. Hadn't given _them_ much thought before'

They started to clear up their table. Severus, glancing quickly at Slughorn, saw him busy going round each cauldron examining the liquid inside critically. He quickly pocketed a few of the leftover scarab wings.

Slughorn had stopped at the table shared by Potter and Black, tut-tutting ruefully at the congealed mess in both their cauldrons, and making it vanish instantly with a wave of his wand. Severus smirked, nudging Lily so that she could see them too. Unfortunately, Black saw him and scowled at him, making a threatening gesture with his fist.

Slughorn continued round the room. Some potions he termed passable, such as those of Alice, Mary, and Rosier. He gave them instructions on what was wrong and how to fix it. But Wilkes' potion, which was frothing over his cauldron and hissing violently, went the same way as that of Potter and Black.

When Slughorn arrived at their table, however, he pronounced that their cauldrons held two perfect examples of first stage Blood-Congealing or Wound-healing potion, and gave Gryffindor and Slytherin a point each. Severus looked back to gloat at Potter and Black, but Lily was telling him something.

'Why don't we go to the Library and work on Slughorn's essay together? I haven't been there yet but you said it's huge...'

Severus looked at the blackboard and saw that Slughorn had written the title of an essay there: '_Describe, with examples, the different uses of Ribwort in Healing Potions'_, twelve inches of Parchment.

'Great, let's go.'

They packed their books in their bags and made their way out of the dungeon with the rest. Severus led the way up to the first floor without many difficulties but it was not that easy to find the Library after that. They got lost somewhere on the third floor down a deserted corridor and as they backtracked, trying to find the staircase that led to the Library on the fourth floor, they ran afoul of Peeves, the school Poltergeist, who chased them down the corridor, pelting them with pieces of chalk.

'Lost 'ickle firsties! Take some chalk and mark your way!'

He chased them up a flight of stairs and several corridors. They shook him off only when Severus grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her through a small door when they went round a corner. Peeves didn't see them and went straight on. They could hear him cackling all the way down that corridor.

They found themselves in a small broom cupboard – it smelt musty, but the most overpowering smell was of some cleaning powder that Lily accidentally knocked over in the small space. "_Mrs. Scour's Magical Mess Remover'_ was written on the packet.

'D'you think its safe to come out, now?' asked Lily.

'Yes. I can't hear anything. Come on, Merlin knows where we are now!'

They opened the door cautiously and went out. The coast was clear and they tried to retrace their steps, but soon realised they were in a part of the castle they had never been before. The corridor they were in opened up onto a wide space, and they came face-to-face with a large, sphinx-like gargoyle standing against the opposite, curved wall. They stopped in their tracks, gazing up at the huge statue.

'Severus, I'm sure I saw its' eyes move....' Lily whispered.

'Nonsense. It's just –'

"If you want to ascend to the Headmaster's Office, you must know the password.'

The deep voice came from within the Gargoyle, and its head had moved slightly so that its stony gaze was directed at them.

'We- we were looking for the Library.' Severus stammered.

'Retrace your steps. You are on the wrong floor.' And the head moved back into its former position and would speak no more.

It took them half an hour to find the Library, and it was a portrait of a nun in a black habit, who finally indicated the way ('Third corridor to the left, my children, and then down the first staircase on the right').

When they finally found the Library, Madam Pince, the Librarian wanted to know why two first years wanted to visit the Library so late in the day, and so early in the year, but Lily told her they needed to look up something for their Potions essay and she reluctantly let them through, giving them dire warnings about what would happen to them if they dared damage any of the books.

The library was everything Severus had told her – it was immense, with high vaulted ceiling and enormous stained glass windows. Tall bookshelves soared upwards towards the vaulted ceiling, filled with thousands of books of all sizes.

It was much larger than Flourish and Blotts, and many of the books were very old, illuminated manuscripts. Being the first day of term, the Library was practically empty and they were soon absorbed browsing through the old books, all thoughts of their Potion essay forgotten. Lily was standing near a shelf of particularly old books, intrigued by the fact that they seemed to be speaking to each other in dry, rustling whispers, when she happened to glance at one of the tall windows and saw that it was now pitch dark outside.

She started looking for Severus, panicking slightly. What if Madam Pince locked them in? She wasn't sure of the Library closing time, but she knew that first years had to be back in their dormitories after curfew.

She found Severus looking longingly at the books in the restricted section. He hadn't realised how late it was either, so they grabbed their bags and hurried off to their respective dormitories, making sure to watch out for Peeves as they went along.

That night, Lily realised she hadn't spoken to Severus about what the other girls had told her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Magical Lessons.**

The next few days were a jumble of lessons for Lily – it was difficult to remember everything – there was so much more to magic than she had first assumed. Apart from Transfiguration, she had Charms, which she liked. She even won a point for Griffindor from Professor Flitwick, for being the first in her class to manage a Levitating charm on a feather.

Then there was Herbology, which she also enjoyed, though it did get rather messy sometimes. Their Teacher was Professor Sprout, a short, dumpy witch with rather dirty clothes, that sometimes smelt faintly of her favorite fertiliser, dragon dung. The lessons took place in one of the greenhouses in the castle grounds and they were together with the Hufflepuffs, whose Head of House, Professor Sprout was.

Then there were the Astronomy lessons. These were rather unusual, since they took place on Wednesday, at midnight, on top of the highest tower at Hogwarts, the Astronomy tower. She liked these lessons because they were with the Slytherins, so she and Severus set up their telescopes next to each other on the north side of the tower battlements. Furthermore, there was something awe-inspiring about gazing at the depths of space – an intense magic she was sure even muggles could feel, standing beneath the dark blanket of the night sky scattered with the myriad, tiny, lights of the stars.

They learnt how to trace the movement of planets, how to map the surface of the moon in its various phases, and how to recognise the constellations – it was something she had never done before, not even with Severus. Their teacher, a young witch called Assistant-Professor Sinistra, was very helpful, conjuring a miniature Solar system in mid-air, when someone couldn't understand the movement of any particular planet, and demonstrating the path of these wandering stars by making the glowing orbs revolve around the awe-struck students in turn.

There was one lesson which she did not like, however, and that was History of Magic. She had actually been looking forward to it since she thought that it would finally answer all the questions she had about the mysterious world of magic to which she had been so recently introduced, but after the initial surprise at finding their Teacher was a ghost called Professor Binns, she found the lessons increasingly boring – it was not lack of dedication on the part of Professor Binns. In fact, he was so dedicated to his subject that he had continued to teach it even after he had died in front of the staff room fire, simply leaving his body there and proceeding to his classes. But he had such a monotonous tone of voice, such an unchanging, droning way of imparting what he called 'historical facts', that even vicious goblin riots were turned into humdrum occurrences.

Lily tried desperately to concentrate during the first few lessons, and tried to take down notes, but it was becoming increasingly hard. Finally she gave up on it and started to play Noughts and Crosses with Mary McDonald, with whom she usually sat. The rest of the Griffindors were finding it hard to concentrate, too.

Lily looked round at the rest of the class and, judging by their vacant expressions ( Potter had actually fallen asleep, lying across the desk, his head on his arms and his mouth open), they were finding it difficult to concentrate, too. Binns, who never seemed to notice anything, droned on. Lily sighed and turned round again, she resolved to do the subject justice later on in the Library – perhaps she would ask Severus to join her – although he had not complained, he was not very complimentary about Binn's lessons either.

In the Slytherin common room, Severus was preparing for his favorite lesson: Defense against the Dark Arts. He had been trying to find the opportunity to read his secret book, but it had not been easy – there had always been someone in the dormitories and he certainly did not want to open the secret compartment of his trunk in front of anybody. He had managed to a couple of times, in the dead of night, when everyone was asleep, and had stayed reading by the light of a candle and with the curtains of his four-poster drawn, but it was not a practical solution.

He swore, for the umpteenth time, that as soon as the confusion of the first few days was over, he would find someplace better where to keep and study his book. He had seen many disused classrooms in the upper floors, and he was sure there were many secret passageways and rooms in the labyrinthine sublevels of the dungeons.

He was also eager to find a way into the restricted sections of the Library, where he was sure some the original books that the mysterious "S.P.' had burrowed some of his spells from, were. Madam Pince had told him that he must first obtain written permission from a teacher.

Which was why Severus was anxious to remain in Professor Perseus Brocklehurst's good books – he was toying with the idea of asking him for a written permission to enter the restricted section of the Library.

He had won several points for Slytherin in the first lesson, since he was the only one to know the list of nocturnal half-breeds in Transylvania, and more besides – even Professor Brocklehurst had not heard of the ancient Vrykolacas sightings, and had been impressed. He gave Slytherin 10 points on that occasion. Wilkes had hooted with glee, and Lily, once again sitting next to him, had told him 'Nice one, Severus!' She had forgotten about the house point system, until Alice's angry hiss ('You're in Griffindor!'), reminded her.

"Sorry, forgot!' she said, smiling apologetically to Alice, who was sitting at the table behind them.

Defense was the first lesson of today and Severus wanted to try and talk to Professor Brocklehurst before the rest of the class came, so he packed his books and hurried off. On his way out of the common room however, he saw a large group of other first-years huddled around the notice board.

'Hey, Severus! Have you seen this?' Rosier beckoned him over. 'Flying lessons next week. I heard the school brooms are rubbish, but at least we'll be up in the air finally. What broom do you have? Mine's a Nimbus 1000, latest model.'

'A Nimbus 1000? Mine's a Cleansweep 3!' Wilkes, who was in the group, butted in. "Hey, Evan, will you let me try it out next year? We'll be able to get our brooms to Hogwarts then-'

'We'll see - depends how well you fly. I don't want you crashing into a wall with it or something – you might damage it.'

'Of course not – I've been flying since before I could walk!'

'That's what everyone says – but I'm not referring to _toy_ brooms, Marcus!' sneered Rosier 'Well, what about you, Severus?'

'I was never allowed a broom; therefore I have never been on one!' Severus answered in clipped tones. He had already turned to go. He wasn't interested in listening to their tall tales of daring arial acrobats on their broomsticks. He knew that most of his year had already ridden broomsticks before, though he did not believe half of the feats they claimed to have done.

The notice had said that they would be having flying lessons with Griffindor, and for once he was not very pleased with the arrangement. He knew that riding a broomstick was not something he could learn from a book. What if he fell off it? The idea of making a fool of himself in front of Lily, especially with those idiots of Potter and Black watching, filled him with trepidation.

He was half-way up the stairs to the first floor when he heard someone call him.

'Severus! Sev! Wait for me.' It was Lily. She came running up to him, panting slightly. 'Have you heard? Next week we'll be having-'

'Flying lessons, yes. I just found out.'

Something in his voice made Lily hesitate. 'Aren't - aren't you glad? I've been wanting to try it- and we'll be together!' she added brightly.

'Yes, Lily. But I've been listening to the other first years in Slytherin and they are all flying aces and Quidditch experts – at least in their own opinion. Since I haven't been on a broom before, I don't think I'll be winning any points there...'

'Well, I'm completely new to it too. I guess I know what you mean – Potter and Black have been boasting they can out-fly an RAF fighter plane, believe it or not! And they figure they'll be on the Griffindor Quidditch team by next year.' She giggled 'It'd be fun if it wasn't true and they fell off their broom, but I guess it's more than likely that it'll be me that falls off!'

'Is there – is there anyone else in Griffindor who's never been on one?'

'Yes, of course – all the muggleborns. And Mary said she nicked her brother's once, had a bad fall, and has never been on one since. So we won't be the only ones. Anyway, maybe it's not so difficult,- like riding a bike. Can't say till we've tried it, can we?'

'I guess you're right.' Severus said, relaxing slightly.

They had arrived at Professor Brocklehurst's class. Some of the other Griffindors had caught up with them and so Severus didn't have a chance to speak to him alone. They took out their books. Today's lesson was on hexes and jinxes – their description; the different types; and the differences between them. Severus felt smug – this was easy. He knew he would win more points for Slytherin. At least it would make up for his probably dismal performance in next week's flying lessons.

It was then that Severus saw the boy. He had looked round to see the rest of the Griffindors and Slytherins coming in, and, on a desk set slightly apart from the rest at the back of the class, sat a lone boy. He was very thin and pale as though he had been ill. His brown hair was rather overlong and unkempt, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Severus was sure he had never seen him before. The other Slytherins were also giving him curious looks as they filed in.

'Who is the newcomer?' he whispered to Lily 'Is he in Griffindor?'

''Yes, though I can't remember if he was at the Sorting. He first appeared in our second Charms lesson two days ago. He keeps himself to himself a lot, and doesn't seem to want to speak to anyone. Perhaps he was in the Hospital wing the first few days – he certainly looks as though he's been sick. Flitwick said his name is Remus Lupin.'

'Settle down, settle down.' Professor Brocklehurst came down some steps from a room at the front of the classroom, and motioned them to find their places. He was a large man with thick, black hair turning grey at the temples and a pointy beard. Rosier had told him that he was a retired ex-auror from the Ministry of Magic and had been teaching on and off for the last couple of years.

'Today we study the basic forms of the darks arts: Curses, hexes and jinxes. Now who can tell me the difference between these three?'

Severus raised his hand, and after a few moments, so did Remus Lupin, albeit rather hesitantly. Brocklehurst looked around.

'Only Mr Snape? Well, tell me all about them then.'

He had completely ignored Remus, who put down his hand, looking rather abashed and aware that all the class had noticed the snub.

Severus of course, knew the answers.

'There is no actual difference between Hexes and Jinxes except in the extent of damage intended by the caster of such spells. Jinxes are cast with the intent of provoking damage or a negative effect on the victim directly or indirectly; whereas Hexes are cast to incur far more severe harm directly on the person of the victim. Curses; Maledictions and the so-called Evil Eye are even more powerful....' Severus spoke for several minutes.

'Well said, Mr. Snape, that's more than there is on your Book. Take 5 points for Slytherin.'

He looked around him at their attentive faces.

'Now I need a volunteer. I will demonstrate a Jinx – don't worry it won't hurt, but I want you to witness what even the mildest of jinxes can do. Yes, Miss Jenny Trimble, please step up here in front of me.'

Jenny, who was sitting on Lily's other side, sharing a desk with Mary Macdonald, gave a frightened whimper and made her way to Brocklehurst's dais, her eyes wide with apprehension.

'Now, I want your fullest attention – before we can even speak about Defense against the Dark Arts, I want you to know what they are, what you may one day be fighting against. The Dark Arts, as I explained in my first lesson, are many, varied and ever-changing. We will start with this relatively harmless laughing Jinx. In fact, as Mr. Snape said, the difference lies in the intention of the caster of the spell – many wizards and witches consider it a charm. Probably other students, older than you, have routinely practiced this jinx clandestinely on other fellow students. I haven't spent seven years as a Hogwarts student without knowing a thing or two about illegal student duels!' He grinned at them, and then turned to Jenny. ", are you ready ?'

Almost before Jenny could even squeak an affirmative reply, he waved his wand and cried:

'_Rictusempra_!'

Jenny started laughing – not just giggling, but side-splitting howls of laughter, her eyes watering and gasping for breath. Most of the class looked at her in amazement, and some, finding her laughter infectious, started to laugh too. It was when she started pounding her fist on the teacher's desk, and gasping for breath that Professor Bocklehurst waved his wand and she stopped suddenly, panting as though she had run a mile.

'Class, I want you to observe that while was laughing hysterically, I had her at my mercy – I could have very easily, for example, have taken her possessions , and she would have been helpless and unable top stop me. Is that correct, Ms Trimble?'

'Yes, Professor.' Jenny was wiping her eyes and clutching a stitch in her side.

'Now I want you to turn to Chapter 13 of your books and read carefully the description of the Laughing jinx and then divide into pairs and take it in turns to try it out on each other. Proceed.'

Severus had already read the whole book, so he looked around him at the rest of the class. Next to him Lily was reading the part on the wand movements of the incantation, her lips moving silently. Others were whispering together urgently, perhaps not expecting to be told to practice jinxes. Then Brocklehurst made them stand up and face each other across their desks and try out the hex.

Severus felt strange, and rather unwilling, as he pointed his wand at Lily.

'You go first!' she had whispered. But his wand wavered in front of her face, and he could not bring himself to do anything.

"It's Ok, Severus, I don't mind.' Lily had started to giggle even though he hadn't done anything. He glanced around them.

There was a lot of giggling going on and stifled laughter, and none of it was due to the laughing hex, but rather to the funny looks on the faces of those trying to hex their classmates. Wilkes was red in the face as he waved his wand and shouted 'Rictusempra' repeatedly at Rosier, who looked, if anything, bored. Alice was giggling as Thalia kept mispronouncing the incantation. The only one who was not trying was Remus Lupin, who did not have a partner. Brocklehurst was going round the class giving advice, but he completely ignored the lone boy.

Severus shook himself, and concentrated on the task in hand. With one wave of his wand he soon had Lily in fits of giggles, and, although perhaps she was not laughing as hysterically as Jenny had, it was as though someone was tickling her and she had to hold on to the desk helplessly.

'Ah, good – our first success. And it's Mr. Snape, of course.' Brocklehurst waved his wand and Lily stopped giggling, or almost, because she seemed to find it very funny and kept trying to suppress her laughter even though she was not under a spell anymore.

'Now my turn!' she said, still grinning and aiming her wand at him. He looked at it warily, but before she could do anything Brocklehurst called them to resume their seats because the time was up.

'For next week,' Brocklehurst was saying 'I want you to prepare a twelve inch parchment on the Basic types of Dark Arts, their differences and similarities, with examples. The title is on the Board' and with a wave of his wand it appeared on the blackboard.

'Furthermore' he continued 'I am required to remind you that magic in the corridors is prohibited, and that includes the use of the Laughing Jinx. This was strictly a classroom demonstration, of course.' But his eyes twinkled as he said it.

'That was one of the best lessons, yet' said Lily as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch 'It was so much fun!'

'Lily, it's not about fun...'

'Oh, I know, Severus, but...' she giggled. "You must be really good, I still can't stop laughing. You can jinx me with that spell anytime.'

'I'll keep that in mind.' he said with a smirk.

'Oh look, there's Mary saving a place for me. Listen, how about we work on Binn's essay this weekend. I kind of lost about half of what he said last lesson.'

'You can borrow my notes. But yes, we need some more information. I'll see you there.' And he moved off to the Slytherin table.

That weekend, Severus was up early. It was his first opportunity to really explore the castle. No one was up yet, and he intended to skip breakfast so that he had the whole morning to himself. Later on, he would meet Lily in the Library to work on their homework, which was already quite a lot considering it was only their first week at Hogwarts.

During the first few days he had managed to learn his way around to his various classrooms and rarely lost his way to them, whether down in the dungeons or in the upper floors. But with lessons he had had very little time to explore. A few excursions into the dungeon sublevels were all he had time for.

Over the weekend however, he managed to explore the dungeons quite well. He had decided to stick to the underground passageways only for now, since his most pressing need was to find a safe place for his book and some of the potion ingredients he had managed to nick from their Potions lessons.

He had always wanted to get his hands on certain things. He was not sure why he wanted them now, but he had a half-formed idea of brewing some of the potions himself, especially the clandestine ones in his Dark Arts book. Potions had always fascinated him anyway, since before he became so absorbed in the book on Dark Arts.

It was easier said than done, of course – the maze of underground passageways twisted and turned, divided up then crossed each other again. Sometimes he was climbing up and other times the passageways sloped steeply down. There were many doors, some of which were magically sealed, others opened up onto other passage ways or seemingly empty rooms, others still seemed to change position.

One particular door, unmistakable because of its runic inscription and rusty, iron-clad panels was on his left side down one particularly steep passage, but then re-appeared on the other side when he retraced his way back up. He even thought he recognised part of the passageway that had led them from the lake to the castle grounds on their first day at Hogwarts.

It took him many hours to realise that it might be years before he really got to know the labyrinth well. But at least he was now familiar with the larger, torch-lit passageways, that thankfully did not change direction or have moving doors.

It was in one of the larger passageways that he discovered the dark tunnel. For some reason, he decided to explore where it led to. It was pitch-dark in the tunnel and he had to light his wand. It curved slightly to the left, and after a short while, Severus found that it led to an arched door with large, elaborately carved iron hinges.

He pushed open the door and found himself in a largish room. In the bluish-white light of his wand, he could see rusty, broken, cauldrons piled in one corner and many dusty glass bottle and phials littering the floor.

Severus found some torches in iron brackets overhead, heavily festooned with dusty cobwebs, lit them and looked around him.

Some desks were shoved up against the far wall and tall oaken cupboards stood empty, some of the doors hanging off the hinges. There was a layer of dust over everything and a mouldy, damp, smell. He thought it might have been an old potions classroom or storeroom, evidently not in use for many years. One very small window, with iron bars across it, allowed some early morning light into the room – Severus assumed it might be situated in the cliff face or just above the level of the lake or lower grounds, but it was too high up for him to see. He explored the room further and decided that, until he found something better, he would smuggle his book and potion ingredients down here. It was far enough off the beaten track for him not to be followed or discovered.

The weekend flew by quickly since Lily was very busy with homework. Although they were still doing basic magic, with not too much actual spellwork yet, it was all new to her and she wanted to make up for the slight head start her companions from wizarding families had.

She found that she liked history of Magic – after a three-hour session in the Library with Severus she found it far more interesting than class – to her the history of the magic world was like the missing link in her life, because it gave her insight into what she had been denied knowing all her life. Severus had a knack of finding the right books and a shrewd understanding of some of the more difficult and complex passages of the library books. Eventually, they completed their homework on the origins of the different types of magical beings in Britain, and the early documented history of the wizarding world. They got easily sidetracked by the many interesting books around them, stopping frequently to browse among the bookshelves. In class they would be starting on the Goblin wars this week, Professor Binns had told them.

On Sunday, after another long session in the Library, they had finished all their Homework and Lily had insisted they go out and explore the school grounds a bit, taking advantage of the warm September weather. The rest of the afternoon was spent pleasantly wandering around the edge of the great lake, together with many other students, who, like them, were out for some fresh air and the last few days of summer sun. In the distance they saw the dark, tall trees of the forbidden forest swaying in the wind and Lily couldn't take her eyes off them, wondering why they were forbidden.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Flying Lessons**

Wednesday morning dawned clear and bright and Lily remembered with a jolt that they had flying lessons that afternoon. She waited with some trepidation for the morning lessons to be over.

She wasn't the only one – during lunch hour all she could hear was her classmates discussing flying tactics. Potter and Black were sitting not too far away from her, and were loudly boasting about Quidditch matches they had been to, and how they could replicate the moves of famous Quidditch players.

Lily listened in to everyone, trying to pick up tips, but found it made her more nervous. She looked at the Slytherin table. Severus was sitting next to a boy with a haughty face, Rosier, if she remembered correctly. Another boy was miming what appeared to be the flight of a broomstick. Severus was listening in, but looked bored.

After a while she noticed that some of the first years on the Gryffindor table had left. So she told Jenny, who seemed even more nervous than she was, to go down to the castle grounds with her.

"Perhaps if we see where we're going to practise, it will make it easier.' she said.

They made their way out of the Entrance Hall, down the steps and slopes of the front doors towards the large expanse of grassy lawns where the lesson would be held. They could see the trees of the forbidden forest swaying darkly in the distance, but the afternoon was sunny and clear.

No teacher was present yet, but 22 brooms were lined up in two neat rows on the ground. Crowding round some of the brooms were two Gryffindor students. Lily recognised them as Potter and Black, and thought they may have come for a preliminary look too. She also noticed they had a guilty look about them for they stepped back quickly from the longer row of brooms when they saw the two girls, and pretended to be examining those on the other side.

Lily, who did not like them, did not wish to speak to them, so she and Jenny took a walk around the clearing, Jenny muttering disconsolately about how hard the ground looked, when Lily saw their flying teacher, Madam Hooch, coming down the slope towards them followed by the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Madam Hooch was young, with short, black hair and yellow, hawk-like eyes.

'Please take your places by your brooms. Griffindor to my left and Slytherin to my right.' she called.

Lily was standing on the wrong side, where there were twelve brooms with student's names scrawled on the handles. She hurried over to the other row consisting of ten brooms and searched for her name, but none of them had any.

She shrugged and found a place near Jenny – at least she'd be near someone who was also a novice. She glanced at the opposite side. Severus was right at the very end, in front of Mary MacDonald, checking the handle of his broom. Potter and Black were next to Mary and they kept sniggering, looking pointedly at Severus.

Madam Hooch told them to stand on the left side of their broom, and showed them how to make it leap into their hands.

Lily's broom only lifted itself up from the ground by the handle, the rough twigs at the other end remained determinedly earthbound. She glanced around her. Jenny's broom hadn't even moved, but those of Mary, Potter and Black were gripped firmly in their hands, as were those of many other Slytherins and Gryffindors.

She tried a second time, and this time the broom lifted right off the ground and into her hand, vibrating slightly. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked up. Severus, too, had it in his hand, but his broom seemed to be vibrating rather violently, so that he could barely hold it with one hand. Other first years were still having difficulty in getting their brooms to obey them...

Madam Hooche then told them to mount their brooms, hover a few feet above the ground, and come back down again. She demonstrated the action, and then gave the signal for them to mount.

Lily threw her leg over the handle, and kicked off gently as Madam Hooch had showed them. She felt herself lifting up gently – she was actually flying!

It felt great, not uncomfortable or even wobbly at all! She felt so elated that she did not realise immediately that she had risen up far higher than Madam Hooch had told them to, and was now level with the top of Jenny's head ( Jenny was still earth-bound, seeming unable, or unwilling, to kick off).

She pointed the handle of her broom downward and settled gently back to the ground. It was then that she realised there was a commotion at the Slytherin end of the line.

Severus's broomstick was bucking violently, trying to throw him off as he tried to mount it. Mary MacDonald, in front of him, was giggling, but Potter and Black, who were in a perfect hover some 15 feet off the ground, were laughing raucously, holding on to each other.

Madam Hooch was at the other end of the line and shouting at a Slytherin girl who had been pirouetting on her broom some 20 ft off the ground, and had not noticed anything.

Severus, perhaps goaded by the laughter, made a determined effort and managed to climb on. Lily watched in horror as, before he could even kick off, the broom, bucking wildly, shot straight up and turned a cartwheel. To everyone's surprise, however, Severus was still hanging on grimly, but then the broom turned sharply, sped downwards, and slammed with a sickening crunch, straight into the ground.

Potter and Black, laughing so hard they could not even stay airborne, landed next to him as he tried to extricate himself from the broken twigs of the broomstick, whose handle had gauged out a deep groove in the grass.

'No points for Slytherin for _that_ particular display of aerial prowess, I think, Snape' sneered Potter.

'Did you like our broom, Snivellus?' laughed Black, still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes 'We got it from the Quidditch Captain's office. It had been confiscated, but we thought it would suit you, and wrote your name on it!'

Severus, his face contorted with anger as realisation hit him, staggered up, but fell down again immediately with a grimace of pain, having twisted his ankle on impact.

'So it was you!'

Lily had come running up just then and heard what they were saying 'I saw you there at the beginning of the lesson. You changed his broom for a cursed one! You idiots! He could have been hurt!'

'Now, what's this, Evans? Are you sticking up for a Slytherin? And such a scrawny, clumsy one, too!' Potter laughed.

Next instant there was a flash of green light that hit Potter and Black, enveloping them in a green, hazy, smoke. When it cleared, their faces were covered in black, pulsating veins that seemed to be writhing under their skin.

Several students screamed, and Potter and Black clutched their faces in agony.

Severus, his wand still pointing at them from his sprawled position, was panting slightly, his dark eyes flashing in anger.

That instant, Madam Hooch burst through the crowd of students who had now gathered round, attracted by the commotion.

'What's happening?' she said 'Merlin's beard! Who did that to you?' she gasped, as she saw the black twisting ropes covering the faces of Potter and Black, who couldn't even speak through their swollen, purple lips. Potter pointed at Severus, who hadn't even lowered his wand.

'Mr. Potter, Mr. Black – go to the hospital wing immediately! That is nothing I have ever seen or can fix .As for you, Mr. Snape, detention with me next Saturday, and fifty points from Slytherin! Really! I can't believe you did something like that – and you're only a first-year!'

There was some angry muttering from some of the Slytherins standing nearby, probably at the lost house points.

'But, Madam Hooch – Potter and Black gave him a cursed broom – they wrote his name on it!' interjected Lily.

Some Slytherins nodded in confirmation, but when Madam Hooch examined the brooms the names had disappeared from the handles.

'Ms Evans, unless you have proof, you cannot accuse anyone. However, I do recognise Mr. Snape's broom – it had been confiscated because there is a Hurling curse on it. If I find out it was put with the regular school brooms intentionally, whoever is responsible will pay.'

She glared at them. 'And another thing – anyone clowning around on a broomstick without my say-so will be dismissed from flying classes, and prohibited from going anywhere near a Quidditch pitch for the next two years! Do I make myself clear?'

Her eyes flashed a yellow fire. 'Now pick up your brooms and follow me. No more flying today. Mr. Snape, hand that broom over, I will see to it that it is never flown again!'

Lily tried to catch Severus's eye, but he had limped off after Madam Hooch, a deadpan expression on his face. Lily grabbed her broom and hurried off. Everyone had considerably sobered up after Madam Hooch's threat, except Jenny, who seemed happy to have not had the opportunity to leave the ground, at least for this lesson.

After they deposited their broomsticks in Madam Hooch's office, Lily hurried off to try and catch up with Severus. She saw him crossing the Entrance hall, still limping slightly, making his way back to the Slytherin Common room.

'Severus, wait up!'

She thought for a moment he wasn't going to stop.

'Sev, please!'

He stopped and turned round slowly to face her, with the same expressionless look on his face.

'I – I saw them, Severus – they were over by the Slytherin brooms and jumped away when I came up. Had I known what they were doing....?!'

His eyes flickered over her face and finally, to her relief, he allowed a wry smile to light up his face.

'I don't think Madam Hooch would have believed you anyway, but thanks for the offer. I just hope Potter and Black keep their distance, though.' he ended, darkly.

'I should think so – they look terrible. What on earth did you do to them? Even Madam Hooch did not know. Not that they didn't deserve it...' she added hastily, seeing the look on his face.

'It was a spell I read somewhere in a book – Viridian's I think. It was the first thing that came to my head, and I tried it.'

Lily looked at him, very much doubting that Viridian's book held spells that a teacher wouldn't know about, but his eyes were fixed on the door leading to the dungeons, where Rosier and Wilkes seemed to be waiting for him. Hoping he didn't have to face any nasty comments from his housemates too, she bade him goodbye.

'I will see you tonight for Astronomy' she called after him, as he limped towards the door to the dungeons.

As she turned to go, she saw Severus give a startled jump as Rosier clapped him on the back, and put his arm around his shoulder as he passed by him.

--------------------

Severus made his way alone up to the Astronomy tower. As he climbed the tightly spiraling staircase, he wondered at the strange way things had turned out. The flying lesson had been even worse than he had imagined, for thanks to Potter and Black he had been made a fool of in front of Lily and the whole class.

Mocking laughter still rang in his ears as he remembered. And, following the loss of fifty points for Slytherin, after he had cursed Potter and Black's faces into black blotches, he expected even students from his own house to give him a hard time.

However, although there was some muttering as he entered the common room, it was Rosier's reaction that was completely unexpected. He had been full of admiration at what he had done and wanted to know where he had learnt such a powerful curse.

Severus, who, of course, had learnt it from his book on Dark Arts, said nothing.

'Ah, well, blood will out!' Rosier said enigmatically, winking at him.

Severus did not let on that he hadn't understood. After all, he was already feeling much better. Lily had been sympathetic, and had stuck up for him , which had made it all bearable, giving him a warm feeling that not even Rosier's praise or WiIlke's look of admiration, could match.

He had half-expected her to be shocked at what he had done to her fellow Gryffindors, but, perhaps because she did not know where the spell had come from, she was startled, but not shocked.

Never having actually tried it out, he himself had been rather taken aback at how well it had worked for him. He vowed, however, that he would be more careful in the future – he did not want any questions asked – especially by teachers, who might certainly be more aware that such spells did NOT come from Viridian's book.

He climbed with some difficulty (after hundreds of tightly spiraling, high steps, his twisted ankle throbbed painfully) onto the roof of the Astronomy tower.

Many Gryffindors were already there. Lily was setting up her telescope on the north wall with Mary MacDonald at her side, talking to her. She noticed him coming and came up to him.

'How's your foot, Severus? Are you ok, now?'

He nodded and went over to set up his telescope near hers. Mary had melted away into the darkness to the other side of the tower. Some nearby Griffindors, he noticed, were giving him covert and wary looks, as if scared of him.

He felt vaguely pleased with himself at this new-found respect, and wondered if Potter and Black had come back from Hospital. It was difficult to make out the black-robed students in the velvety darkness of the clear night.

---------------------

It was in fact more than two days later when Severus saw Potter and Black, their faces miraculously cleared of any signs of black, ropey veins. They jeered at him from across the Gryffindor table on Saturday morning, miming someone trying to hold on to a broomstick. They knew he wouldn't do anything in front of all the teachers at the high table.

He finished his breakfast and hurried off to the Library, before they could have the chance to provoke him into cursing them again – he already had one detention that afternoon, and it would probably involve something pointless or boring – he did not want a repeat.

He was quite right, for when he knocked on Madam Hooch's office door that afternoon, she set him to polish every single school broom and clean the Quidditch changing rooms. She had first interrogated him on what had happened the previous Wednesday, and especially on the curse he had used.

He had been expecting it of course, and was ready for it this time, so he spun her a tale about how he had read the spell in a spell book in a second-hand bookshop in Diagon Alley some weeks earlier.

She still looked doubtful but asked him nothing further, only warning him that she didn't want to see that sort of magic again, and not to ever try spells from strange books – those not on the Hogwarts book list. She then handed him a rag and some polish and told him to get on with it.

It was many hours later that he arrived at the library, his wrist aching. He saw Lily's red head bent over some books at a lamp-lit table near one of the mullioned windows. Two other Gryffindors were with her.

He recognized the blonde girl with pigtails that had laughed at him when he was trying to ride the cursed broom. The other was a small boy with a pudgy round face and pointed nose whose name he could not remember. He hesitated and was about to turn away when the girl, Mary MacDonald noticed him and nudged Lily, who looked up.

"Severus! Thank goodness! I thought you'd never get out of detention.'

She beckoned to a seat at their table and he slid into it.

'What did she make you do? And what's that smell..?'

'Mr. Weatherby's Broomstick polish! I've had to polish all the school brooms, trim the twigs and clean out all the Quidditch changing rooms – without magic of course!'

'What?! I thought you'd be doing lines or something...'

'Not at Hogwarts, it seems. Anyway, now I can say I know the anatomy of a broomstick inside and out, even if I can't ride one.'

'Well, you did curse James and Sirius good and proper, you know,' interjected the small chubby boy 'Madam Pomfrey couldn't figure out how to treat them. She had to send an owl to St Mungo's.'

'St Mungo's?'asked Lily

'It's the wizarding Hospital in London' explained Mary, pushing up her glasses more firmly onto her nose. 'It's a Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries ... or for cures for dark curses!' she added, looking sternly at Severus.

'They deserved what they got! If they're such wonderful Quidditch flyers as they claim to be, they should have ridden that broom themselves!' Severus snapped back at her, remembering how Mary had been laughing at him that day.

Mary flushed, but just then Madam Pince hearing their raised voices came over and shushed them.

"Closing time in fifteen minutes' she said, barely disguising her eagerness to get rid of them. They worked in silence after that.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Severus stole down to the old potions classroom he had discovered at the end of a dark tunnel, taking with him his book on dark arts and some potion ingredients he had managed to secrete during class.

Having got a detention had somehow removed all inhibitions he might have had about not breaking any rules at Hogwarts. He had never really thought about it, but had vaguely considered keeping a clean record as part of the new life he would make for himself at Hogwarts.

But now he did not care – the important thing was not to be caught, he told himself as he tiptoed cautiously down the dungeon passageways. He had put on his black cloak over his nightshirt, the better to blend in with the pools of deep shadows between each flickering torch.

He was afraid of meeting Peeves, who he was sure, would definitely give him away, but he had rarely seen the poltergeist down in the dungeons. Perhaps the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, who Peeves was afraid of, was deterrent enough. But Severus did not see anyone, although he did not even light his wand in the dark tunnel that led to the old potion room, preferring to feel his way along the rough stone of the tunnel wall till he came to the arched door.

Once inside he safely deposited his book and ingredients on one of the desks, and, using his wand, levitated a moth-eaten velvet cushion into the small window near the ceiling – he didn't want any light to filter through where it might be seen from the outside. At least until he could ascertain where the window was situated.

Then he proceeded to re-arrange the broken furniture into a more usable position. He had spent the afternoon cleaning the Quidditch changing rooms after all, so he soon made the room more comfortable, fixing the broken store cupboards, sorting out usable cauldrons from totally broken ones, and extricating some old-fashioned, but sturdy, desks and chairs from the mound of furniture by the wall.

Finally he got his book and magically wiped the pages clean, so that if anyone had to come across it, all they would see were blank pages. Then he shoved it onto the highest shelf of the tallest store cupboard behind some broken flasks of black glass, where he deemed it would be safe from mice. After having one last look around at his work, he nodded in satisfaction, and crept back stealthily to the Slytherin common room and dormitories, because in a few hours it would be dawn.

He woke up rather late the next morning, but spent the Sunday with Lily, walking round the edge of the lake and going as close to the Forbidden Forest as they dared without drawing the attention of some prefect. The place had a strange fascination for Lily, and they spent hours in conjecture as to what could dwell within, that made the place off-limits for students. Severus told her that senior students were allowed in under supervision – he had heard Lucius Malfoy grumbling about an excursion into the forest that the fifth years had as part of their lessons next week.

The book on Hogwarts had skimmed the subject very briefly, mentioning only 'ancient creatures and magical beasts that dwell in secret in the dark recesses of the deep forest'. Lily told him she had heard there were unicorns in there but, although she turned to stare once more at the dark trees, as though willing them to give up their secrets, they only waved darkly at them, the rustling whispers following them as they finally turned away and headed back to the castle.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Quidditch.**

The following days were very busy with lessons intensifying and homework piling up, so that before Severus knew it, Wednesday had come and with it flying lessons in the afternoon again.

He went down to the lawns where the flying lessons would be held with some trepidation, still remembering vividly the events of last week. The weather was not as mild as during the previous lesson, and a strong wind was sending clouds scuttling past, shading the sun every so often.

'It'll be ok, Severus' Lily was saying " I really liked it last time, it's a wonderful feeling, – and there'll be no trick brooms this time, Madam Hooch will have made sure of that.'

He gave a non-committal shrug.

'After all, Sev – you managed to ride that broom even though it had a hurling curse. Until it slammed you to the ground! I'm sure I wouldn't have held on for so long!'

He was slightly cheered by the time they reached the grassy clearing where the brooms were lined up on the grass as before. Madam Hooch was already there, and so were most of the students. Severus and Lily made their way to their own places, Severus checking to see that there were no false names on the broomsticks.

Madam Hooch made them go through the motions of last lesson, and this time, most of the brooms jumped up into their rider's hands. They were then told to rise and hover for a few seconds and come down again.

Severus was rather anxious about this and kicked off rather jerkily, but when he was up there, he understood what Lily had meant – this was exhilarating! The strong wind blew back his hair and he felt alive, excited and somehow different - superior, from his high position.

He made the broomstick, which felt so familiar in his hand after his detention, move upwards, climbing another ten feet or so, so that he was beyond the point where Madam Hooch had told them to go. This was easy, as well as wonderful.

He finally glanced around him at the others, trying to find Lily. She was almost opposite him, hovering some ten feet below him. She smiled and took one hand off the broom to wave at him, her red hair whipping around her face by the wind. He waved back at her, taking his hand off the broom, but it felt comfortable just the same. He dug his feet onto the foot bars more securely and leaned forward, automatically finding the natural position to fly faster. However, he resisted, and leaned forward just enough to get him to Lily's level.

He noticed that most other students were, by now, airborne. He looked around trying to find Potter and Black. He saw them at the end of the line, in a 20-foot high hover, looking bored. Potter caught him looking and mouthed something at him which sounded like 'Amateur!'

Severus ignored him, knowing that Madam Hooch was patrolling the lines of airborne students, correcting their posture and grip.

The lesson came to an abrupt end when Jenny, who had finally plucked up enough courage to kick off, screamed loudly when she found herself airborne, and promptly fell off her broom, landing flat on her face. She picked herself up, holding her wrist and grimacing in pain. Lily flew down to her side, having seen tears of humiliation, rather than pain, coursing down her cheeks.

Madam Hooch decided to call it a day and sent Lily and another Gryffindor girl to accompany Jenny to the Hospital wing.

'Next Lesson you will be sorted out into three groups according to your flying skills.'she told them. "So I can give my attention to those that need it most.'

And she was true to her word for the next Wednesday, she made each of them (except a few who hadn't managed to ride a broom at all), fly once around the clearing, taking careful note of how well they fared.

Then she divided them into three groups. The first and by far the largest group, that of the best flyers, included Potter and Black, who, much to Severus' chagrin, demonstrated that they really _did_ know how to fly well. Rosier, Wilkes and many other Slytherins were in this group too.

However, to his relief, he was at least placed together with Lily in the second, smaller group with medium abilities. This, as Severus told Lily, was really quite an achievement, since many in their group had had brooms of their own at home, and many hours of practice, whereas they had had none.

Before assigning her to the second group Madam Hooch had pronounced Lily's flying as being naturally graceful and poised, with good balance, making her flush with pleasure as she went to join Mary, who had been placed there too.

Severus's flight around the clearing was pronounced 'very controlled, and ambitiously fast' before he, too, was sent to join them.

The last and smallest group, of which Jenny was a member, was made up of a few very reluctant fliers. They took up most of madam Hooch's time for it was many lessons later that she finally got them airborne in a controlled, low, hover.

However, she ploughed on patiently, assuring them that their poor flying skills did not reflect their magical abilities, but that they still needed to learn how to fly a broom, before the year was out.

The second group was given the task of practicing basic moves – changing direction in mid air; reversing, stopping and hovering, accelerating up or down, and landing in one piece. The first group were given an old quaffle and were made to practice passing it to each other in mid-flight, in imitation of Quidditch chasers.

Quidditch was in fact on everyone's mind, as with October came the start of the Quidditch season. Severus and Lily were soon caught up in the general excitement. For Lily it was all new, and though she couldn't help getting infected with the Quidditch fever, (first match of the season was Griffindor against Hufflepuff) she thought that she would probably be bored after a while (after all, she wasn't even a football fan in the muggle world).

Severus on the other hand, knew about Quidditch, but after his experience with his father and his attempt at teaching him football, was decidedly not looking forward to the match. However, he could not help but wonder what it would be like to see a _real_ Quidditch match – all he had ever seen were photos on the _Daily Prophet_. He remembered that even then, it had certainly looked more exciting than football, and, with his recent surprisingly pleasant experience during flying lessons, he thought that, after all, he might go down and watch the match with Lily.

On the afternoon of the first Quidditch match, he met her in the entrance hall, on her way to the pitch with Mary MacDonald; Peter Pettigrew, the small round- faced boy who had been with them in the Library on the day of his first detention, and another girl from Ravenclaw who he recognised from their joint Herbology lessons.

'Hi, Sev! Are you coming to see the match then?'

He nodded. 'I've decided to see what the fuss is all about. I've only seen photos of Quidditch...'

'Who are you supporting? I've decided to support Gryffindor' said the Ravenclaw girl, holding up a small red flag.

'Nobody. I'm just watching. And certainly not Gryffindor, anyway.'

'Why not Gryffindor?' said Lily, in an offended tone

'Because if they win, they move to second place in the house championships, and Slytherin would have to play against _them_ rather than Hufflepuff, who, I've been told, are a pushover. Anyway, I didn't know you cared so much for Quidditch, Lily. You look like you're on fire!' He gazed, amused, at the flaming red rosettes pinned to her cloak, that clashed so badly with her dark red hair.

'Well, I sort of got into the spirit of the thing. I don't know if I'll like it, but I'm trying. I even borrowed a book on Quidditch, so I'll understand what's happening.'

'Come on, you two, hurry up or we won't get good places.' Peter shouted, for they had lagged behind.

The stands were set high around the oval pitch, and they managed to find a place with not too many older students blocking the view, which was quite spectacular. The stands were a sea of red near the Gryffindor Goalposts, and of yellow near the Hufflepuff ones. In between, where a lot of first and second years had found good places, there was mainly just the black of the Hogwarts robes, with just a small smattering of red and yellow flags or banners.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the commentator, a curly-haired fifth year, called out the names of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff team as they came in turn onto the pitch to the cheers of their supporters. Then she blew her whistle and released the four balls.

After only a few minutes into the game, Lily realised that she would definitely not get bored with Quidditch! It was nothing like any muggle sport she had ever seen! It was exciting, amazing – the players were scarlet or yellow streaks in a three-dimensional game. They whizzed past over their heads, and sometimes it was a bludger or a quaffle that zoomed past them. Other times there were mid-air collisions that even she could see had been done 'accidentally on purpose', to the cheers or boos of the spectators.

One particularly daring Gryffindor player, the Keeper, hung off his broom with just one leg in order to keep the quaffle from entering the hoop. Lily cheered madly with the rest of the Gryffindor supporters.

She glanced at Severus. He wasn't cheering wildly, but he was clutching the wooden railing of the stand with white-knuckled excitement, craning forward to see the action better.

'Well, I think it's quite clear to both of us now, what all the fuss about Quidditch was all about!' she shouted to him over the noise "What d'you think? Brilliant, eh?'

He didn't answer her for a moment, his eyes were still fixed on the pitch. Then, when the noise of the crowd subsided slightly, he turned and said, with an excited gleam in his eye:

'One day we'll learn how to fly like that. If we practice hard enough...'

'They only take the very best for the House Quidditch team' broke in Peter, who had over heard him. 'It's no use just knowing how to fly.'

Mary nodded. 'That's true. My brother was absolutely _fanatical_ about Quidditch when he was at Hogwarts, and a good flier too. But he didn't even get to be a reserve player...'

'I still think that...' but Severus never finished what he meant to say, for at that moment the seekers of both teams seemed to have seen the snitch.

They couldn't tell who had seen it first but they raced neck to neck, two red and yellow blurs, across the pitch and then straight up in a vertical climb till they were a dark blotch against the sky. Lily was wishing that she had binoculars, like some other students, when there was a scuffle high above them, and the Gryffindor Seeker emerged and swooped down again, triumphantly holding the snitch. The stands erupted in cheering and the whole Gryffindor team flew around the pitch in celebration. The match was over.

The small group of first years went back to the castle, talking excitedly. Mary said the winning team usually held an after-match party in their common room, so she and Lily hurried off to Griffindor tower.

The Ravenclaw girl also disappeared towards her tower common room and Severus made his way to his own common room, joining a group of Slytherin first-years engaged in a post-mortem analysis of the game. Whatever anyone said, he was determined that he would work even harder during flying lessons – one day he, too, would be on the Quidditch team everyone admired so much.

Both Severus and Lily tried harder to improve every Wednesday, so they were soon promoted to the first group, having mastered all the basic techniques and pronounced good fliers. The were both very proud about this, though for Severus this meant getting more bumps and bruises than anyone else, for Potter and Black made sure they targeted him if they were practicing with Bludgers, for example.

He was careful not to retaliate though, for Madam Hooch was spending more time with the first group now, her eagle eyes scanning the fliers, but he always got his wand to flying lessons just in case.

October came to an end with the Halloween Feast. Candle-lit pumpkins took the place of the usual floating candles and real bats flitted between the house tables, and across the moonlit enchanted ceiling. The castle ghosts joined the feast in particularly large numbers, and when the feast was almost over, several ghostly horses, bearing headless riders, galloped right through the middle of the great Hall, eliciting gasps of admiration and awe from the first- years especially, before disappearing through the walls in the direction of the Entrance Hall.

'The Headless Hunt.' said a pinch-faced Slytherin second-year who was sitting next to Severus, indicating the pearly white riders, .as they disappeared through the walls.

Severus made a mental note to ask one of the school ghosts about the Headless Hunt he had never seen _them_ before. He sighed contentedly. There would be enough time to explore – Hogwarts was his home now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The last days before the Holidays.**

November was heralded by blasts of icy-cold wind, and Severus found himself walking on frost-covered grass on his way to the greenhouses for Herbology with the Ravenclaws.

Almost three months had passed since he had arrived at Hogwarts, and they were the best three months he could remember. Barring some of the summer days he had spent with Lily, he couldn't remember being happier anywhere else. Hogwarts had felt more like home than Spinner's End. Here at Hogwarts he never felt the need to get out and stay away - run away, even. And although his fellow Slytherins considered him somewhat odd for preferring to disappear down some dark passageway in the dungeons, instead of loitering in the common room like the rest of them, they had a grudging admiration for his knowledge of magic. Especially, they whispered,_ dark_ magic, after news of how he had cursed Potter and Black, spread through all the common room.

Severus made his way over to where Wilkes and Rosier were standing. Professor Sprout called them to attention.

'Today,' she said 'We'll be planting seeds of Devil's Snare. This is a very dangerous plant which you will be handling in your senior years. If you're not careful, the tendrils of older plants are capable of twisting around you and can strangle you to death! Your decomposing bodies will act as fertiliser for this plant.' she added matter-of-factly, to gasps of horror from some of the Ravenclaw girls.

'Devil's Snare likes humid and dark places, thus making it difficult to see until it's too late' she continued 'However, seeds and seedlings are harmless, and this year you will be planting and caring for the seedlings, because I want you all to learn to recognise this plant. It is also propagated by bulbs or rhizomes, which are also useful when preparing certain potions, as Professor Slughorn will tell you.'

She tucked her flyaway brown hair into her patched hat. 'Now let's get started. Five students per box of seeds please. You will find pots on the bench over there and dragon manure in the corner.'

Severus, Rosier and Wilkes were joined by another Slytherin girl, Cassiopeia Blackwater, the one performing aerial ballet during their first flying lesson, and the Ravenclaw girl who had been at the first Quidditch match with him, Xenia Lovegood.

'This is so smelly' Cassiopeia grumbled, wrinkling her nose as she dumped dragon dung into her pots.

'Dragon dung is good for you. If you mix it with crushed whelks and heat it over a hickory fire, the smell will open your lungs and clear any cold!' said Xenia, her rather large, staring blue eyes and beaded, plaited, hair giving her an eccentric look.

'No, it won't.' said Severus.

'The smell will probably knock you out, though' said Wilkes, with his snorting laugh.

'You're both wrong! It _is_ true! My brother, he's in Sixth year, and he told me how to do it. He tried it himself!'

Xenia's light brown hair, which she wore in many beaded plaits, was hanging in the mound of manure on the table in front of them, as she leaned forward in her eagerness to convince them.

Cassiopeia, who had somehow managed to keep even her hands relatively clean, shut her up.

'Oh, who cares?' she said petulantly 'In two weeks' time, I'll be packing my bags for the Christmas Holidays, and then I'm out of here! What about you, Evan?'

'Going home, of course. We plan to visit Dad's cousin in Burgundy – they live in a Chateau on the edge of a forest, and they've got their own Quidditch pitch, disguised as a tennis court. What about you, Severus?'

'I'm staying here.'

There was silence. Then Xenia said:

'Don't you want to go home for Christmas? I thought all the first years were going.'

'No, not everybody.'

He saw them looking at him curiously. 'Look, I'm staying because _I _want to. There are things I have to ...ehm...do.'

'Like what?' asked Rosier, a cynical look in his eye.

Severus paused before answering. He didn't want anyone prying into why he was staying at Hogwarts. He had, of course been one of the first to write his name down in the list of those staying over during the holidays – anything to stay away from Spinner's End. He had told his parents last summer before he left, that he intended to stay at school for any holidays. He thought it would be better if he was out of their way as much as possible.

Besides, he hadn't even received an owl from home in all these weeks. So he had plans of his own on how he wanted to spend his holidays at Hogwarts, when the castle would be almost empty.

'Ask no questions and you'll be told no lies.' he finally said, mysteriously.

And with that he turned to fetch water for his seven rows of neatly sown and covered pots of Devil's Snare, leaving them staring at him as he left.

Word seemed to spread pretty quickly in the coming weeks, that he was one of the few first- years to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays.

It was while they were waiting in the gloomy dungeon corridor for their potions lesson that he realised it had reached the ears of Potter and Black.

'Oy, Snivellus!' Potter shouted over the heads of the other first years.' I heard you're staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. What's the matter? Don't they want you back home?'

He and Sirius laughed at their own joke, and there was some tittering laughter from some of the Gryffindors around them too. Severus tried to keep his temper, but Potter's words had hit home. He felt his anger rising. Potter pushed his way towards him followed by Black.

'You're such an ugly git, Snivellus, it's no wonder why....' added Sirius Black, leaning on Potter's shoulder and looking at Severus with contempt.

'Yeah,' continued Potter smirking, and talking loudly, so everybody could hear 'what parents would want such a freak back home, darkening their Christmas....'

But before he could finish his sentence Severus whipped out his wand and pointed it at Potter's face.

'_Constrictus!_' he shouted.

Potter clutched at his throat, but no sound came. It was several seconds before Sirius noticed his friend was choking, his face turning blue.

'Why you -!'

He swung wildly at Severus but missed. Severus muttered the counter-curse that unblocked Potter's throat, but in the split second that it took to do so, Sirius Black, who had also taken out his wand, managed to hit Severus over his eye with it. Potter, seeing this and having got his breath back; hit Severus with a well aimed kick in the ribs as he bent over, clutching his face. He was aiming for another, when he was pulled back by Remus Lupin.

At that moment Slughorn opened the dungeon door to usher them in.

'Not fighting, I hope , boys, eh?' he said, noting Potter still struggling in Lupin's grip, and Severus frozen with his wand pointing at Potter and Black, whom he was on the point of cursing again.

However, there were no obvious signs of damage, and, thus no one told Slughorn what had happened, for they knew that points would be deducted from both Gryffindor and Slytherin.

They filed in and found their usual places next to their cauldrons. Severus was still seething when he was joined by Lily, who was the last to come in.

'What happened?' she asked 'I was a bit late, but I could hear that James Potter yelling from down the passageway – he was shouting something about you staying here at Christmas...'

He didn't answer her, keeping his head bent over his book, but Lily persisted, leaning over and trying to see his face through the curtains of long, black hair.

'Severus? Were you fighting? There was some kind of struggle going on up front when I arrived, and then Slughorn opened the door and...'

She stopped as finally Severus had raised his head and looked at her.

'Oh, my! Sev! Your eye! It's turning blue!'

'That's because that idiot of Black uses his wand like a troll's club! Listen, Lily, I'll explain later, Slughorn's coming over!'

They turned to page 73, as Slughorn told them, and bent over their books. Being at the front desk meant they were uncomfortable close to their teacher's watchful eye most of the time. Later on, however, when they had started brewing that day's potion, Lily went to get some ingredients from the students store cupboard and Jenny, who was there too, filled her in on what had started the fight in a whispered conversation.

Thus, as soon as the lesson was over, Lily dragged Severus off with her, telling him she had forgotten something behind her in Herbology. Severus was still looking daggers at Potter and Black, whose table was at the back of the classroom, and they were returning the favour with interest. However, he followed Lily wordlessly up the dark dungeon passageways, through the entrance Hall and out onto the frosty lawns.

"You didn't tell me you were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas.' said Lily finally, stopping short of the Green houses and confronting him.

'I – I forgot. Anyway, they only came with the list a few days ago.'

'Why, Severus?'

'Why, what?'

'Why are you staying here? I thought we'd be going home together...'

He looked at her, the hurt in her voice unmistakable.

'Lily, you know you go away for Christmas, so what do I go home for?' he said, bitterly.

She said nothing, but looked at him intently with her kind, green eyes, her breath misty in the frosty air. He squinted back at her through his rapidly-swelling eye.

'Besides,' he added 'I intend to explore the castle a bit better now that everyone will be away, so I'll be quite busy'.

'Yes, Severus. I know you will.' she answered quietly. 'Now come with me and I'll see if I can find some potion to put on that eye...'

'It's Ok, I ... I'll do it myself. I have to go now. I'll see you later.'

And with that he turned and left her standing near the green house door.

She watched him leave, shoulders hunched and head bent. He was right, of course. She had been away all last Christmas, so they probably would not see much of each other during the holidays. She had also noticed that he hadn't received any letters from home – not even one.

She had, of course received regular packages and letters from home. She used the school owls to send regular reports of her progress at school to her anxious parents, and they used the same owl to send her letters or sweets from home.

She sighed, hitched her bag higher over her shoulders and left the greenhouses ( she hadn't really forgotten anything, she just wanted to get Severus away from Black and Potter before he did something else that would land him in detention again.). No wonder that he didn't want to go home.

When the day came for the students to leave, she went down to the Entrance hall where the first- and second-years were being herded together by Hagrid for their walk down to the train station to get the Hogwarts Express. She was trying to see Severus in the milling crowds of excited students, but couldn't see him anywhere.

The previous night, after their last lesson, she had made him promise to send an owl ( where can I find one otherwise?) and tell her how he was spending his holidays. She had been looking forward to seeing her parents again, though, given the way they had parted, she wasn't so sure Petunia would be happy to see her.

Yesterday night, as she had waved goodbye to him before returning to her dormitory to pack, she wasn't so sure anymore. He had stood there alone, books in his arms, just watching her go. She had half-wished she was staying at Hogwarts with him.

Severus was down in the secret potion storeroom deep down in the dungeons. He didn't want to be around when everyone departed and be bothered with questions as to why he was staying or what he planned to do, which had been Marcus' constant refrain.

As for Lily, in his mind, he had said good bye the previous evening – no doubt now she wanted to bid goodbye to the other Gryffindors.

It was late afternoon when he ventured forth from the dungeon room, and, making his way upstairs, he was surprised at the unnatural quiet in the castle, even though he had been expecting it. Looking out of the mullioned windows in the deserted first floor corridor, he saw that it had started to snow, making the silence even deeper, as the outside world was also hushed.

Severus looked round once more, breathing a sigh of relief – finally the castle was his to explore. He decided to go and spend some time in the Library – with some luck he might find a way of getting into the restricted section somehow these holidays.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Christmas at Hogwarts.**

Over the next few days he spent his time wandering around the castle's upper storeys, and, like he had done in the subterranean dungeons, he discovered more corridors and passageways than those that students usually took to go to their classes.

There were several doorways hidden behind tapestries or suits of armour, that he had not noticed before. There were also many doors that had been magically sealed, for try as he might, after carefully making sure that Filch the caretaker was not around, they would not open, even when he used his wand. Other doors did open however, and though many were disused classrooms, others contained ancient pieces of furniture, sometimes with odd things still in them, or else had more doors leading to other rooms beyond.

Thus as the snowflakes settled in curved white mounds on the mullioned windows of the castle, Severus wandered the cold, draughty corridors, much as he had wandered the streets and riverside around Spinner's End.

He missed Lily's company of course, because despite being in different houses, they still had lessons together, and studied or did homework together. However, every day brought him some new discovery about the castle, that made him feel even more at home, as he slowly, but surely, learnt more of the castle's secrets. In fact, he never regretted his decision to stay at Hogwarts.

He also learnt the value of stealth when wandering around the castle: not only because of Filch, who was always ready to punish students on whatever pretext, if he found them out of their common rooms; but also because of Peeves, who was now deprived of the usual victims for his jokes, and was thus on the lookout for any of those remaining at Hogwarts to vent his twisted sense of humour on.

It was on one of his visits to the third floor armour gallery, having had a close brush with Filch, that he discovered the Trophy Room. The door had been unlocked, so he just went in. He had heard about it from the other Slytherins, but had never been inside.

Cups, shield and medals glistened in large crystal cases or cabinets. The name of the student receiving the trophy was engraved in elaborate lettering on them, as well as the school house and the reason for which the trophy was given. Severus walked slowly between the crystal cabinets, peering at the gold and silver inside. Many were cups of past Quidditch games, with the Team Captain's name prominent on them; other trophies were given for more obscure reasons, like the _"Award for special service to Hogwarts School"_ achieved by a certain T. Riddle, almost 30 years ago; others were given for exceptional spell casting, or charm work.

He was imagining a cup bearing his own name on it one day, when his eyes fell upon a rather tarnished gold shield in the corner of a cabinet he was looking at. It bore the name 'Eileen Prince'. He read the meager information eagerly.

'_Eileen Prince, Captain of the Hogwarts Gobstones team and champion of the Interschool Gobstones Competition'_ was engr_a_ved on the surface of the trophy. Severus felt strange. He had never known anything much about his mother's life at Hogwarts – he had never seen her play any game – wizard or muggle, so it was weird to see her name there or imagine her as an international school champion.

Professor Slughorn had mentioned something during their first lesson, but he hadn't thought it was so important. Severus himself did not like games much, even wizarding ones. Lately, he had played wizarding chess with another Slytherin boy, a second year called Philistus Avery, who was also staying at Hogwarts for the Holidays. He much preferred wizarding chess to exploding snap or Gobstones - at least you got to use your mind a bit, and you did not end up covered in disgusting liquid if you lost.

He was rapidly getting very good at the game too, considering he had never had much practice before, and was winning every game now. He browsed around some more. There were even the lists of Head boys and Head girls too, but he did not see his mother's name anywhere else.

However, it was a start – he was sure he would uncover more about the important part of his family – his mother's side of the family, if he dug deep enough in school records.

As it got closer to Christmas, Severus found that the Christmas trees that had been brought into the great Hall by Hagrid and old Ogg, the senior gamekeeper, a little before everyone had left for the holidays, were now festooned with tinsel and bright golden baubles. Garlands of holly and ivy ran around the large room and along the banisters of the staircases in the Entrance Hall. It was a spectacular sight – warm and bright and colourful, and certainly unlike anything he had ever experienced at home, but it made him feel sad somehow, and, for the first time, a little lonely.

On Christmas morning, however, he did cheer up a bit because, after almost four months he received a letter from home. The large tawny owl found him at breakfast, landing right in front if him and knocking over a milk jug. It took him a moment to realise that the scroll of parchment tied to the owl's leg was meant for him, but the owl hooted softly and nibbled his fingers, so he untied the small plain envelope from its leg and immediately recognised the sloping handwriting of his mother:

_Dear Son,_

_I know I haven't written for a long time, but your father lost his job soon after you left, and things have been difficult for some time. Now he's got another job so we'll get by, as we did before. _

_I received your owl confirming that you had been sorted into Slytherin, as I knew you would._

_Make sure you do well at school and do not cause any trouble. I would like to hear about how you're doing, but if you send any owls, make sure to send them straight to me._

_Enjoy your holidays._

_ Mum_

Severus re-read the letter, his brows furrowed, wondering where she got hold of the owl from, and what she meant by things being 'difficult'.

When he finally looked up he saw Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes looking at him intently over his half-moon spectacles.

They had removed all the house tables since there were so few students and everyone, staff and students, dined at one long table in the middle of the Hall. Dumbledore was sitting in the middle of the table a few seats away opposite him, still gazing at him but saying nothing, so Severus got up hastily and headed straight for the Owlery.

He would reassure his mother that he was fine, and, for what it was worth, he would tell her to tell his Dad that he was one of the best pupils in many of the subjects at Hogwarts, though he seriously doubted whether it would do any good or that anything he did or said would placate him on the matter of magic. The cold, grey hearth of his home in Spinner's End came vividly to his mind and couldn't help comparing it with the warm, golden splendour of Hogwarts.

He decided to send a letter to lily too now that he was up at the owlery. He had promised to, and today, somehow, he would have liked to have her company more than any other day.

The Christmas feast was a grand affair. Severus found himself sitting next to Dumbledore, who insisted on opening several large wizard crackers with him and then exchanged what he found inside, a handsome Chess set, with what Severus had found, a purple three-cornered hat. Severus stared at the chess set. He had also found a handsome book on Magical Fungi and one on the magical properties of semi-precious stones in the crackers. Well, it was actually Dumbledore who found them, but he insisted that Severus take the lot.

'I have more than enough books and not enough headgear.' he had said, his blue eyes twinkling. Severus felt himself flushing, not only because he was being addressed by the great Dumbledore himself, but because he had never, in all his life, had such expensive gifts.

'Th...thank you, Sir.' was all he could mumble.

He started leafing through the book, uncomfortably aware that Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes were still upon him.

However, as he lovingly ran his finger down the gilt lettering on the spine and opened it to glance at the beautifully illustrated , pristine pages, he soon forgot Dumbledore; the hubbub all around him, and the flaming Christmas puddings that had now appeared on the table, as he immersed himself in his new gifts.

He was roused eventually by Hagrid who was loudly toasting Ogg, the ancient Gamekeeper, who was due to retire by the end of the year and whom he, Hagrid, would now be substituting in full. Hagrid beamed at all of them, his face red and shining over his bucket-sized tankard. Professor Sprout, her brown hair coming undone from the bun at the back of her neck, had tinsel wrapped around her hat, and was laughing at a joke tiny Professor Flitwick was telling her. Assistant Professor Sinistra, one of the youngest witches on the staff, was in profound discussion with her Superior, Professor Rigelius; the NEWT's Astronomy Teacher. Slughorn, his waistcoat buttons threatening to pop, had opened another bottle of wine and was urging Brocklehurst, who was wearing a pirate's hat, to take some more, while Minerva McGonagall was chiding a Hufflepuff third-year for surreptitiously filling his glass with firewhisky

Severus, for whom the feast had been a rather overwhelming affair, was trying to sneak away unnoticed, when, as he bent to pick up his books, he found Dumbledore's hand placed on top of them and his blue eyes looking directly into his.

'Mr Snape,' he said quietly, so that only he could hear. 'These books, and many others like them, will be your friends for life. But other books may become, slowly and insidiously, your enemies. Choose your books with care, Mr. Snape and you will enjoy reading them for the rest of your life.'

'Y- Yes, Sir.'

Dumbledore removed his hand and Severus hurried off, his mind racing. Did the Headmaster know about his Book on Dark Arts? No, he couldn't have, he had been extremely careful – no one knew about it - not even Lily knew he had brought it with him. What did the Headmaster mean?

He quickly ran down to his dungeon hideout, but the book was still there exactly where he had placed it last and with a simple charm he had recently discovered, that would alert him had it been touched without his knowledge. But the charm was intact- no one had come into the dungeon, much less discovered his book. He pondered on the Headmasters subtle warning but could make no sense of it.

He hadn't even managed to get into the restricted section (where he had every intention of looking up the books on Dark arts there), so he could not fathom why the Headmaster had said what he did .

Over the days that followed however, Severus ignored the Headmaster's mysterious words, and spent his time in the dungeon storeroom either reading or trying out some of the more challenging potions he had read about, for he had managed to obtain quite a number of potion ingredients now, which he had hoarded away in any of the unbroken bottles he found .

The small window, he had finally discovered , after clambering over three stacked desks, opened under a small overhanging ledge at the bottom of the cliffs on which Hogwarts Castle was set. However, it was close to the surface of the water of the lake and practically invisible from the castle grounds. It let in enough light during the day to illuminate the room in a dim light. At night, he covered it so that no chink of light could give away his hideout, at least until he could discover a charm that might conceal the opening by magic.

When he wasn't in the dungeons however, he spent most of the time wandering around the upper storey, trying to unlock as many of their secrets as possible before the return of the rest of the school.

He soon became aware though, that up here, like in the underground floors, the secrets of the castle would not yield themselves to him over a few days, if ever at all.

He had found once more, for example , his way to the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's quarters on the seventh floor, but he never found the broom cupboard he and Lily had hidden in , that first day when they had been chased by Peeves.

Also, on the rare times he took a walk in the deep snow outside, in the courtyard or the frozen lake, he was sure that when he counted the many windows set in one storey, they did not correspond to the number he had seen inside the rooms and corridors themselves.

Even the library, with its large mullioned windows, seemed to be missing one or two of them when viewed from inside as opposed to outside.

He was not worried though – he knew there would be plenty of opportunities; many future holidays in which to explore further and deeper than anyone else.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 : The Engraved Skull.**

The day came when the rest of the school came back, and the castle echoed once more to the excited babble of students, as they told each other about their holidays and what they got for Christmas.

Lily was very happy to be back – it hadn't been such a good holiday after all. Although her parents had been very glad to see her back, and eager to learn first-hand what she was doing at school, her sister, as she had feared, would hardly even speak to her.

Her parents spent hours asking her about her new school, about her teachers and friends, but Petunia did not want to hear anything about Hogwarts. In fact, she pointedly left the room every time Lily or her Mum or Dad spoke about it, and spent most of her holidays on the phone with her own friends from St Alban's, or else visiting those of them that lived nearby.

Lily, on the other hand, had no-one to visit this Christmas, because her old friends had all moved on to other muggle schools and she had lost contact with them. No other magic family lived in her town except Severus, and he had stayed behind at Hogwarts'.

She had resigned herself to a rather boring Christmas, for she had found she missed Hogwarts more than she had expected. Now that she had had a taste of actually living in a world of magic, she found it harder to re-adjust to muggle living. She wished that at least Severus were there.

She had a bit more jovial company than her sister when they went to her Grandparents for the Christmas week. But she found that, although she liked talking to her cousins, most were older than her, and there was a bit less to talk about each time they met, for she had to avoid answering their questions about her school life.

Thus, she was very glad to be back at Hogwarts and peered around eagerly as soon as they arrived in the entrance Hall, hoping to see if Severus was there, but like the day they had left, it was difficult to find anyone in the excited mass of returning students.

Besides, Thalia, who had been in her compartment on the Hogwarts express, was still describing in detail the large amount of presents she had got for Christmas, which seemed to include, as Lily listened, bemused, what one would expect to find in the cave of wonders, including a necklace of beads that could change color and pattern to reflect what she happened to be wearing.

She followed Thalia to the Griffindor common room confident that at least she would get to meet Severus the next day for double potions.

She had sent him a letter and some sweets for Christmas, in response to the short note he had sent her with one of the school owls.

He hadn't said anything much in his short note, but that he was spending his time 'exploring', whatever that meant.

Lily had arrived early to the potions lesson that afternoon hoping to find him there alone, but he came in with a group of Slytherins that included Evan Rosier and Cassiopeia Blackwater, whom she didn't really like a lot, for they somehow struck her as being rather stuck up.

However, Severus left them and made his way straight to his place near her, and she was happy to see that he appeared glad to see her again.

'Hi, Severus!' she said as he sat down near her 'I was hoping to find you before class started. How were your holidays, really? What did you mean when you wrote you're off 'exploring' every day?'

'Exploring the castle, of course. There are so many rooms and corridors we had never been in- '

'Oh – the castle. For a moment I thought, back home, that perhaps you'd've tried to go to the Forbidden Forest...'

'The forbidden forest?!' he raised an eyebrow, and she thought he was offended at her suggestion that he would break such strict rules. 'Why would I want to go to the forbidden forest when there's so much to discover within the castle walls?' Then he leaned closer and whispered, grinning 'But I will go as soon as ...'

'Oh, will you?! Great – I want to come along. Oh, please!'

She looked at him, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. But he looked at her hesitantly – he had forgotten how the forest fascinated her. What if they got caught? She seemed to guess what he was thinking.

'Oh, come on, Sev – I'm not little Miss Goody-two shoes, you know! I'll take the risk! Anyway, we'll be careful.'

'Alright, then.' he smiled 'Miss 'Daredevil' Evans – I'll leave you to deal with whatever unnamed monstrosities the forest may throw at us, if we even make it past the Gamekeeper's hut!'

'Just a little peek inside the forest won't hurt!' she laughed 'But maybe we should start with something smaller...'

'More than a peek – I need to see some of the plants and stuff that grow there! But let's break the rules within the castle walls first, before we go on to bigger and better things, ok? Anyway, Lily, just wait till I show you the hidden corridors I've discovered. Later on, perhaps if you want to go to the Library with me...?'

Lily smiled. It was so good to be back, sitting here with Severus and planning magical adventure to discover more wonderful things. If it wasn't for her parents and the fact that she did miss them, she would probably spend future holidays here at Hogwarts. Then she remembered something she had come to class early for.

'Oh, by the way, Severus – Happy Birthday!'

'What? oh!' She could see by the surprised look on his face that he had completely forgotten. She laughed.

'How could you forget your own birthday? You remembered last year...'

'That was different. Eleven is when you get your Hogwarts letter...'

'Well, you're twelve today, and officially older than me for the next few weeks, so...'

But she never finished what she was saying for at that moment, Slughorn, who had been talking rather loudly to Evan Rosier, about his uncles and cousins in France ( apparently, he knew them well) had come to the front dais and rapped loudly for attention with his wand.

'Ok, everybody' he said 'The Festive season is now regrettably over, so no more talking. Take your places near your cauldrons, for this week we'll be working on another simple healing Potion....'

Of course, they did not go to the forbidden forest-there was so much to see when Severus showed Lily what he had discovered in the upper storeys. In reality, however, there was precious little time to show Lily everything he discovered since lessons took up most of the day, so any exploring had to be limited to the weekend, or brief excursions on their way to the library to do their homework. Before they knew it, many weeks had rolled by.

It was now March and the cold, glacial rains of February had given way to blustery days of strong winds, interspersed with some finer days. It was on one of these cold, windy weekends, when most first-years opted to stay in their common rooms, rather than be blown around the school grounds, that Severus made an intriguing discovery.

He had been playing wizard chess with Philistus Avery in one of the dimly lit alcoves of the Slytherin common room when it happened. He had been winning (again) and Avery was sitting on the edge of his seat, his pinched face scowling in concentration. Of course he fell right into the trap Severus had set for him.

'Knight, take bishop!' Avery shouted a manic gleam in his eyes. His knight did so, rather over-enthusiastically, at his masters' bidding, for the two chess pieces rolled off the board together and clattered into a dark corner of the alcove.

'Checkmate.' drawled Severus, moving his queen into position, and smirking as he saw Avery's stricken face. He got up to retrieve the fallen chess pieces. 'When will you ever learn, Phil? I used the same move on you last weekend!'

He bent down see where the knight and Bishop had fallen to, but it was so dim in this far corner of the alcove that he had to light his wand to see.

He could see the tiny Bishop at the base of one of the marble columns that held up the vaulted ceiling He was rubbing his mitered head where the knight had hit him with his miniature sword, but of the knight there was no sign. He went down on his knees and felt around the back of the marble column with his hands. The base of the column consisted of carved skulls, that gleamed in the bluish-white light of his wand.

It was then that he saw the movement in the dark eye socket of the middle skull. For a second he froze, gripping his wand tightly, but then he saw with relief it was the tiny, white knight, who had somehow fallen against the skull and wedged himself in the eye socket. Severus pried him out and was about to get up, when he saw something that\ thrilled him even more than the apparent movement of the cranium.

Etched in the white marble of the skull where the knight had fallen, roughly where the forehead would be, he saw the initials '_S.P._'. He recognised them immediately because they were engraved in the same old-fashioned way they were on his book of dark arts: a long, serpentine 'S' and a curlyesque 'P', ending in a flourish. This was not a random student scratching, or graffiti – this was _his_ S.P.

But there was something else. He rubbed the thin layer of dust on the etched initials, and, below them, scratched in the same style was a date: 1897.

'Well, Severus, did you find them?' called Avery from table at the entrance of the alcove where he was picking up the rest of the chess set.

'Yes. I got them.' he stood up and went over to Avery.

He needed to examine that skull closer. The date made him wonder – he had, of course searched the school records in the library for a potential S.P., assuming that P stood for Prince. But he had always looked for records from 1900, the date on the book, since it was very obvious that the material in it had been gathered from Hogwarts and thus 1900 had seemed a good place to start.

He would need to search earlier dates, and he wondered why he did not think about it before. After all, he mused, S P may not have been a student – what if he had been a teacher? But what were his initials doing on one particular skull and in one particular alcove? Maybe there were more initials in the Slytherin common room, he reminded himself.

So that night remained seated on one of the low, carved benches waiting until one by one all the others left the common room for their dormitories. The wind was still howling outside, but in the underground Slytherin common room it could not be heard and everything was still and quiet.

When Severus was sure he was alone he made his way around the common room's old wall, searching carefully every nook and cranny. He meticulously searched every one of the marble skulls – those carved on the mantelpiece as well as those at the base of the columns holding up the vaulted ceiling. He ran his hand carefully over their cold, white surface, feeling around for anything etched thereon. Some of the carvings around the mantle piece had been worn smooth by generations of students leaning against the fireplace for warmth, so any fine lines or engravings had long since been lost.

He did not find another set of initials even after a whole hour of searching, and had almost given up, when he did come across another engraving.

This time it was not on a skull, but on the narrow head of a serpent that was sinuously carved out of stone at the base of the column opposite the one bearing the initialed skull. Severus noted that only one column had a snake carved round its base, twisting and turning among the skulls.

In style, the serpent was similar to those framing the windows of the Slytherin common room, but what was remarkable about it was the engraved symbol on its head – a triangle, enclosing a circle that had a vertical line passing through it.

He quickly checked the other carved serpents in the common room: those supporting the mantelpiece and those around the thick windows looking into the lake. None of them had that symbol.

Severus felt that it was somehow important, significant. Both engravings were in the same alcove, opposite each other. They were also engraved in a place that would be almost impossible to notice. Why not somewhere more prominent? What did the symbol mean? And he had to absolutely find out who S.P. was.

He vowed to himself, as he headed towards the dormitory, that he would redouble his efforts to uncover the mystery of the writer of the Book of Dark Arts.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The mysterious S.P.**

In the following weeks Severus returned again and again to the Library in search of old school records, this time armed with a precise date that definitely connected the mysterious S.P. with Hogwarts.

This time he was lucky. He first searched all the available lists of Hogwarts teachers and members of staff and, though he came up with several 'S.P.s', none of them bore his mother's maiden name.

It was when he was perusing student lists of 1897 and specifically of Slytherin fourth years, that the name jumped out at him – his own name, actually. There it was, on the yellowing parchment headed with the Hogwarts crest - Severus Prince.

Under the Hogwarts crest was the green and silver Serpent of Slytherin, and underneath, in alphabetical order, were the students names. It was there, towards the end – Severus Prince!

He read it again, gripping the tattered old book tightly in his excitement. He finally had a name. And he had guessed right – it was his mother's relation, and therefore, his too. He felt elated. Now he was getting somewhere. But his mind teemed with a thousand questions too. Why hadn't he found any records in 1900? He was not in any of the graduation records. Why did he carve his initials in such an obscure place? Did he carve the symbol on the snake's head too? Did his mother know about him? Did she name him after his ancestor?

Severus decided not to tell anyone about his discoveries until he knew a bit more about his mysterious ancestor. Especially Lily – she had been rather disapproving of the book that Severus Prince had written and compiled.

Severus had also never told Lily about his dungeon hideout, though she had asked him, during potions, what he was doing with all the leftover ingredients she saw him secrete in his bag.

'Oh,' he had answered in an offhand manner 'I'm keeping them in an old storeroom. They may come in handy someday ...'

She still looked doubtful.

'Lily I'm NOT stealing ingredients – they were going to be thrown away!'

'It's not that! If – if you're attempting to brew something on your own, well, Mary MacDonald told me...'

'I know', he said, with a touch of irritation 'It's against the rules. But I'm only collecting...'

''It's not that, Sev' Lily cut across him impatiently 'But some potions have terrible side effects, if something goes wrong. And, knowing you, you won't be content with the first-year stuff; you'll be attempting something really difficult...'

He smiled in spite of himself. 'It's Ok, Lily. I promise I won't brew something that'll blow the castle to bits!'

He was glad she hadn't asked anything else after that, though he could see she was still uneasy. He knew he would tell her eventually, but he wanted to make sure the place was safe before he led her to it. Especially since he knew that if he was ever caught in there, he would be severely punished, if not expelled.

However he drove the thought from his head. He had a far more sensible attitude towards rule-breaking now than he had had when he first arrived at Hogwarts.

Ever since he had been given that first detention he had forgotten his earlier intentions to keep a clean record. Or rather, he had resolved that if he were to break any rules it would be done in a way that he would not be found out.

In the weeks that followed however, any thoughts of rule-breaking had to take second place to the demands of their teachers, as more and more homework was piled on them as exams approached,

Both Severus and Lily excelled in most subjects. Transfiguration was probably the one they found most difficult, though both could now transform small things into other objects that resembled them, shape wise.

To Lily's chagrin, James Potter was by far the best in class at transfiguration and Professor McGonagall often held up his work for the rest of the class to admire.

'He's such a big-head!' Lily complained to Severus after one particularly difficult transfiguration lesson 'he kept changing my quill into a feather duster each time I reached out to pick it up! And then laughing his head off with Sirius!'

She slammed her books down on the Library table where they had just arrived, which earned her a dirty look from Madam Pince. They were coming here even in break time sometimes, in order to finish their work.

They were working on a constellation chart for Assistant Professor Sinistra. She had strongly hinted that it would be coming up in the forthcoming exam.

'D'you want me to hex him for you, Lily? It will be easy tonight during Astronomy – there's no moon, and it'll be difficult for the teachers to see anything....'

'Thanks, but no thanks, Sev. You shouldn't be getting into more trouble and anyway, I ignore them. Potter and Black tend to clown around a lot with everyone .Now let's get these constellations right before this evening....'

Because of the close proximity of exams, even flying lessons had been cancelled, which was a pity for the weather was now fine, with clear blue skies and perfect flying conditions almost everyday. But also because, as Madam Hooch had insisted, everyone could fly a broom now – even the most reluctant flyers like Jenny Trimble could fly from one point to another on the Quidditch pitch with reasonable confidence. Lily and Severus missed flying lessons because they had become quite good. Severus missed it less because he was often the target of Potter and Black's sense of humour, especially when it was their turn to hit the bludgers, which invariably hit him harder and more frequently than anyone else.

Severus 's best subjects were easily DADA and Potions, and Lily was fast becoming good at Charms, so they helped each other out during their long sessions in the Library. Sometimes they were joined by other Griffindor students, mainly Lily's friends, but after curfew they studied in their respective common room.

Sometimes on weekends or late at night, Severus still managed to find time to go down to the dungeon and have a look at his book on Dark arts. He had now progressed to practising some of the spells therein with more confidence. Some he knew were too advanced for him to try out. Others he noted had been written in a strange language which he did not recognise. Or perhaps it was a code ... Most, he knew, would definitely get him expelled if he were to be caught out.

One spell he particularly liked produced a live snake, with a long muscular body and glittering eyes. He had not thought he could do it at first, and had been surprised and rather thrilled when it first happened.

Thankfully, he had thought about learning the counter-spell before trying it out, which was a good thing since the serpent had swiftly turned its narrow head towards him, hissing menacingly, before he had the presence of mind to utter the counter spell to vanish it. He wondered whether the great Salazar Slytherin himself had invented the spell. He was known to have an affinity to the serpents.

Severus too, after some time, mastered the calling of the serpent to the point where he would allow the snake to come close, his heart beating fast in excitement as he allowed the snake to sense his presence and then slither towards him, eyes glittering, until at last, as it reared its head to strike, he would vanish it with one wave from his wand.

He knew he was cutting it close, but it would improve his reaction times. From what he had read, and what even Professor Brocklehurst had said in his basic defence lessons on wizard's duels, those with the fastest reaction times were the ones to survive ....


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Exams.**

Finally the exams came. They had both written papers and practical exams so each exam

usually took up a full day with hardly any breathing space between one and another. The weather was now hot, sometimes swelteringly so, and this made it difficult to concentrate, especially in the written papers.

It was difficult to squeeze in last-minute studying, but Severus and Lily found it was easier if they were together, for they pulled each other along.

Severus being more focused, brought Lily back to the job at hand whenever her mind wandered, or she started to stare blankly at the blue skies out of the library window, which she was apt to do very frequently now. On the other hand, Lily kept Severus's temper and irritability, which were the only things that had somewhat increased recently, in check.

He was especially irritable, she noticed, when they were joined by other students who tended to chatter, or ask stupid or obvious questions. He would snap at them then, and, more likely than not, would refuse to answer their questions.

However, finally, on Friday afternoon, having finished History of Magic, their last exam, they were finally free from studying.

Severus and Lily walked down by the lake, with some other students and threw themselves down on the cool grass under a beech tree. Severus was discussing his paper with Xenia Lovegood. He liked to go through each exam after it was over, meticulously pointing out the correct answers and his reasons for considering them so.

Lily knew he was probably right in each and every case, and had gone through every one of their previous exams with him, glad to find that her answers tallied with his for the most part, but feeling tiny fluttering of panic if they did not.

Today however, she did not want to hear anything else about exams. She just wanted to lie back on the cool, green, grass and enjoy her first taste of freedom in what seemed like ages! They would be going home in a week, and she had mixed feelings about that. She would miss Hogwarts, but she was eager to see her parents again and tell them all about what she'd been learning.

'Penny for your thoughts?' said a voice beside her.

It was Mary who had joined her and was lying down on the grass, long, blonde pigtails splayed out behind her.

'Well, I'll be going home soon' answered Lily 'and I'm thinking I will miss Hogwarts, especially being able to use magic...'

'Me too, though perhaps, if Dad doesn't find out, I'll convince Duncan to cover up for me if I use my wand. Doubt it though'

Duncan was Mary's older brother who worked in France.

'Will your brother be home for the holidays, then?'

'Yes for two weeks. I really can't wait to see him'

'I wish I could say the same for my sister Petunia. She probably won't even want to speak to me again.'

'My elder sister's like that' said Melchior Abbott, a hufflepuff boy with blonde hair and a face so freckled it looked almost brown. 'But I nicked her broom last holidays and er... had a bit of an accident with it. That's her over their – she's still not speaking to me!'

He indicated a third year girl sitting with a group of other hufflepuffs.

'Is that Hortense? Horetnse Abbott?' asked a first-year Slytherin, Pavo Parkinson who was sitting near Xenia. 'She was short-listed for seeker on the Hufflepuff team, No wonder she's not speaking to you – you probably ruined her chance!' he shook his head in disbelief, and Melchior looked rather abashed. 'Anyway I'm off to supper! See you later Severus –I'm still up for that wizarding chess revenge match, if you want...!'

'Pavo, that would be the fourth revenge match in a row I've beaten you at. Even Avery gave up after the third...'

'We'll see – I'm, feeling lucky today.' and with that he left walking across the ground towards the great Hall. Mary and Melchior left with him, and after a while Peter Pettigrew, and Jenny, who had joined Xenia and Severus in their post-exam discussion got up to go too. Peter was hungry and Jenny wanted to get everyone's address so she could write to them over the summer holidays. Xenia joined them too saying she had to start packing.

Severus finally put his papers away in his bag and leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

'I promised Jenny I would write to her by muggle post' said Lily, craning her head backwards from where she was lying on the grass to look at Severus, who was sitting behind her.

'She's muggleborn like me and has no magic family anywhere near her, and I know how that feels.'

'You have me!" Severus said in a slightly injured voice.

Lily laughed rolled over on her stomach and reached out to grasp his hand.' Of course I have you, silly' she said giving his hand a squeeze. 'I don't know how I could survive without you back home.'

A red flush suffused his pallid cheeks as he looked at her. She snatched her hand back, feeling suddenly a bit shy for some reason.

'What I meant was , I remember that the winter after - after we had met, and you had told me all about magic and Hogwarts.... well, that winter I hadn't seen you at all and I had started doubting everything, thinking perhaps it was just a dream – I had no-one to talk to ....'

'Well, it won't be like that now! We can do our summer projects together. We can go down by the river. Every day, if possible! That way, I won't have to ....'

He stopped, a dark look flitting across his face.

'...stay at home with your parents?' Lily finished the sentence for him.

He gave her a fleeting look, but said nothing.

'Is that why you stayed here during the holidays, Sev?' asked Lily gently 'because your parents argue?'

'Argue?! That's putting it mildly' he said, bitterly.

Lily sat up watching him anxiously.

'I received a couple of owls from Mum since Christmas' he said after a while 'It seems my Dad lost his job yet again, and well I don't think Mum took the news too calmly this time. Anyway, I don't know what I'll find when I go back, and I don't know what I can do when I _do_ find it!'

He made a disgusted noise and stood up suddenly, swung his bag over his shoulder and started off across the lawn.

'Severus! Wait!' Lily jumped up and ran after him 'Listen, why don't you stay at my house for the holidays – I'm sure Mum and Dad won't mind!'

Severus stopped and turned to look at her. With relief she saw that he wasn't looking so angry. His expression was one of disbelief followed by wry amusement.

'And you think that, even if my house wasn't just a short walk away from yours, your parents would want to harbour anyone from Spinner's End?'

'That's not true! You know they'd love to have you over!'

It was her turn to get angry now.

'Well', he conceded 'All right. But your sister would probably have hysterics!'

'Oh, Petunia – who cares what she thinks! Listen, Severus, when we get home we can work on the Herbology project together. It'll be really good. We can gather some of the stuff from down by the river. I definitely remember seeing some Horsetail plants and even some Burdock down there and...'

Lily chattered on so, that he had cheered up considerably by evening, and was even looking forward to summer. After all, he reasoned, he would have Lily all to himself, and even if things were miserable at home, there would always be Lily waiting for him at the river's edge.

Thus, the next night when everyone in the Slytherin dormitory was asleep, he slipped out of the common room and collected his book and some of the potion ingredients from his dungeon hideout, and stored them away safely again in his trunk. The rest he left there, where he would probably find them again next autumn. Even if some teacher or some house elf had to discover them, there was nothing incongruous in finding half full bottles of potion ingredients in the old storeroom.

The last day dawned bright, sunny and warm as all the Hogwarts students gathered in the entrance Hall to make their way to the train station. The first years were taken down the passage from the castle grounds to the lake, and were herded into boats for the trip across the lake to the train station where the Hogwarts Express was already waiting, the bellowing smoke from its chimney curling lazily upwards into the blue sky.

As the boats glided across the glassy lake, Lily and Severus took one last look at the tall towers and spires of Hogwarts Castle perched on the cliff edge. They knew it would be there waiting to greet them next autumn as it had done for countless generations of witches and wizards before them.

60


	19. Chapter 19 Summer '72

**Chapter 19: Back Home**

Severus's homecoming had been a rather frosty one. He hadn't even had time to say goodbye to Lily at King's Cross station, because his mother had hurried him outside where they took a muggle bus to the Leaky Cauldron and then used the Floo network to get to Spinner's End.

Once at home, he felt the tension immediately. His father was slouched in a chair, his hooked nose buried in a newspaper.

He looked up when they came out of the hearth, but did not say anything and Eileen ignored him.

Severus remembered with a sinking feeling that this used to be the atmosphere in the house after his parents had rowed - glacial and tense. He had forgotten how he hated it.

'So, what did they teach you at that school of yours?' his father growled after a bit, watching Severus closely as he dragged his trunk out of the hearth.

'Many things. I've got eight subjects in all.'

Severus was rather surprised his father spoke to him at all, let alone about his school. He was wary however. He might start shouting at him after all. But Tobias remained still, looking at him out of his light brown, slightly bloodshot, eyes.

'I came top of my year in two subjects' said Severus tentatively. His father continued to look at him, rubbing the stubble on his jaws pensively. Severus brushed ash from his trunk and started to heave it towards the stairs.

'So, what, exactly, have you learnt in these two subjects?' his father asked again.

Just then his mother came in from the small kitchen at the back, and snapped at him.

'Severus, take that trunk upstairs right now!' she looked at her husband 'Tobias, you come get your tea and leave the boy alone!'

'I'll speak to my own son whenever I want!' Tobias shouted suddenly.

Severus felt something inside him seem to wind more tightly – he expected an angry retort and a blazing row, but his mother ignored Tobias once more and walked over to help him carry his trunk upstairs. His father, muttering something under his breath, shuffled over to the small table and started on his tea.

Once upstairs with his trunk safely installed at the foot of his bed where it would now remain till the end of summer, Eileen sat down on his bed and spoke to him seriously.

'Severus, I don't want you to tell your father anything about Hogwarts,' she began 'He still has this notion that somehow he can wrest magic out of us, now that you're learning it....'

'Mum, I didn't say anything, I just said...'

'You're to say nothing!!' she snapped, as she got up from the bed '_I'm _the one who has to face your father when he's in one of his moods!'

She paused at the door and seemed about to say something else, but then shut her mouth and went downstairs, looking careworn.

Severus was already missing Hogwarts – at least there he had been proud of his achievements in his exams, for he had come first of the whole year in DADA and Potions, as well as first in four other subjects among the first-year Slytherins.

However, here at home no-one seemed to be pleased – his father seemed to have his own devious intentions for asking about his magical knowledge, and his mother, Severus thought bitterly, seemed only interested that he stay out of trouble. He thought she looked older somehow, and thinner than the last time he had seen her. She had, after all, mentioned that they had been through some hard times when his father lost his job.

He had thought, or, perhaps, even half-hoped, that she would be proud of him when he told her of his good results, of the many points he had won for Slytherin that had contributed towards Slytherin winning the House championship. But she had not even asked....

The only thing she had shown an interest in, he remembered, is to know in which house he had been sorted into. Before he had left for Hogwarts she had told him that all her family had been sorted into Slytherin, as she hoped he would be too. She had asked him to owl her as soon as the sorting ceremony was over, which he had, though she had not answered him then.

Since his parents were uninterested, Severus thought bitterly, then it would be better if he decided to totally keep off the subject of Hogwarts were they were concerned.

He was a fool to have thought his hard work might make any difference to them! He opened the elegant, but worn lid of his trunk and started taking out his books. At least Lily would be there tomorrow, by the river as they had agreed when boarding the Hogwarts' express.

The next day, as Lily hurried down the street leading past the playground and towards the river, she wondered if she'd find Severus in their usual spot – they'd arranged to meet there, but she hadn't fixed any time. There had been such a confusion on the Hogwarts Express. She and Severus had been sharing a compartment with some other first years, but then Mary MacDonald had come in to tell her that Jenny had been overcome by a crying fit because she was upset at going home. So she had gone over to her compartment to try and calm her down.

When Jenny finally stopped sobbing, after having elicited promises from everyone to write and keep n touch, Lily found they had arrived, and everyone was scrambling to get out.

She only spoke briefly to Severus as he hauled down and handed over her school trunk, before turning to get his own.

'See you tomorrow.' she had said 'Usual place.'

He didn't even have time to answer, because at that moment, her father had enveloped her in a bear hug, as he helped her down from the train and took her trunk. Her mother was also waiting to embrace her, and by the time she had greeted both her parents (Petunia hadn't come) Severus was nowhere to be seen.

It was rather late in the morning, but Lily had had a leisurely breakfast, interrupted frequently by her parent's questions, for they were very eager to hear first-hand about her progressing lessons.

Petunia had pointedly left the table as soon as she started talking about Hogwarts, leaving her half-finished porridge in her plate. She had hardly even greeted her sister yesterday night, even though she hadn't seen her since Christmas; Lily had felt upset at first. But now she was starting to get a little annoyed at Petunia treating her like someone infected by the plague.

She tried to put her out of her mind, as she told her parents that she had done well in her exams and she had even come first of her year in Charms. She didn't forget to mention that even Severus had done well too, and that they would be doing their summer projects together.

When she reached the riverside grove, it was almost midday. The pond by the river was exactly as she had remembered it, strewn with dead leaves and the logs of the fallen trees, but she couldn't see Severus anywhere.

Feeling slightly disappointed, she sat down on the soft carpeting of fallen leaves and threw her textbooks down beside her.

'I thought you weren't coming!' said a voice above her head, making her jump.

She looked up and saw Severus sitting on a branch of a tall tree above her.

'Sorry, but Mum and Dad wanted to know just about everything I did at Hogwarts this year – I only just got away now.'

There was a rustling in the branch above her, as Severus jumped lightly down.

'Should we start the school project now, d'you think?'

'I don't know. I don't really feel like plunging back into homework right away – I thought we could do something else – It's still the first day of the holidays, after all...'

'And what do you suggest?'

'I wish we had broomsticks – I feel like doing something fun...'

'I don't think flying around Castleford on a broomstick in broad daylight is going to pass unnoticed by our dear muggle community...'

'Oh, I know, it's just that ... I know! Let's go to the playground! It's been ages since I've been there!'

'The playground?!'

'Well, yes. I want to have a go on the swings again. This summer may be our last chance, you know. We'll be thirteen and a half next summer, and there's an age restriction on those things.'

Severus still looked unconvinced.

'Oh, come on, Sev! It'll be fun- you'll see!'

Her eagerness was rather infectious, and Severus allowed himself to be convinced. He always found it difficult to resist Lily's pleas anyway, and today more so, because she felt like a ray of sunshine after his cold, indifferent reception at home.

He shrugged on his large coat, gathered his quill and parchment from under a bush, stuffed them in Lily's book and set off with her towards the distant streets.

When they reached the playground it was deserted. Lily ran to the swings eagerly and sat down.

'Come on, Sev' she called, as she started to swing higher.

Severus went to the one next to hers, put one foot on the swing, and pushed off with the other one. He stood on the swing and moved his body to make the swing gather speed and height.

Back and forth they swung, higher and higher. After a short time, Severus synchronized his motion with hers, so he could speak to her.

'You know, this is _nothing_ compared to flying on a broomstick' he yelled.

'Oh, really? How about flying _without_ a broomstick then!"

And with a giggle, she let go of the swing at the highest point of its arch, so that she soared through the air an impossibly long way up, remained suspended in mid-air for an incredible number of seconds, but then still landed gracefully on her feet meters away from the swing poles.

'Beat that, then!' she said, dusting off her clothes.

But the words had hardly left her mouth when she saw a dark shadow over her head. Instinctively, she crouched down, holding her arms above her head.

Severus landed a bit less gracefully than she did, and almost lost his balance. However, he had flown a greater distance, almost out of the playground enclosure itself.

'There – satisfied?!' he said.

'You - how did you learn to do that?!' she said. She had been hoping to surprise him. There were precious few things she was better at doing than Severus.

'Well, _you_ taught me, actually.'

'_I_ did?'

'Yes, I had seen you do it, and tried it out myself a few times. Remember the first time I spoke to you? When I told you that you were a witch?'

'Yes, how can I forget?' Lily said, blushing, 'I hadn't believed you then, and I was rather rude....'

They had gone back to the swings now and Lily sat down.

'Yes, I had been jumping off the swing even then' she said 'Petunia couldn't stand it and used to tell Mum about it....' a shadow crossed her face. 'I used to get into trouble for that...'

'Well, no one's around now. We can do it again'.

'I thought you said this is nothing compared to a broomstick' grinned Lily, mischievously.

'Well, it's all we've got. And you _did_ say it was our last chance or whatever!'

He tried to appear unconcerned, though the truth was that he was enjoying himself immensely. He had Lily all to himself, and, though it was nothing like the flying lessons and the amateur Quidditch matches they played with Madam Hooche, at least here he didn't have to be so guarded, in case Potter or Black threw something other than a bludger his way.

Wary he remained – it was , or had become, part of his nature long ago, but at least he could be sure that there would be no hexes or jinxes coming towards him in this muggle place.

Lily was looking up at him smiling, and very clearly not believing him.

'Liar! You enjoyed that and want to do it again! Admit it!' she said, wagging a finger at him. He looked down into her sparkling green eyes, trying his best to look offended at the mere suggestion of it. But who was he kidding? He smiled in spite of himself.

'Alright.' he admitted 'Perhaps there is something amusing about this muggle contraption. Now , I wonder ...' he leaned down towards her, his hand on the chain of her swing, and looked her straight in the eyes '... I wonder if two people on one swing can fly even higher?' he grinned wickedly, one eyebrow arching upwards. 'Are you up for it?'

'Severus Snape, is that a challenge?'

'Of course it is, Evans!' he said, with mock severity.

'Then, I accept!' Lily laughed, 'Come on- get up behind me!'

They started to swing back and forth, slipping easily into a synchronized rhythm; their combined effort making the swing reach its highest point in a very short time.

'Now!' Severus cried and they simultaneously let go of the swing and soared through the air, staying up far more than physical gravity should have allowed.

"We're flying!' screamed Lily in delight.

Severus grabbed her hand as they started their descent. But their landing was not so mishap-free. Severus landed first, and since he had been holding Lily's hand, he jerked her slightly off-balance, so that she landed awkwardly and fell right across him.

'Lily, are you OK?' he asked anxiously.

But Lily was giggling helplessly, so he assumed she was fine. She was still lying half across him, pinning him down, and strands of her hair covered his face. It smelled sweet, like wild flowers, and felt warm and dry like autumn leaves. Suddenly he felt himself getting red as he struggled to sit up. Lily moved off suddenly and brushed her hair off her face, tears of laughter still in her eyes.

'Of course I'm alright.' she said. 'That was so much fun, Sev. Let's do it again!'

But before he could answer anything, a man in a very colourful shirt and sunglasses passed by, looking at them curiously over the low playground wall.

They scrambled quickly to their feet.

'Perhaps not right now, Lily.' whispered Severus, ever wary 'Someone might get suspicious, if they see us do that, I think. We've got to be careful now we're Hogwarts students – not like when I first saw you do it...'

They went back to the swings, and Lily sat down while Severus stood behind her where she would not see his face, which was still a bit red.

'About that...' Lily said

'About what?'

'About when you first saw me and I ... You know, I did not believe you....'

She looked round at him briefly, her face serious, then turned back and took a deep breath. 'Well, I apologise for being such a hoity-toity! I feel really stupid now after a whole year of living at Hogwarts, not to have believed you, when it was so evident that what I could do was magic....'

'Lily, you don't have to apologise for something like that.....'

She whirled round again, 'Sev, magic was staring me in the face- I don't know why I didn't see it..... didn't want to believe....'

'Could your sister have had anything to do with it?' he asked sharply.

Her clear green eyes looked into his for one more second before turning away.

'Petunia was always scared, I think.... scared of what I could do, and so she tried to make it seem.....' she stopped sighing, and gazed into the distance. 'Anyway, I'm sorry, Sev.'

'You don't have to be. I would have come looking for you again, if you hadn't come first.'

"You would have?' she asked, surprised, as she turned round to look at him again. Severus felt himself getting red again under the steady gaze of her eyes.

'Of course, Lily – and anyway, your magic was strong – how long could you have gone on ignoring it?'

'Well, it only lasted till the next day when I came looking for you, remember?' she gave him a wry grin and turned back to gazing at the distant mill chimney. "But it's nice to know you'd have come to look for me again....'

Severus didn't say anything. He knew that he wouldn't – couldn't have left her, even if he wanted to. He had gravitated towards her like a moth to a flame, and even though singed a couple of times, he knew he would have gone looking for her again, despite her muggle sister, his parents, his background, or anything else.

A soft, summer breeze blew Lily's hair back and it brushed against Severus' hand as he stood behind her. Without thinking, he gently caught the flowing, coppery strand of hair and cradled it gently in his hand, as though it was a beautiful, but fragile, bird. It felt warm and soft in his rather rough hands, and he remembered how nice it had smelt just some moments ago. That brought him back to his senses quickly, and he let go of it. For some reason, his heart beating fast and he felt hot and flushed again. What would Lily do if she had caught him? He didn't even know himself why he'd done it.

Or perhaps he did.......

He shook his head as if trying to clear it, and moved away to sit on the next swing. Lily looked round at him and smiled. She had clearly noticed nothing, and he wanted it to remain that way – he didn't want to do anything that might endanger their friendship.

She was all that he had that made life bearable especially in summer here in Spinner's End.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: War is Declared.**

They never went again to the playground that summer. They spent most of their time by the river, and, occasionally, at Lily's house, working on their summer projects - it was not actually homework, but more of a series of tasks set to them by some of their teachers. Mostly it was research, since they were not allowed to do magic out of Hogwarts.

Lily was reluctant to start at first – it was just so nice to lie on a log near the riverside pool, dangling her hand in the cool, green, water, and looking at the miniature world therein; away from the heat of the sun. But Severus's more restless mind did not allow her to continue idling for long.

At his insistence, she dragged out her books from the undergrowth and joined him in the research on the basic forms of Dark Arts they had to do for Professor Brocklehurst.

She soon shook off her lassitude because Severus brought a teasing rivalry into their work which appealed immediately to her sense of challenge.

'And what would a saintly Griffindor know about Transmorphian curses, hmm?' he asked, arching an eyebrow.

'I know a lot more than you think about Dark Curses, Severus!' she said, firing up at once. 'I just don't like them! And I'm not 'saintly'!'

Severus smirked.

'Really? What would you be then, by implication…?'

She felt her cheeks redden in confusion. But Severus seemed to find it amusing.

'And you still haven't told me about those curses…'

She opened her mouth and shut it again. He was right of course, she didn't know anything about them – they weren't in her book.

'Another Slytherin win for this project, I think!' he said, rightly guessing why she said nothing.

Lily made a wry face. She had got used to the house point system after a whole year at Hogwarts, and it had become part of their friendly rivalry when they worked together. However, she knew he would tell her all about Transmorphian curses in the end. He always did.

As she helped him, on the rare occasions he needed it. Though, she had to admit, in most subjects, it was Severus who was the one to hand over his notes, or to explain the spell work to her. As he was doing now.

'Here,' he said, holding up a piece of parchment. She took it in her hand and saw it was in Severus's small, cramped handwriting. 'All you need to know about Transmorphian Curses…' he said smugly.

'When did you do all this?' asked Lily

'Last night, I couldn't sleep, so I took out the old book…' he bit his lip.

He hadn't wanted to mention that book to Lily again. It took her a few seconds to realise what he had said.

'Severus! I thought you had got rid of that book! No wonder I couldn't find anything on the school books!'

'Well, Brocklehurst told us to research Dark Arts, no?'

'Just the basic stuff, Sev.'

'There's no limit to research. And this would make the difference between a good project and a mediocre one.'

Lily still looked unconvinced.

'Oh, come on, Lily – we'll be doing Transmorphian curses anyhow in DADA -perhaps next year. '

'What are they, anyway?' Lily could not help being curious.

'It's basically the power, under certain circumstances, to change a part of your victim's body into something else –even an animal.'

'Transfiguration, then?'

'Well, not quite - transfiguration is reversible.'

'And this is not, I take it.'

'No.'

"I hope that book of yours doesn't explain _how_ to carry out such a curse, because that would be...'

'Of course not, Lily.' he lied. 'Anyway, I only got the definition and description from it, see?'

She glanced at the parchment and seemed convinced, so they settled down to finish Brocklehurst's work and she did not mention the book again.

It was in this way that they passed the rest of the summer holidays. Most days they went down by the riverside, collecting plants, seeds or roots for their Herbology project or writing down their findings.

Sometimes, Lily persuaded Severus to go to her house, especially if they needed to finish writing something. The resulting parchment was generally a bit neater than those written by the riverside, and certainly had no insects or bits of leaves squashed onto the surface. Severus did not mind so much, as long as they kept to Lily's room, where they were rarely interrupted, and certainly not by Petunia.

Severus relaxed in Lily's company, certainly more than he did at home, or even at Hogwarts. When not working on school projects – or even some projects that he himself had invented, they whiled away the time by planning what to do when they got back to Hogwarts, and could use magic once more. A lot of these plans involved ways and means how to get by the gamekeeper's hut to go into the forbidden forest and the adventures they would have.

Mainly, it was Lily instigating the excursions into the forest – she had always liked woodland and the countryside, and there was precious little of it around Castleford.

That was why Hogwarts, with its surrounding mountains, forests and lakes held such a deep fascination for her. That was also why she loved the little grove by the river- she considered it their little private natural oasis.

In spite of the calm days by the riverside, Severus had not forgotten his mysterious ancestor. He resolved to ask his mother as soon as she was in a good enough mood.

That was a rather rare occurrence in the first days of summer, since his father was home often, being out of work, and Eileen tended to fly off the handle at every little thing with him around. However, towards the end of the month, he was taken in again by his original employers, and back at work once more.

One morning, after breakfast (there _had_ been breakfast these past few days) Eileen was sipping a cup of tea while she watched Severus gather his books and parchment before going out.

'Why don't you stay here to do your work? Your father won't be poking his nose in - he won't be back till evening'.

Severus hesitated. He was meeting Lily later on of course. They had to finish something on Herbology, because she was off on a week's holiday to a seaside town in August.

"I've got to gather some Mugwort for the Herbology project' he said, thinking it best not to mention Lily.

His mother said nothing but he thought he caught a fleeting look of disappointment as she turned back to her tea.

'But I can go later…'he finished quickly.

'Have you … have you made any friends at school?'

Severus looked up in surprise. He had assumed she wasn't interested.

'Well, I got to know the others in my house. There's Wilkes, Parkinson, Rosier, - they share my dorm and stick around a lot, then there's …'

'Rosier?'

'Yes, Evan Rosier. Do you … do you know him?'

'His family, yes. An old and powerful one. Are you close friends with him then?'

She sounded anxious.

'Why, shouldn't I be?'

He noticed her expression become guarded once more, and she just shook her head. 'Anyway, Mum, there are many other students, from the other houses. Some are right dunderheads, but some are Ok – we share lessons and so on; and go to the library together ….'

He stopped short, wondering whether to risk mentioning his best friend. His mother got up suddenly.

'Severus, I want to show you something.'

She went to the living room and came back with her wand and a newspaper, which she placed on the table before him. Waving her wand once over what appeared to be an old copy of the 'Yorkshire Post', she turned it round, so that he could see it.

He realised it was the _Daily Prophet,_, and the date was of yesterday.

'I'm getting it delivered daily' she explained. 'Severus, things are changing in our world, and I want you to know. Now read!'

The headlines were glaring:

"_WAR IS DECLARED!_

_Minister for Magic, Cyril Trout has finally declared war on the self-proclaimed warlord and Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort, and his followers, who style themselves ' Death eaters'._

_What most wizards and witches cannot understand is his dilly-dallying for so long – this war has been unofficially declared for over a year now-ever since the first conspicuous Dark Mark was seen hovering over the Radford's residence in London after their cold-blooded murder at the hands of Lord Voldemort in 1970. The Radfords had been among the most outspoken of the wizarding families who had early on recognised the rising evil of Lord Voldemort and his followers._

_Lord Voldemort, or, as many intimidated wizards are calling him now, he-who-must –not-be-named, has been secretely gathering followers and sympathisers for his cause for years now, but it has been with the atrocious and brazen killing of Nicholas and Sophie Radford and their grown-up sons, Michael and Ralph, that he has made his most emphatic statement to the wizarding world at large._

_Minister for Magic Cyril Trout, would have had us believe, at the time, that the Radford's- murder was a one-off occurrence by a mad wizard; that his aurors were on the trail of Lord Voldemort; and that all would be safe and well._

_However, despite the sugar-coated lies the Ministry has tried to feed us, news of other heinous deeds carried out by Lord Voldemort and his Death eaters has spread, and some families are reported to have gone into hiding._

_Reliable sources have reported that the Dark Mark has been seen on more than one occasion since the Radford's death over a year ago. Despite the Ministry's attempt to hush up the many disappearances of muggle-born wizards and witches, nobody has been fooled into thinking they have just 'gone one a long holiday'._

_Lord Voldemort and his death eaters have been insidiously preaching a doctrine of discord for years. Their campaign is now gathering pace and their plans are to institute what they call the 'natural order of things', with muggles being nothing more than slaves for the 'true' wizarding families, after having first overcome the dictates of the Statute of Secrecy…"_

_._

The rest of the article was a vitriolic diatribe against the Death Eaters and their leader, but immediately below, in a small dark-lined box, was a small article entitled :

'_Breaking News_:'

_Dementor sightings in Norwich. Daily Prophet correspondent and author of above article, Vespus Knightley was found comatose in his residence in Norwich. Ministry spokesperson Dorcas Meadows, confirmed that St Mungo's healers have diagnosed Mr Knightley's condition as that of someone who has been subjected to the Dementor's Kiss'_

Severus looked up. His mother was looking at him intently.

'Did you read it?'

He nodded.

'Well, now you know. I want you to be very careful who you speak to at school. You-know-who has many followers, and their sons and daughters may be at school with you,

marking you...'

'Why on earth would they want to do that?'

'Do I really have to answer you? You're in Slytherin! Don't you know that...?'

'I know what some of them think! But I told them I'll speak to whoever I like, and...'

He stopped short as he saw the fleeting look of terror on her face.

'Mum, it's not that bad at Hogwarts, 'he continued more quietly 'There was some talk about the disappearances and so on, but there was no big fuss, and everyone talks to everyone else and....'

'Severus! Listen to me!' She said angrily, 'It will not remain so! You are only in first year! Things will change – they always do, and now that war is declared, the change will be faster and the differences more glaring!'

'What if I don't care?' he reiterated, rebelling.

'Haven't you read what happened to Vespus Knightley? Just for writing that article against you-know-who? I know I've warned you before, but now I want you to _promise_ me that you will not associate with any muggle or muggle-born here, or while you're at Hogwarts!'

'No!'

'Promise me!' she was shouting now.

Severus on the other hand, spoke quietly, but irritably.

'Mum, I can take care of myself. I always have, and you needn't worry I'll be risking any Dementors coming this way....'

Eileen anger dissipated at once.

'That is not what I am worried about.' she said, in a barely audible whisper.

She sighed and passed her hand wearily over her face. Severus wondered what it was that she was so worried about then. When she spoke it was with a bitterness she did little to disguise.

'Severus, there will come a time, when your blood status will come under scrutiny – close scrutiny. Being in Slytherin, you probably have been asked already. They will find out about your father and –and about me ...'

'I've told them I'm half-and-half, and ....'

She didn't seem to hear him.

'In my day, the name of Prince commanded respect in Slytherin. But now, when they find out about that useless..., that ...'.she seemed to struggle to find a word '..... that _muggle_ of a father of yours .....'

'Mum, did you name me after Severus Prince?'

He knew the moment he said it, that it had been a bad idea to ask her. Her thin, pale face grew even whiter.

'Who ... who told you about him?!'

'I found his name in the school records – though he seems to have disappeared after fourth year ...'

She didn't answer him immediately, but she didn't start shouting either. When she spoke, she appeared to be choosing her words with care.

"He was your Great-grandfather, and a great wizard of his age, and my family, the Prince family, were very proud of him, though he had to face many hardships throughout his life. Yes, I named you after him in the hope that it would bring about reconciliation with my family after they disowned me. But as you know...' she ended bitterly. "It was completely useless, and now I'm stuck with...' she waved her hand around her.

She didn't finish her sentence, and nor did Severus want her to.

'I'm going' he mumbled, and, hitching his bag over his shoulder, he got up.

Eileen watched his thin frame disappear through the front door, lost in thought.

He was so like her – she wondered what he had found out about her Grandfather. He, too, had dark long hair, tied back behind his head and a thin, heavily lined face. She remembered him clearly, though he had died when she was about Severus' age – everyone in her family spoke in hushed awe of her Grandfather Severus.

She sighed again- she missed her former life, and her son's presence in Hogwarts had awakened all the old memories. She hadn't even wanted to hear him speak about Hogwarts – the memories of what might have been were too strong.

She wondered what he had found out about her Grandfather, and instinctively clutched her wand tighter as she wiped the surface of the _Daily Prophet_ clean again. She wanted to protect Severus from what he might find out about his Grandfather; to protect him from what other children may do to him because of Tobias, but she just did not know how... She felt so helpless. How could she explain to him? She found it increasingly difficult to speak to him, besides, he was just a child ... and as hard-headed as she was at his age, she realised with a start. She would have to be careful....

Perhaps if Tobias had been a wizard, he could have explained, - made him understand the peril he ran. As it was, she had not even told her husband of the war- he would blame their son's precarious position, and, even more likely, their own potentially dangerous situation, on her being a witch, on _their_ kind. It was always her fault with him....

She went to the living room to put her wand back in its hiding place at the back of a book- lined shelf and to protect it with a Concealment charm. She knew Severus took his with him, wherever he went, and she was glad of this now, given the situation. Furthermore, she had had half an idea that her husband might try to nick his son's wand, but perhaps Severus was thinking along those lines too, since he kept it with him

As she placed the books back, her eyes fell upon an old muggle photo that had been rammed between a Wordsworth poetry book, and one of her own childhood books, _The Toadstool Tales._

It was a wedding photo: she and Tobias were standing stiff and formal in a photographer's studio with a false background of trees and marble columns. They did not move, because it was a muggle photo. She gazed at it in shock. She had forgotten about it – she had pushed it out of sight between the books the night Tobias had first hit her.

He looked handsome in his dark suit, standing straight and leaning slightly, almost protectively, over her. His hair was brown and wavy, shorter than he usually kept it, in honour of the day. He had an aquiline nose, which Severus had so obviously inherited, and a thin upper lip nicely balanced by a full, and rather sensuous, lower lip. She grimaced wryly - he had certainly known how to woo her – with his warm smile and quiet, broad-shouldered strength, she had fallen for him easily.

He used to play in a football team then. She had even accompanied him to some of the muggle games he played in before they moved to castleforth. He had been athletic then, and strongly built. Now he moved with a stoop, his body thin and sagging, a permanent scowl on his face. There was none of the energy, the _joie-de-vivre_ that he once had.

With a frustrated sigh, she jammed the photo back between the books; books that they had once enjoyed reading together .He only read the newspaper nowadays, but he had loved books too, once…..what seemed like a lifetime ago now…..

She wondered what had gone wrong. She had forgotten how her face had looked on her wedding day. In the old photo, her dark eyes were alive with happiness as she clutched her husband's arm, her thin face framed by the long, raven-black hair she had refused to cut, despite the fashion of the day; hair that seemed even blacker by contrast, as it fell sleekly down the white bodice of her gown.

Her expression had a touch of rebelliousness in it too. She had just been disowned by her family after an almighty row with her father, so she had insisted they announce their wedding on the _Daily Prophet _– just to annoy them.

What had gone wrong? she repeated to herself, as she moved to the tiny, damp-spotted mirror near the front door. Her thin, pallid face looked back at her, but the dark, deep-set eyes were not the same as in her wedding photo – they were hollow, lifeless. Tiny crow's feet puckered the corners of her eyes now, and frown lines were appearing on her forehead. Though her hair was still black and long, it was scraped back in an untidy knot at the nape of her neck, and her lips were a thin line, as though her teeth were permanently clenched.

So many dreams. She remembered she had had so many dreams – with a handsome, intelligent husband at her side, she didn't need her family's support to set herself up in life. They would do it together – intelligent and hard-working, he would be able to get a good job; provide for her, for any future children…

She had been wrong, so wrong! Their downfall had all started with him discovering her magic... his blind rage and jealousy, when he discovered she would not give it to him - how could she - he was a _muggle!_. She had never seen him in a temper before …

She saw the frown lines deepen in her reflection. She would be damned if she allowed Severus to follow in her footsteps, to make the same mistakes. She had to make him understand, somehow, that he must regain the pride she had lost, so many years ago…

Now, more than ever before, and for many reasons, she must warn him against the insidious, cruel ways of muggles, in the most emphatic way she could think of yet.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Taking sides.**

It was one of the hottest days of the month yet. Lily was glad they were off to Scarborough for a week. The car was getting hotter as the day progressed. She leaned her head against the half-open window, to feel the cool wind on her face. She loved the sea and welcomed the opportunity to be able to add more to her shell collection.

She had tried to persuade Severus to come along, tempting him with all the wonderful plants and sea creatures they could collect, but he had been adamant he did not want to come, so she hadn't even asked her parents whether he could come or not. She assumed that even the long car journey with Petunia was enough to put him off.

Though she wasn't sure – he was behaving a bit oddly these last few days…He seemed quieter, and pre-occupied. She had asked him if all was well at home, but he had told her 'as well as can be', and left it at that. When she insisted, he asked if she had had any news from other Hogwarts students, but only Jenny had written back yet.

'Then I'll tell you when you come back' he had said, and refused to give any further information.

She sighed and opened the window of the car all the way down. Petunia was still prattling away about her new summer clothes and what she intended to do once they got to Scarborough, while their mother nodded vaguely every time she paused for breath.

She wondered what it was that he wanted to tell her, for the way he had spoken made her uneasy.

It was early afternoon when they arrived at their hotel, and Petunia wanted to try on her new sundress and go down to the beach immediately, so she bullied Lily into accompanying her (their mother was busy unpacking). Lily thought it best to humour her – anyway, a cool refreshing swim was just what she wanted.

She rummaged in her bag to find the new bikini her mother and Petunia had insisted on buying for her. She hadn't liked it – her old green and blue swimsuit had been fine, but Petunia said she didn't want to be seen with someone so unfashionable. She finally gave in when she found that her old swimsuit didn't fit her anyway.

She had grown taller these last few months – she had noticed that she was almost as tall as Severus now. It wasn't only her height that was changing either, she thought as she slipped on the bikini and surveyed herself in the mirror of the hotel bathroom. Her body was changing, too…. And she wasn't sure whether she liked what was happening. Her reflected image scowled back at her. Well, she supposed she could do nothing to avoid it, but she wished she hadn't got to endure Petunia's remarks about it too.

Sure enough, when she joined her sister, Petunia gave her the once-over:

"Humph, you will do, I suppose. Though you still look like a stick, whatever you may be thinking....'

'I don't care! I don't want to look any different…'

"You look nice, dear' said her mother 'You're starting to blossom into a young lady...'

'Mum, stop it! I'm not 'blossoming' into anything, I ….' Lily's face was getting red.

'It's nothing you can do anything about, you silly girl. Really!' Petunia rolled her eyes as she smoothed the skirt of her sundress.

'Off you go, girls. And Lily, don't forget your sunscreen lotion – you know how badly burnt you get. You, too, Petunia.' And she waved them off before they could continue.

Lily went out before Petunia, wishing she could duck her sister and her perfect dress under the next wave. It was bad enough feeling so self-conscious about her bikini without Petunia's snide remarks.

It was a very short walk to the beach, and she quickly dumped her things and ran off towards the cool waves, while Petunia was still laying out her towel on the deckchair. She relaxed the minute she was in the water, the cold shock invigorating her and the silence engulfing her as she dived. They had been on many seaside holidays, even in winter, and she had always loved the sea. She decided to go beach combing later on – she wanted to get Severus some of the red –brown seaweed that grew on the coast line. It was used in potions, and she knew he had no other means of getting it…

---------------

Lily had looked for Severus all over their usual haunts – but he wasn't down by the river or even in one of the dilapidated houses on the way. She thought of going to Spinner's nd to look for him, but she remembered she had never asked him his exact address and it was getting late, for the sun was already setting.

They had just returned from Scarborough that afternoon and she was eager to show him all the things she had gathered from the beaches and rocky shores there, so she had quickly unpacked and set off in the direction of the river, carrying a canvas bag of seashore treasures. Feeling rather disappointed she hadn't found him, she set off for home, her arms aching with hauling her bag all over the place.

It was then that she saw him. He was sitting on a bench in the park, looking over his shoulder as though expecting someone.

"Hey, Sev! What are you doing here? I've been looking everywhere for you.'

'I didn't know what time you'll be back. I tried your house at noon, but there was no-one. Since this park is near your home, I thought I'd see your car coming. I must have missed you….'

'We arrived at three.'

'Must have dozed off, I guess.'

He hadn't slept much the previous night. His parents had had another blazing row. Tobias had found an owl waiting to deliver a newspaper, but before he could see it, Eileen had grabbed it and thrown it into the cooking stove fire; since she couldn't wipe it magically clean in front of him. This, of course, enraged Tobias, who quickly understood she was trying to hide something from him, and was determined to try and force it out of her.

'Well, thank goodness I found you, Severus' continued Lily, flopping down on the bench beside him. 'I've got so many things to show you. Look-'

She hauled the heavy bag between them and opened it eagerly.

'Oh, you've managed to find Kelp fire shrimps' he said, delving into the bag and picking up what looked like shrivelled chilli pods with legs. 'That's great Lily…'his face lighted up with enthusiasm at what the bag yielded. Lily watched him as he rummaged eagerly in her bag, coming up with other treasures '… whelk shells ... we can powder those for Pepper-up Potion, and red mermaid's hair seaweed for a Confusion Potion.'

'I really wish you could have come, Severus – I told you there are some really great things near the sea. I'm so glad to be back though....'

He stopped rummaging and looked up for a second.

'Why? I thought you enjoyed yourself?'

'Well, yes, I did, as long as I was alone rock pooling or swimming. But, well, let's say that, … Petunia was less than enthusiastic with my finds, especially when one of the crabs crawled into her bed…her screams got the hotel manager up to see what s wrong!' she laughed. 'And as for the crab … I'm afraid that carapace is all that's left'

She was glad to see the corner of his mouth twitch with laughter before he turned back to his examination of the pink underside of the carapace of the unfortunate crab she handed him.

'Anyway, Sev, I'm glad to be back, not only because I was tired of Petunia always complaining about how my sea things stink, and screaming every time she saw as much as a shrimp's whisker, but after the crab incident, she got even ruder about my lack of – of –' she paused, blushing. '- of womanly attributes.'

'Lack of what?'

'Never mind. Let's just say, it's nice to hear your voice again, Sev. At least someone who speaks my own language…'

He looked up for an instance with a small smile, then quickly looked down into the bag again, long curtains of dark hair hiding his face.

"You know, I've only got a letter from Jenny. I didn't check the mail when I was home, but I'm sure Thalia and Mary should have written by now. Even Xenia. They didn't send owls yet, so maybe they'll be using muggle post…'

She stopped. Severus was looking at her with something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. It looked like fear.

'What?' she asked, slightly alarmed at the sudden change.

'Lily, remember before you left you asked if there was something wrong....'

'Yes, you told me you'd tell me when I got back. Why? What's wrong? Why are you looking like that?'

The bag lay forgotten between them. He swallowed as if his mouth was dry. Lily started to get seriously alarmed now.

'Lily, war has been declared.' He whispered his dark eyes boring into her own. The green eyes widened.

'What?!"

'It was on the _Daily Prophet_ a few days before you left … the Ministry have declared war..'

'War on _who?_' she realised she was whispering too, though there wasn't anyone else in the park except a young couple with a radio at the other end.

'There is a Dark Lord, a very powerful wizard, called – called Lord Voldemort.' He paused, looking quickly around to see whether they could be overheard, and lowered his voice even further. "It seems that he has been gathering followers for years now. They say he is as powerful as Dumbledore and …'

'A _dark_ wizard…?'

'Well, that's how he was described on the _Daily Prophet_…'

'So why doesn't the Ministry send Aurors after him. That's their job isn't it? Like Brocklehurst used to be, before he started teaching…'

'They say … they say they are no match for him. They say he knows magic – powerful magic that not even Dumbledore knows…' he spoke with awe in his voice.

'But – what does he want? To take over the Ministry?'

'In part, yes, I think.'

'But why didn't he just become Minister for Magic, if that's what he wants?'

'I guess it's a bit more complicated than that. My Mum says the Ministry is run by a lot of incompetent fools …and corrupt ones too. So perhaps he doesn't want to be part of that…'

'So what does he want then?'

Severus didn't answer. He fiddled with some strands of dry seaweed from the bag.

'Well?'

'He wants to change the way things are run, Lily.' He said, finally. 'To give magic and magic people their rightful dues, so that they can be proud of it and not have to hide…'

'But what about the Statute of Secrecy…?'

Severus shrugged.

'But, Sev, what's going to happen now?'

He looked up at her, his expression troubled.

'I – I don't know. My Mum says things will change quickly now – even at Hogwarts, because people always take sides in a war …'

Lily said nothing. She already did not quite like this Lord Voldemort, even if he may be fighting to change a corrupt system. She remembered what Alice Walker had told her on her first day at Hogwarts and wondered if it was the sect she had mentioned. She and the other first years had been so caught up in their new lessons that she had never asked Severus about it, though she had heard some whispered conversations along those lines, especially from the senior students.

'When you said 'magic people' what exactly did you mean?'

Severus scowled. 'I don't know – it's just what was on the _Prophet_ – wizarding families, I guess.'

'Wizarding families ... Not muggleborns, then.' Lily started to get angry. "Sev, when I had asked you, you had said it didn't matter, and yet at Hogwarts…'

'I said the truth' he answered vehemently 'It doesn't matter to me!'

'Are you sure, because Alice told me that some people, _Slytherins _especially, think that only Pureblood families matter?'

'And who gives a damn what Alice Walker says! She's a pureblood herself!' he snapped angrily.

In spite of her best efforts, she felt the prickle of tears and looked away quickly. It _did_ matter whether she was muggleborn or not – she had always suspected it, and now, with this war for wizarding family rights or whatever it was, where did it leave her, a muggleborn?

'So,' she said, after a while, in a voice of forced calm. 'Which side are you on, Severus?'

She wasn't looking at him, but felt him shifting beside her. He didn't answer her and finally she turned to face him. He was looking at her, but his eyes were unfocused and had a strange far-off look.

'I am not a Pureblood, Lily' he said.

Though he spoke bitterly, she was glad he did not sound angry anymore. 'I do not even know who my family is. So why are you asking me which 'side' I'm on? You, at least, have cousins, grandparents, a whole family tree…I don't. I was hoping that at Hogwarts I might find out more, but ….' He gave a frustrated sigh.

'Perhaps if you just ask your …'

'Anyway, why should we take sides?' he cut across her 'We're hardly out of first year, and years away from being of age...'

'Of age?'

'Of age – you're of age when you're 17 in the wizarding world. You can choose then, on which side to fight in this war.'

Lily looked at him, eyes wide. His words brought the reality of this war closer. 'I – I don't think I want to fight …' she stammered. 'People get hurt, killed…'

'Don't worry about it, Lily. Perhaps Mum's wrong, and Hogwarts won't be effected. Perhaps the war'll end soon…'

She saw he didn't look too convinced, but she didn't argue.

'Yes, perhaps you're right. Well, at least _I'm_ certainly glad you're not a pureblood, Sev. Bad enough you're in Slytherin, not Griffindor ... you might not want to speak to me anymore in future...' she was half-joking, half serious.

'That's not true! I'd never...' he stammered, indignantly. 'Lily, you _know_ I'd always speak to you ...' There was an anxious, almost pleading tone in his voice now.

Lily nodded, feeling a bit ashamed. 'Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Sev. But this talk of war is getting me worried.'

Severus visibly relaxed.

'As for being in Slytherin – I'll just remind you that we won the house cup this year – again! And Griffindor have placed third! So I think it's _you_ who should be wishing you were sorted in Slytherin. Now, come on, let's go to your house and powder those whelk shells and dry the seaweed or the mould'll get it.'

They stuffed back everything inside Lily's canvas bag and set off in the twilight towards Lily's house.

They didn't speak much about the war again. Lily received an owl from Mary but there was nothing more than what Severus had told her – only that war had been declared and that her brother was trying to find a job in England to be nearer home because of it.

Lily was worried because, from what she had learnt about Wizard Wars in History of Magic, they were bloody affairs, and many people were killed – not just magic people but even muggles. And if what Alice Walker had told her last year was true, then muggles would certainly be involved, whether they knew it or not. She was afraid for her family, but she decided to tell them nothing, not to alarm them until she knew a bit more.


	22. Chapter 22

_**I uploaded the wrong version by mistake. This isn't much is different, just minor errors corrected, etc**_

**Chapter 22: Knockturn Alley**

They spent the last couple of weeks of their holiday carefully pickling, powdering, bottling and labelling all the stuff Lily had got, mainly in Lily's room or in the Evan's kitchen when Rose wasn't cooking. She did not mind as long as they cleaned up well afterwards.

Severus tried to read the _Daily Prophet_ whenever he could persuade his mother to give it to him, but he found it strangely silent about the war. He had expected more exciting news.

'They are playing it down' his mother explained. 'The Ministry is putting a cap on the _Prophet_. Very few interviews with the Minister for Magic are being conceded, and during these he tries to give the impression that everything is under control; that the war will be over soon, and that there will be few casualties. But I don't believe it.'

She was looking at the newspaper, her face pale and drawn.

Tobias was more suspicious than ever, and had even tried to bully Severus into telling him what the matter was, but their son had played his part well, saying he didn't know much, and fobbed him off with a false story of a wizarding accident. She shuddered to think what would happen if he found out, especially if he was half-drunk, like last night. Her hand was still bandaged, a poultice of dittany around a deep cut from some broken crockery she had been trying to pick up. Tobias had smashed them in frustrated rage during their last argument.

'I'll be able to find out more in Diagon Alley tomorrow…'

'About that, we'll have to be quick; I don't want you to dawdle like last year. I want to be back here as soon as -'

'Mum, why can't I go alone? I know my way around; you don't have to bother…'

'It's not because….' She stopped, thinking for a moment. Then she sighed resignedly 'Yes. Perhaps you are right. Overall, I think it best you're not seen with me. It may draw unwanted attention. I'll give you the money and...'

'Why would you draw unwanted attention? I noticed last year in Diagon Alley lots of wizards and witches seemed to know you.'

'That is exactly what I wish to avoid, Severus!' she snapped suddenly. 'D'you think it was only my family that did not approve of me marrying a muggle?! Many view me as a traitor! But I was young, hard headed, and…'

She stopped and gazed at her son in silence. He did not say a word. She sighed.

'You are too young to understand, Severus. There – there are other reasons… But I _do_ know which mistakes I want you to avoid' she lifted up her bandaged hand '_This_ is what you get when you are foolish enough to trust a muggle. An obsession to steal your magic. Perhaps what the Death Eaters are saying is true, perhaps some muggles have managed it, and that's what muggleborns really are!'

'Mum, that's not true! You know that's not true – they - they must have had someone magic in their ancestry!' he spoke more angrily than he intended.

She looked at him narrowly.

"Do you have any muggleborn friends?'

'Yes. There are many muggleborns in Hogwarts' he replied defiantly.

'Well, let me tell you what they are called in wizarding society.' she said, leaning closer to him, her voice low and venomous '_Mudbloods!_ That's what they call them! They have tainted blood and no one knows how they got their magic! I don't want you associating with them – they're as bad as muggles!'

"No, they're not! Mum, what are you saying? They have magic – more powerful magic than some purebloods I know!'

'You-know-who and his followers say muggleborns, or their parents, have acquired magic by evil means from wizards and…'

'I don't believe that! No-one ever proved it, just as much as no one knows why there are squibs!' his hands were balled into fists, and he was shouting now.

Eileen backtracked at once. After all, he was still too young to understand. Hogwarts was one big melting pot these days, and he would naturally have made all the acquaintances he was so deprived of here in Castleforth. She needed to warn him, but how could she make him see the insurmountable differences that existed in the adult world? She had been young and foolish when she thought they could be overcome. And perhaps she should not antagonise him at this point.

"Well, no one knows why Squibs happen, that is true.' she conceded.

'And anyway, if muggles could really steal magic, then Dad would certainly have managed it after all these years – look at the way he treats you – us!' he continued, bitterly.

Eileen stared at him, knowing the truth of his words. She knew she was being unreasonable, just trying to find more reasons to hate muggles, because of Tobias. It was some time before she answered.

'It is because of your father that I am warning you, Severus.' She said, wearily passing her hand over her eyes. Severus followed the movement of her bandaged hand with his eyes, but said nothing. 'You are different from him, you are a true Prince, and I do not want anybody painting you with the same brush as –' she lowered her voice '- as _mudbloods._'

'Mum, you're married to a _muggle_. My Dad's a – '

'Exactly, Severus! You are half-and-half! Magic is powerful in you, and it is your natural inheritance, more than mud-' she paused '…more than muggleborns. I do not want you to forget that, for it is all I can give you…'

She looked sadly at her son as he stood there in front of her, his clothes old and worn, fidgeting with the piece of Hogwarts crested parchment that held his list of second-year books. He was scowling darkly and she knew he was struggling to understand. When he finally spoke there was almost a pleading note in his voice that she found strangely heartbreaking.

'But everyone mostly speaks to everyone else at school…'

'And I told you that that is because you are still in first year, still young, and Lord Voldemort's … ' her voice dropped '…I mean, You-know-who's doctrine has not yet spread to Hogwarts, much. But now there is open war, and things may change fast…'

'I'll be careful' he said curtly, moving away suddenly to the table to collect his Hogwarts letter. 'I'll be leaving for Diagon Alley at eight, and I'll be back by evening!'

'Don't you dare come back later than five, Severus! Your Dad'll be coming for his tea then!' she shouted after him as he ran out into the harsh sunlight.

The journey to London was uneventful. Lily had tried to persuade her parents to let her try the floo network, but her mother would hear none of it.

'Our fireplace is not a magic one, Lily, and even so, it sounds dangerous. Your friend Severus said you spin around and…'

'But Mum, Severus has done it may times. I could borrow some floo powder from him. Think of the time it would save!'

But her mother was adamant, and she had to endure a long train journey to London with only her parents for company, for Severus would not come either. He said he'd rather take this rare opportunity to run around Diagon Alley than spend hours in a train. However, he agreed to meet up with her once they had arrived.

Once in Diagon Alley she noticed the change immediately. Although there was the usual hustle and bustle of people and students shopping, she could see small huddles of people in the street talking in whispers, or sitting in small groups at Florean Fortesques', heads together, and talking in hushed voices. Some were looking over their shoulders as though afraid of being overheard. She heard snatched of conversation, wherein the word 'Death Eater' and 'war' occurred often. One grizzly old warlock was shouting that no Lord Voldemort was going to send _him_ into hiding, when his companion, a witch with a tall spangled hat, shushed him angrily into silence.

Severus told her it was the same in the Leaky Cauldron, where he had waited for the Evans, and, it seems, eavesdropped on many of the patrons' conversations.

'I heard a group of young men say that it's about time there was a change at the Ministry for Magic' he told her. 'And someone else said that the _Prophet _is in Cyril Trout's pocket.'

'That's the Minister for Magic, right?'

He nodded. 'Mum says he is corrupt and incapable, and from what I heard in the pub, she's not the only one who thinks so.'

'Many people seem to be talking about the war, Severus. I hope Mum and Dad don't notice anything. I don't know if I should tell them …'

'Don't.'

'Why not?'

'What if they get scared, and pulled you out of Hogwarts?'

That idea hadn't occurred to her, and she felt a twinge of panic.

'That would be terrible – anyway, if there is a war, its best I learn to defend myself – and that's got to be at Hogwarts.'

It was easy to convince herself not to tell them when she thought about the possible consequence.

'Anyway, Lily, they are talking about the war, but nothing's happened, at least officially, since that time it was on the _Daily Prophet_, so I don't think there is too much panic yet…'

'But this Lord Voldemort hasn't been caught, yet, has he?'

'No, and Mum says he's been around for years, actually. He's so powerful that no auror has ever come even close to capturing him! With the thing out in the open now, I guess the Ministry must be throwing everything they've got at him, and yet….'

They had arrived at Gringotts, and having silently agreed to say nothing to Lily's parents, they broke off their conversation as they entered together the cool marble halls of the bank.

Later, while they were on their way to Flourish and Blotts, Severus deftly nicked a crumpled-up _Daily Prophet_ that somebody had forgotten on one of the tables of Fortesque's Ice cream Parlour, and they glanced through it quickly while pretending to be looking for their new schoolbooks at the bookshop, but there was nothing of relevance.

They finished their shopping much earlier than the previous year, for they had less to buy, so while Mr and Mrs Evans went for a drink with the Trimbles at the Leaky Cauldron (Jenny Trimble had met them at the Apothecary's) they allowed them an hour on their own to wonder about Diagon Alley by themselves.

Lily found out that Jenny knew almost nothing about what had transpired during that summer. Though she had received owls from Mary about what was in the _Prophet_, Jenny was under the impression that it was nothing more than a case of a power-hungry wizard whom the Ministry would soon catch. She did not seem to have made the connection with what Alice had once told them. Lily glanced at Severus, but he was looking at a glowing lunar sphere floating in a shop window nearby, and seemed distracted. She decided not to enlighten her about the 'power-hungry' wizard just yet.

It was almost time for them to turn back when Severus saw something that made him stop. He beckoned to the others.

'Come quick! Down there – down that Alleyway. I'm sure I've seen a Runespoor !'

'Seen a what?' Lily and Jenny hurried up.

Severus pointed down a dark narrow street leading off from Diagon Alley. A lopsided wooden sign at the entrance read 'Knockturn Alley'.

'A Runespoor A wizard was carrying it in his hat. Do you know what you can do with Runespoor venom? Not even the Apothecary had it!'

'That can't be - they've got everything!' protested Jenny.

'No they don't! Some things are…well,…. difficult to find. Come on, I want to see where he's taking it. Perhaps there's another shop, and I've still got some change...'

He set off and after a moment's hesitation, the two girls followed.

Knockturn Alley was much gloomier than Diagon Alley – possibly because the tall and shabby houses on either side seemed to lean crazily towards each other at the top, shutting out the sun. There were no students. There were also less people, who did not seem as busy as in the main thoroughfare. Many were loitering in dingy doorways and glanced up curiously as they passed by, down the twisting narrow street.

Severus, whose senses were more honed to such things, felt the meaning in their stares immediately, and his hand slipped down over his wand. Lily and Jenny too seemed to feel the unnatural silence after the bustle of Diagon Alley, and they instinctively fell in step with Severus.

'Well, did you see where he went? We seem to have lost track of him' Lily said.

'I thought he might be in one of these shops' Severus replied, peering in the gloomy depths of the shops interspersed with the even gloomier doorways.

Many of the shop windows were dark and dingy, with strange and even gruesome magical objects on display. In one dimly-lit shop window, advertising the sale of poisoned candles, a yellowing human skull dangled on a rusty chain screwed into its cranium. It revolved slightly, almost imperceptibly, following them with its black orbits. Jenny clutched Lily's arm, her eyes wide.

'Let's get out of here,' she said 'this place is creepy!'

"Look, there he is!' and Severus set off at a run having glimpsed the wizard's cloak disappear into a large shop at a bend in the narrow street. He pushed open the door to the shop, setting off a bell, and the girls sidled in after him. It was so dark inside, that it took a while for their eyes to adjust even though they had come from the half-light of the narrow alley.

When the could finally see, they found themselves in one of the strangest places they had ever been in – it was clearly a shop that sold objects related to dark magic – they were everywhere on the dusty shelves – skulls, rusty daggers, some encrusted with what looked like dried blood, mummified body parts, some human, some they could not identify, stoppered phials with misty liquids inside that glowed eerily, gold-encrusted moonstones in glass spheres.

The wizard carrying the Runespoor was nowhere to be found – it was as though he had disappeared into the cobweb-festooned gloom of the shop.

Lily felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. The air was heavy with the prickle of magic, but not like in Ollivander's shop – there was a brooding, dark feeling to this that she did not like. Jenny was still clutching her arm, her brown eyes wide and terrified.

'We should just go, Lily.' She whispered. 'This – this is no place for students. We shouldn't have come here!'

Lily looked round for Severus. He was wandering around the cabinets and shelves and seemed to have forgotten what they originally came in here for. Lily recognised the look on his face- it was the same that he wore when they discovered some new book or potion ingredient - absorbed, intense, with barely suppressed excitement. It would be hard to dislodge him now. She was about to call him when they heard voices coming from a curtained recess they hadn't noticed before, being almost hidden by an old coffin lid propped up against it. They froze.

Several young wizards came out, followed by a greasy-haired older man in a dark apron.

'…. And the Dark Lord only takes the best, _the very best_, into his inner circle, so you may as well tell Malfoy and Rabastan that, Rodolphus. They should put more effort into becoming worthy of that honour whilst they are still so young.'

The young man so addressed, a lanky youth, was about to retort when he noticed them for the first time. He signalled wordlessly, and the first speaker whirled round to look at them.

With a start, Severus recognised him as the young wizard in muggle attire when he had first gone to the Leaky Cauldron, exactly a year before. He was cloaked now, as were his companions, though their hoods were down. He had a hard face with angular lines and cold blue eyes.

'What are you kids doing here?!' he snapped.

'Buying something.' Severus answered, unperturbed.

'I am the owner of the shop.' The dark-aproned old man stepped forward looking at Severus through narrowed eyes. 'What exactly would you like to purchase?'

'Runespoor venom. I just thought I saw a wizard with a Runespoor come in here.'

You saw wrong. There is no such thing here. Runespoor venom is Class 3 non-tradable goods. You won't find it here.'

There was a loud guffaw from the young man called Rodolphus, but his companion silenced him with a raised gloved hand.

'You, girl' he pointed at Jenny imperiously 'Tell me who you are and why you are here! What did you hear us say?'

'I'm Jenny Trimble, Sir. I – we were just following Severus….' Lily could feel her shaking beside her.

'We already told you. This is a shop isn't it?' Lily was starting to get angry. The young man's eyes glinted dangerously.

'We didn't hear anything'. Severus lied.

He felt the young man's eyes turn to him, and then he bent slightly forward, the better to see him in the gloomy light.

'Ah, yes. I know you. You're a Prince. Eileen's son - from the Prince bloodline.' He straightened up, a smirk twisting his chiselled features. 'Well, well, well- not surprising, all-in-all, for you to end up at Borgin and Burke's.' Lily saw from Severus's surprised expression, that he was as mystified as she was. 'As for your companions…'

His eyes flickered briefly over Jenny's cowering stance and Lily's defiant stare.

'I'm sorry I have to do this to _your_ memory, young man, but I can't have anyone…' with horror Lily realised that he had drawn out his wand and was pointing it in her face. Suddenly there was a flash of light, a shout of '_Confringo_!' followed by a loud bang intermingled with the sound of shattering glass and white smoke.

Jenny was screaming next to her, and then Severus had grabbed her hand and was pushing Jenny out of the shop. Her brain finally caught up with what was happening, and she was galvanised into action. Grabbing Jenny's arm she helped Severus drag her outside and soon they were running pell-mell up the street towards what they hoped was Diagon Alley, but heavy footsteps behind them told them they were being pursued. Lily knew they could never outrun them.

'In here!' she said, and they dived into a dark, arched doorway, hiding in the deep shadow behind its broken wooden door. They waited with baited breath as the footsteps drew nearer and then stopped.

Lily's heart was pounding so loudly in her chest, she was afraid it could be heard. Jenny let out a small whimper which earned her a vicious look from Severus as he gestured for silence. The doorway was dark and dank and smelled strongly of cat pee. The only light was from a crack in the wood of the door. She felt Severus push past her to look through the crack. He was still panting slightly from running, but she heard his breath hitch at what he saw. Suddenly a voice shouted something, not more than a few inches away from the archway. She felt him recoil slightly and warn her to be still by a slight pressure of his hand on her arm. . She could see his silhouette look past her at Jenny, but her friend had both her hands over her mouth, as if to physically stop herself from crying out.

'They've gone…' Rodolphus was shouting. 'Halfway to Diagon Alley by now, I warrant!'

'Or lost in some Hag's hovel, more likely!' said the third of the companions who hadn't spoken till then.

'In any case… I don't think they heard anything. Nothing they would understand, anyway.'

'They may have heard names, you fool, and one can never be too careful' said the voice of the young man who had drawn his wand. 'However, you are right. We cannot chase them down Diagon Alley.'

'They were only kids – no one'll pay any attention to what they say, Selwynn' said the third companion 'And even so, what can the say, eh? That they saw three blokes in a shop in Knockturn Alley? No big deal.'

'I say we forget about them' said the voice belonging to Rodolphus. They seemed to have convinced their companion for after some low muttering the sound of their footsteps retreated and died down.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 A Legilimens.**

After a few minutes Severus pushed the creaking door open and checked that the coast was clear before beckoning them out.

'What was all that about?' said Lily, 'Why did they do that?'

'You shouldn't have used a blasting curse on them, Severus Snape!' Jenny was still shaking, and almost crying 'You made them angry. That's why they ran after us!'

'Just in case it slipped your attention, they were about to wipe our memories!' Severus snapped angrily at her 'and like bloody hell I'll let them do that, if I can help it!'

'How – How did you know what…?' Jenny whispered

'If you weren't so busy screaming, you'd have seen they'd drawn their wands on us!' he made a sarcastic noise. 'And I thought Griffindors were supposed to be brave ….'

'Severus, don't be nasty!' reprimanded Lily 'Jenny, - he was pointing his wand at me. Anyway, I've read about memory charms, and I'm very glad we escaped. But what were they so scared of? Sev, the Dark Lord they mentioned, could it be ..?'

"I don't know. I never heard Lord Voldemort called that. But I was thinking that it must be him, considering their reaction.'

They had started walking again. Jenny looked from one to the other uncomprehendingly. 'Who are you talking about?'

'Just the power-hungry wizard you said the Ministry will soon catch.' he said with a sneer.

'Oh.'

'Then he must be recruiting followers.' Lily said. 'He was angry that we heard the names. I think we should tell someone.'

'Tell them what?' retorted Severus. 'That we have been down an alley which is probably off-limits, at least for you, and that we saw three young wizards in a Shop of Dark Magic objects?'

'Well, we could …. What d'you mean, off-limits for _me_?' Lily stopped suddenly, her hand on her hip.

'Well, you know, like Spinner's End at home is off-limits for people like - like your sister, at least.' he ended weakly. 'Bad neighbourhood, and all that'

He turned and walked ahead. But Lily grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn round.

'Not me.' She said forcefully, digging her thumb in her chest. "I'm not scared, and I don't care what…'

'Listen you two, I don't know what you're talking about, but I want to get out of here!' Jenny had come up to them 'and we've already passed that door twice.'

'Yes.' Severus said 'We've been going in circles for the last few minutes. I had assumed it was one winding street, but we must have taken a wrong turning when we were being chased.'

'We have to ask someone for directions.' Lily said, forgetting what she was chiding Severus about.

'I haven't seen anyone for some time now.' said Jenny.' Oh look- there's someone... .' And before they could say anything she had gone up to an old Witch, bent double with age, and the knobbly bundle she was carrying.

'Excuse me, Madam, but could you tell us the way to Diagon Alley?'

They knew from the moment the witch lifted her head, revealing a wrinkled and horribly scarred visage, that it had been a mistake.

'Lost, are we, dearies?' Lily saw Jenny take a step back. 'Rather young to be wondering around in these parts. Are you alone?!' she asked this rather forcefully.

'N –no, of course not. Our parents are in Diagon Alley, shopping.' Jenny replied, trying to sound brave.

'And you thought a little exploration of the side-streets must be interesting…'

Jenny looked reproachfully at Severus. The old woman followed her gaze, and fixed Severus with an unblinking stare, that seemed to last forever.

'Ma'am, if you could just indicate the street, we'll be on our way.' Lily came up to the old witch too. Her twisted, scarred face finally tore themselves away from Severus and turned to look at her, beetle black eyes glinting beneath their heavy lids.

'My, my, what pretty, red hair. So much you can do with that, my dear.' Lily was sure she wasn't talking about hairstyles. Jenny had already started to back away, when the witch made a sudden movement.

'I would put that away if I were you, my lad!' the witch said. She had whipped out her wand with a quick movement that belied her years. She was pointing it at Jenny's forehead, her claw-like hand tight about her wrist. Severus froze, his wand already half way out of his pocket, taken by surprise.

'Now, my dear, let us see ... hmm… soft skin, very young. Young, strong blood' Jenny whimpered. 'Now let us see if you were telling the truth. For if you lied to Old Mother Madeira, and you really _are_ alone,' She mumbled something under her breath, her wand tip inches away from Jenny's face.

Lily didn't know what was happening. Jenny became very still, her eyes fixed on the crinkled face of the old witch, but before Lily could act, the old witch was mumbling again.

'Hmm Trimble, eh? Hogwarts student. And your parents _are_ here, after all. They are... pha!' she made a sound of disgust. 'Muggles! …'

Jenny winced and moaned, the wand wavering slightly.

'Leave her alone! What are you doing to her, you horrible old hag?!' Lily had grabbed the old witch's arm and pulled it back from Jenny's face. Jenny crumpled down on the ground, as soon as the witch stopped looking at her. But now she had Lily in her surprisingly vice-like grip, and the wand was pointing straight at her face, so she could not move.

"Leave her! Now!'

An angry voice behind Mother Madeira shouted. It was Severus, and his wand was trained on her back.

'Oh, I wouldn't do anything hasty if I were you.' She said with a cackle. 'You wouldn't want your friend's pretty face scarred forever, like mine, now, would you?'

Lily saw his wand waver.

'Such a gentleman, defending his little friends…' she laughed obscenely through blackened, broken teeth 'but all I want is some of your friend's hair – it won't harm her, and surely you won't begrudge an old lady ….'

'Madeira, what in Merlin's name are you doing?!' said a drawling voice.

The old witch whirled round and quickly released Lily's arm, lowering her wand.

'Ah, Master Lucius, sir. How good it is to see you!'

Walking towards them was Lucius Malfoy. He had grown even taller than they remembered, and was elegantly dressed in a rich, flowing, black cloak with a silver clasp and trimmings.

He strode towards them, his boots clipping the cobbles smartly. Lily wondered why he was so overdressed on such a warm day, but the overall effect, she had to admit, was rather imposing. His grey eyes had swiftly flickered over the scene, taking in everything.

'Using your gentle, persuasive methods for procuring illicit potion ingredients, again, Madeira, eh?' he told her with a smirk.

Severus still hadn't lowered his wand, but Mother Madeira's attitude had changed dramatically to an oily subservience.

'No, Master Lucius, Sir. I was just showing them the way to Diagon Alley.'

'Really, now? I suppose that is why Severus here' he placed his hand on Severus' shoulder, 'had his wand pointing between your shoulder blades!'

'Just a little misunderstanding, Sir' she said, in a twisted grimace that was her version of a smile. 'I didn't realise you know the lad. He seemed to think I had morbid designs on his little friends here.. .'

'As is the truth, and both you and I know it, Madeira, so I suggest you pick up your filthy baggage and get your carcass out of here, or you'll hear about this from my father!'

Madeira picked up her dirty bundle, gave Lucius an even dirtier look and shuffled off.

'Madeira is a highly dangerous witch, Severus.' Lucius said, when she was out of earshot 'The more so because she doesn't look the part. But she is highly skilled in some …er.. unusual and obscure branches of magic. Do not underestimate her.'

Lily had helped Jenny up by this time. Her friend was white and shaking. 'She certainly looked evil to me. She – she did things to Jenny, too!' she said.

Lucius said nothing, but arched an eyebrow. Jenny shook her head and appeared on the verge of crying.

'She got information from her just by looking at her'. Volunteered Severus, and Lily thought he sounded awed, rather than horrified.

'She is a Legilimens.' Lucius answered curtly. He spoke to Lily 'I've seen you before. You're a Hogwarts student, right? Can your friend walk? I need to get you out of here. What on earth were you all down Knockturn Alley? You know this place can be dangerous…'

'We know now' muttered Lily, as she helped Jenny along.

'_You're_ here, aren't you?' Severus said, sounding rather irritated.

'Unlike you, I'm old enough to be here, and I can take care of myself' Lucius smiled smugly. 'There – the light at the end of the tunnel - Diagon Alley.'

He pointed, and they could see the bright street at the end of the corkscrew curves of Knockturn alley. He turned to go back.

'What is a legilimens?'

Lucius turned to look at Severus. 'It is the magical ability to decipher another person's thoughts and feelings. Read their mind, in other words.'

Severus glanced at Jenny, who, however, was leaning on Lily, looking miserably at the ground.

Lucius smiled 'I thought someone like you would know, given your background.'

With that he turned and left, his cloak billowing behind him. Severus stared at him a few more seconds, before he turned to his companions.

'That is the second time today someone told you something like that.' Lily said, as they turned towards Diagon saw him shrug and shake his head angrily. 'Well. We have to get Jenny back to her parents now for she doesn't look too well. Jenny? Are you – are you Ok?' She was worried for Jenny hadn't said anything.

'I'm fine.' she mumbled.

'Did she – did she really read your mind?' Severus asked in a hushed whisper.

'Yes – it was horrible. I couldn't stop her. It was like having someone invade your head'

'Did it hurt?'

Lily wished Severus would stop asking Jenny questions – she seemed to be getting upset again

'Not exactly – there was a tugging sensation- not pain exactly and then, - and then she was there, in my head, seeing everything ...' Jenny collapsed into tears again and Lily made a sign for him to stop.

They had reached Diagon Alley now, but Lily made them wait for a few minutes until Jenny regained her composure. They decided not to tell either the Evans or the Trimbles where they had ended up, especially after what they had seen and heard about it.

Sure enough, at the Leaky Cauldron they found both sets of parents looking anxiously for them, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.

'There they be!' he shouted, as soon as he saw them. Jenny gave her parents a watery smile and said they had got lost.  
'We were worried, Lily' her father said, 'we should have left by now.'

'It's my fault, Mr Evans.' Severus said 'I wanted to see something in a shop, and we forgot the time. Then we took a wrong turning.'

He saw Tom the innkeeper looking at him closely.

"Well, Severus' said Mr Evans, 'I think you ought to start for home too. Its late, and your parents will be worried about you, I'm sure'

Only Lily saw the fleeting dark expression on Severus' face at her father's words. She waved goodbye to him, but he was already striding towards the huge open hearth of the Leaky cauldron. Without another word he disappeared in a blaze of green flames.

She recalled their adventure down Knockturn Alley and wondered what that wizard had meant – why should that big shop full Dark Magic items be where they expected Severus to be?

A 'Prince' they had called him.

She remembered what Slughorn had said about his mother, Eileen Prince. Did she have any connections with that shop? She wanted to ask him, but he rarely spoke of his parents, and she wondered if he even knew, after all. From what he had let slip last time, he did not know anything about his family tree, and even seemed to envy her the fact that _she _had one.

It must be frustrating for him to be told such things and she wondered why he did not just ask Lucius or someone else from a wizarding family what they knew about the Princes. She resolved to speak to him about what happened the very next day.

However, the last few days were a flurry of activity for her. She had to accompany her parents as they drove Petunia to St Alban's for the next term (Lily resolved to tell them she was old enough to stay home alone next year, for Petunia grumbled all the way).

Then it was time to pack, and she only saw Severus when he came to her house to return some books he had borrowed from her. He did not stay long – he was sporting a cut lip and some bruises.

'We'll speak on the train.' he said, irritably brushing off her inquiries about his bruises. Since her parents were there, they could not speak about their escapade down Knockturn Alley – Rose and John Evans didn't know it existed, and it wasn't wise to let them know. She watched him go with a sigh. His hands were in his pockets, and he walked with a slouch, head down so that his hair covered his face, bruises and all. She hoped it was not what she suspected.

114


	24. Chapter 24:Second Year

**Chapter 24: Second Year Students.**

Severus was dropped off at Kings Cross by his mum. They had got a cab from the Leaky Cauldron, but she did not even get out when they arrived. He dragged the huge trunk out of the back of the cab and mumbled 'bye' to his mother. She, of course, was never one for sentimental farewells, so he was surprised when she called him back.

'Severus,' she said in a whisper, when he stuck his head in the cab window. She glanced quickly at the cab driver to see if he was listening. "Remember what I said: when you're at school, do not talk to –'

'I'll be alright,' he cut across her irritably, 'I told you – I can take care of myself, there.'

He straightened up and walked away dragging his trunk to the trolleys. She watched him as he loaded the old school trunk on the trolley, the same elegant, faded, wooden trunk her grandfather had insisted that she take to Hogwarts, what seemed like eons ago, now.

She saw his small, slight figure disappear in the crowds making their way into the station, and then motioned the driver to go.

She had seen a slightly puzzled look on his face – perhaps he had expected words of remorse for what had happened a few days ago when he had come back late from Diagon Alley, or perhaps a fond farewell – but she knew that she had been drained of any warm feelings for a long time now, and she had nothing left to give…

Now that even _he_ was gone, the emptiness inside her seemed to swallow her up, and she leaned against the window of the speeding cab, her vision blurred with tears.

IIIIIIIII

Severus slipped deftly through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. He was just in time to see Lily saying bye to her parents as they helped her load her trunk on board. Petunia, it seemed, had not come, though he could not be sure, since there were still a lot of people on the platform.

He hurried over to the Evans, who greeted him cheerfully and helped him on board.

Finally, even the last student, a small first-year girl who had been clinging, sobbing, to her mother, was safely ensconced on board the scarlet train, and it rolled slowly out of the station.

'We're second-year students, now,' said Severus, looking out of the train window as the waving parents faded from view.

They had found an empty compartment near the front of the train, and Severus had already put on his Hogwarts robes.

'Yeah – always good to have someone greener and smaller than you,' smirked Pavo Parkinson, who had looked in to greet Severus. 'Wish I was a senior student already, though – they really look up to you, then.'

Severus nodded in agreement, but Lily shook her head.

'I think I want to take my time growing up. There's no going back then, is there?'

'Who'd ever want to go back?' Severus answered. 'I can't wait till I'm seventeen! Then I can use magic, and no one'll ever dare cross my path, or tell me what to do….'

He saw Lily observing him. He knew the bruises on his face had faded, and the cut on his lip where his father's ring had made contact was only a scab now. He was uncomfortably aware however, that she may not have believed him when he explained it had been an accident.

It wasn't, of course. He had received a thrashing when he had come home from Diagon Alley hours late, and laden with magic potion ingredients and books about magic. His father had shouted that his mother had been worried sick about him, and that he, Tobias, had been kept in the dark about his own son's doings, waiting anxiously at home, while his son went gallivanting around freak places.

Severus, noticing the empty bottles on the table, had asked him sarcastically if he had drowned his anxieties in a bottle.

He knew he shouldn't have said that, of course. That was when his father reached out for him and struck him across the face. Eileen hadn't even tried to stop him this time. She seemed to think he deserved all he got. She hadn't even asked him why he was late.

'Well. I'm off'. Pavo was saying, peering round the compartment door. 'Evan promised to give me some inside information about what's happening…' he dropped his voice to a whisper, 'You know – about the _war!'_

Before they could ask him anything he jumped backwards with a cry as a black streak passed between his legs. It was Shadow, Mary's cat. It shot right into the compartment and proceeded to scramble up onto the luggage, from where it gazed down at them with an unblinking stare.

Sure enough, Mary followed a second later.

'Have you seen …? Oh, there you are!' she said, as she saw the crouching green-eyed cat on Lily's luggage.

Pavo left, looking annoyed.

'Hi, Mary,' said Lily, as she helped her get the cat down.

'Hi, Lily. Shadow chased Peter Pettigrew's rat and that rotter, Sirius Black, almost hexed his tail off, that's why he came running in here. I only let him out for a minute. Can you please help me put him back in his cage, for he won't want to, now?'

The two girls left and Severus took out a book. However, he was not left alone for long. For Evan Rosier sauntered in, followed by Aubrey Bertram, another Slytherin in their year, and Philistus Avery.

'Hello, Severus. Quite an adventure you had in Knockturn Alley, I heard,' he said, without preamble, as he threw himself in the seat opposite.

'Lucius Malfoy has been blathering, I take it?' Severus replied sardonically.

'Well, he was quite impressed, you know,' Rosier drawled, lounging back and draping his feet across the empty seats. 'Something about holding a fully-grown witch at wand-point…'

'The details seem to have got a bit twisted then, for I don't remember being in such a happy position…'

However, he felt secretly grateful that Malfoy hadn't painted too bad a picture of what had happened.

'You're lucky to be allowed to roam about by yourself,' said Avery, 'Me Mum sticks to me like a limpet whenever we go there!''

'She wouldn't want you to end up as one of the shrunken heads in the window displays, I guess, Phil,' said Evan, 'not that there is much difference…' he continued, observing Avery's small, pointed head and pinched features. It was made even worse by one of the shortest haircuts Severus had ever seen – it seemed that Avery had had his hair shaved so closely that only a mousey-coloured stubble was left.

Avery scowled, and Aubrey laughed.

'Did you hear about the war?' interrupted Severus, addressing Evan and hoping to get the 'inside information' Pavo had mentioned.

'Well, of course. The Ministry is trying to play it down, but the Dark Lord has been gathering strength for years. My father says he's the most powerful wizard alive, but he is ready to give up his life to fight for wizarding rights. That reminds me what I came in here for, Severus – I got you a present.'

'A what?"

Rosier swung his feet off the seat and delved inside his school robes, which he had already put on. He pulled out a small, but handsomely-bound volume and threw it in Severus's lap.

'_Nature's Nobility – A Wizarding Genealogy'_ Severus read the title of the leather-bound book.

'I figured you should read that,' Evan said, as he moved towards the door, 'I marked a page for you – you will find it particularly interesting since it has come to my knowledge that your education in such matters has some gaping holes. Oh - and remember our conversation exactly a year ago? About why Muggleborns are almost never found in Slytherin? Well, that book holds all the answers!' and with that he turned and left, followed by Avery and Bertram.

Severus turned the book over in his hands. His words had left him uncomfortably aware that somehow, Rosier had guessed at his ignorance of his own family tree. How could he have found out? At most, he could have heard of his mother's marriage to a muggle and the resultant rift with her family.

The book was not new. Its' handsome, red leather was scuffed at the edge, some of the gilt on the title faded, and the pages were yellowed. A name was written on the flyleaf: _Arcturus Rosier_. Perhaps Evan's father, or grandfather.

He opened it and started reading. It was a treatise about famous wizards and witches who lived in England, but more than that, it was a collection of family trees of said famous witches and wizards. The book did not give very specific details about what had made them famous, but it did list each family's wealth, status, and any land they owned.

To his disgust, Severus found the Black family tree in one of the first pages, with Sirius Black and a younger brother of his listed as the last entries in the book.

Just then, the compartment door opened and Lily came in, nursing a couple of scratches on her arm.

'Shadow wouldn't go back in his cage,' she said by way of explanation, as she rummaged in her bag for a hanky to clean her arm. 'What're you reading?'

'Umm… a book Rosier got for me.'

She sat down beside him and leaned over to see.

'It looks like family trees – _Nature's nobility _… Sev, is that thing about Pureblood families?' she asked, rather testily.

'Look – I didn't ask for it,' he retorted defensively 'Evan said there's something he marked out for me, and I was trying to find it…'

'Huh, Evan Rosier is a stuck-up prat! I saw him further down the train when I was helping Mary find Shadow. He hardly answered when I said hello. All he said was: 'I saw your parents on the platform, Evans'. What's _that_ supposed to mean?'

Severus, who knew exactly what it meant – that Rosier realised her parents were muggles - said nothing.

'Go on, then,' she said petulantly after a while, 'Let's see what Rosier marked out for you – probably proof that he's descended from Merlin himself! See if I care!'

'I haven't found his family here yet, I – Oh, here's a marked page…'

Lily leaned over to see, curious in spite herself.

One page of the book had its top right-hand corner bent as a marker. There was a large family tree occupying the entire page, and the title was '_The Rosier Family Tree_', but what caught their eye was a rough circle in red ink that somebody had quilled around the sister of the founding members of the Rosier line. It was on one of the first 'branches' of the tree. Severus read the small print:-

Morgana Rosier = Severus Prince

1885-1960 1881-1950

1 son

2 daughters

'Well there you go,' Lily said, '_Severus Prince_' – he must be your ancestor. Wouldn't have imagined you're related to Rosier, though. Look –' she pointed further down the tree to Evan Rosier's name at the bottom. 'It seems your ancestor married Rosier's Great-Great-aunt…'

She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust.

'With so few real witches and wizards, I guess it's inevitable a lot of them are related to each other.' Severus said defensively.

'Is this book about all the wizarding families in Britain?'

'No, only about the oldest, most famous ones….'

Lily stole a look at him. He looked elated.

'See if there's more about the Prince family,' she said 'You might find your family tree here…'

'I've checked the index, and it's not there. I think it is restricted to families in England only. There's no-one from Scotland or Ireland, for example, and yet I know there are famous wizards there…'

'Are you sure? Would be nice to find your mother's family among the rich and famous, eh?' she said, grinning.

He didn't answer her, but continued to flick through the pages.

'Yes, it would,' he said quietly, after such a long time that she had almost forgotten about it.

'If that other Severus is really someone related to you, then perhaps your mother would know,' she remarked.

I already asked her.'

'And?'

'She named me after my great-grandfather, Severus Prince, who according to her was a well-known and respected wizard, in an attempt at reconciliation with her family. But they wouldn't forgive her for marrying my father. She refused to tell me anything else about it.'

'Well, Sev, at least it's a start.'

Lily knew how important it was for him. He had no detailed background, no close relatives he knew of, and what seemed to be quite a hard life in the worst part of town. But now he'd found out he was related, however remotely, to these rich and famous wizards and witches.

No wonder he was pleased about it.

She removed the hanky from around her arm and put on her Hogwarts robes too. Then she sat down beside Severus so they could look through the book together. They tried to find another mention of his Great-grandfather, or any other Prince, but they found nothing else. Lily was eager to help him, for she saw how important it was for him, but she couldn't get rid of a niggling doubt at the back of her mind. She knew that Evan Rosier had a purpose in giving Severus that book, and she didn't like it.

They also discussed the war, but they hadn't discovered anything more than what they already knew. Alice, who was in the same compartment as Mary, had told her that at the moment, Lord Voldemort was sending forth his closest supporters to gather more followers.

Their conversation went round in circles. They knew that they were mainly speculating, for they didn't have a lot of facts to go on. Lily felt tired – she hadn't slept well the night before -she had been worried about going back to Hogwarts and finding the war had changed everything.

Severus had gone back to reading his book. He recognised many other wizarding names in it. Potter was there too, he noticed with a scowl- his whole family could be traced back many generations, and they owned some property in Godric's Hollow. The book had been published about a decade ago. Probably it was re-published often in order to update the lists. He went through the names: Yaxley, Lestrange, Weasley, Malfoy, Longbottom, Bulstrode….

Suddenly he felt a warm pressure on his shoulder. He turned his head and found that Lily had fallen asleep next to him, and her head had slipped down to rest on his shoulder. He froze. He didn't know what to do – should he attempt to wake her up? Perhaps she wouldn't want to be found asleep on his shoulder….

She was so close he could once again smell the wild-flower smell of her hair, feel the warm heaviness of her head on his shoulder. He felt himself redden uncomfortably, but he didn't really want to wake her up. It felt strangely exciting, yet at the same time it made him feel protective of the sleeping girl at his side. He kept very still, not even turning the pages of his book, barely even breathing so that he would allow her to sleep on so trustingly against him.

He looked out instead, at the darkening sky outside the train window, and was hoping that they wouldn't be disturbed, when he heard a first-year girl shouting in the corridor outside their compartment:

'We're there! We're there! I can see the lights of the castle!'

Actually, it was the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, beyond and to the left of the castle, that she was seeing, thought Severus, as he peered outside. He felt Lily stir against his shoulder, and looked determinedly out of the train window, trying to calm his beating heart.

'Oh! I - I think I fell asleep.' she said, as she straightened up.

'Obviously,' Severus replied, risking a look at her.

She looked a bit dazed, and slightly flushed, but not angry or disgusted.

'I'm sorry, Sev, I guess I was a bit tired,' she yawned. Her cheek was still red where it had rested on his shoulder. 'Are we there yet?'

He nodded and stood up to get their luggage. They could feel the train slowing down now.

When they finally got off the train, Hagrid was already shepherding the first-years towards the lake for their traditional journey across. The rest of them, they found out, were to be taken to Hogwarts by several horseless carriages that were waiting near the train station.

Once they arrived they went to sit at their own House tables and waited for the first-years to file in and stand in front of the teacher's dais. Severus noticed that there were a couple of people missing from the raised dais. Dumbledore sat in the middle, but McGonagall's chair was empty for she was with the first-years. A seat near Professor Slughorn was also vacant. It was the one usually occupied by Professor Brocklehurst. He realised then that the sorting ceremony had started.

"Asmuthe, Alicia' had been sorted into Ravenclaw; followed by a 'Bates, William' into Hufflepuff, with much cheering from the respective tables, when Severus's attention was suddenly caught by one particular name.

'Black, Regulus,' McGonagall called out, and a small, slight boy with dark hair came forward and placed the sorting hat on his head.

His resemblance to Sirius Black was unmistakable, and it was clear that they were brothers, or cousins, at the least. Thus, it was with very great surprise that Severus heard the hat call out:

"Slytherin!'

Their table erupted in cheers and Regulus Black made his way over and sat down next to Severus. He did not look once towards the Griffindor table where Sirius was sitting, although many snide remarks could be overheard above the cheering and clapping. Severus suddenly remembered he had read the name at the bottom of the Black Family tree in the book Rosier had given him, and he was now sitting next to Sirius Black's younger brother. He shifted over closer to Evan, who was sitting on his other side. He wanted nothing to do with the Black family, even if they were in Slytherin.

The boy said nothing. He had a solemn face and did not respond either to the cheers, or the jeers on his brother.

Severus waited eagerly for the beginning-of-term feast to be over. He wanted to see if Dumbledore would say anything about the War. Finally they were through with the pudding, the plates magically disappeared, and Dumbledore stood up and raised his hand for silence. The chattering died down and everyone focused their attention on him.

'We start another year at Hogwarts with a few announcements,' he said. 'First of all, I would like to congratulate Professor Sinistra on acquiring the post of full-time Astronomy teacher. As those of you who have been in Hogwarts last year know, Professor Sinistra was assisting Prof Rigelius, who retired late last year'.

Professor Sinistra nodded in acknowledgement of the round of applause, loudest from some of the 7th year boys sitting at the back of the house tables.

'I would also like to welcome back Professor Kettleburn, who had to spend some months in St Mungo's due to … er…another unfortunate accident with one of his charges'

A smattering of polite applause followed. Severus surmised that Kettleburn was not as popular as Sinistra. The subject of his musings was a rather squat wizard in shabby robes sitting on Slughorn's other side. Then he realised he looked squat not only because he was rather squarely-built, but he was missing a leg, and one arm was in bandages.

'We will also be welcoming another teacher this year', Dumbledore was continuing, 'Professor Brocklehurst is taking a year off for health reasons, so his place will be taken by Professor Artemesia Ironwood, a very capable witch who worked for some years in the Law Enforcement Office of the Ministry for Magic. She will be arriving tomorrow. Now, finally, I would like to make my most important, and most serious, announcement…'

The silence that followed these words was so deep that you could hear a pin drop.

'Students of Hogwarts, we are at war! For those of you who sometimes open a newspaper (other than on the Quidditch page, I mean) this will be no news. Others will have been made aware of this fact through the student grapevine, a faster and more efficient communication tool than the _Daily Prophet,_ here at Hogwarts. The Ministry has declared war upon a dark wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort, and, although some of you may have heard otherwise…' he paused, and though he did not change his posture, Severus was sure that he was looking at the far end of the Slytherin table where the seniors usually sat.

'…I must now warn you, that his intentions are to plant the seeds of discord here, as well as in the wizarding World at large.'

There was some murmuring, but it died down as Dumbledore continued.

'May I remind you that the last conflict in the wizarding world, although carried out mostly on foreign soil, brought misery and destruction to many witches and wizards, as did the muggle war of those same years. Dark days indeed, for those of us who remember it…' He paused, looking around at the sea of young faces before him.

"I sincerely wish that none of you have to see in your youth, what I am still trying to forget in my old age. So please do not be lulled into a false sense of security – the war is real and our only defense here at Hogwarts is to stand united against the forces of evil and discord. Let us raise our cups in a toast for Unity between our four houses and may Hogwarts be the place where bonds of friendships are forged that will withstand the discord and poison of the enemy.'

A sea of black-robed students stood up, glass in hand, at Dumbledore's words. From the corner of his eye, Severus saw that some Slytherin 7th years had remained with their glass untouched. Among them was Lucius Malfoy, a sixth-year student now. Since they were at the back, Dumbledore noticed nothing and dismissed them all with a hearty 'goodnight'.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: The Rosier Connection**

'Well, what do you think of my present?'

It was late and Severus was still unpacking his books. Evan Rosier had come over to his bed and was peering inside his trunk, which was still half-full of books and jars of ingredients he and Lily had collected over summer. He shut it quickly, almost catching Rosier's fingers in it.

'Don't you have anything else to do?' he snapped irritably.

'Is that how you answer me after I gave you a book?' If anything, Evan sounded amused, not annoyed.

'That book seems to belong to someone _Arcturus_ Rosier, if you hadn't noticed…'

'Yes, my father. Say – what were all those jars for, in your trunk?'

'Stuff for Slughorn – part of my summer potions project…'Severus lied quickly.

It would not do to have anyone poking around his dungeon hideout …if it was still there.

'Well, you haven't answered my question. Did you like it?'

Severus looked around the dormitory, but Aubrey was already asleep, and Pavo, another boy and Wilkes were at the far end, holding a whispered conversation.

'Why did you give it to me?' he snapped.

'I told you, because I think you lack some…'

'I don't mean _that_, I mean why did you? The real reason! It's not only because I'm related to some long-dead, old bag of a Great-great-Aunt of yours, is it, Evan?'

'No, Severus,' Evan's face hardened, and his eyes narrowed in anger. 'It's because I want you to know who you are related to. Only the greatest witches and wizards are honoured with a place in that book' He indicated the red, leather-bound volume Severus had deposited on his bedside table 'I would not like to see you waste that considerable knowledge you inherited from him whose namesake you are, on some… some….' he seemed to struggle to find the right word '…on some _Gryffindor_!' he finished, angrily.

'As I told you exactly this time last year, Evan, I'll speak to whomever I please. As for wasting my knowledge, as you call it, I'd like to remind you that I won most points for Slytherin last year, remember?'

Evan said nothing. His face relaxed and he gave him an appraising look.

'So you did,' he admitted. 'But let me tell you something, Severus. War _is_ coming, and when the real fighting begins, whatever Dumbledore says, the important thing is to be found on the _right _side!'

'And that is, according to you…?'

But Evan smiled mysteriously and did not answer him. He went back to his bed and started getting ready for bed. Severus followed suit.

He did not want to admit it, but Rosier's words had made an impression on him. _Only the greatest wizards….._He wondered what Rosier had meant when he mentioned the knowledge he was supposed to have inherited from his great-Grandfather. Did Rosier know about the book _The Dark Arts_? Did he, perhaps, know why Severus Prince had been included in the on Wizard genealogy? He vowed he would try and find out by other means, before he would resort to asking Rosier a direct question…

IIIIIIIIIIII

The next few days were a blur of lessons. Their new timetables seemed busier than last years, and after a brief revision of the previous year's subjects most teachers plunged immediately into the new lessons, and homework soon started to pile up.

Their new DADA teacher, Professor Artemisia Ironwood was something of a disappointment.

She marched into class the first lesson, and, after she went through the names of both Gryffindor and Slytherin students, she came to the front of her desk and observed them carefully through her steel-rimmed spectacles. She had short, iron-grey hair in stiff curls that framed a narrow, bony face with papery, wrinkled skin.

'This year,' she told them, 'You will be studying some of the dark creatures that inhabit the magical world. You will study their habitat and their magical properties. I will also be teaching you the precise legislation on the control and management of these beings. Please turn to Page 25 of your books.'

There was rustling noise as everyone hurried to do what she asked.

'The Forest Imp,' Professor Ironwood said, 'is one of the most evil creatures one might meet in a dark forest glen.'

Severus looked up in surprise. The Imp was a pest certainly, but rather harmless, overall. He saw Evan Rosier, sitting on a table with Pavo Parkinson, on his left side look up too. His haughty features were wearing a look of incredulous disdain. Many other students were whispering to each other.

'Yes, Mr. Potter?'

James Potter had his hand up

'Professor Ironwood, we have lots of Forest Imps in the woods near where I live, but they're harmless. I mean, they might take a bite out of you if you touch their tree, but they're small and…'

'Mr. Potter, I did not spend all last year drafting regulations for the classification and control of these, and other, creatures for nothing; I did not collaborate with Gamp, the author of the textbook that lies in front of you, so that you can tell me what is, or is not, a _dark_ creature.' Her spectacles glinted angrily as she looked at him.

Potter looked mutinous, but did not say anything else.

Severus understood finally. He turned his textbook ('Dark Creatures of the Magical world') over, and on the first page and under the title and author's name was written, in small print: '_in collaboration with Artemisia Ironwood, Liaison Officer within the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry for magic.'_

'That explains a lot,' Severus whispered to Lily who was sitting next to him, as usual. He pointed out Mr Gamp's collaborator.

'Why? Isn't a Forest Imp dangerous then?'

Severus made a disdainful noise. 'Dangerous? They're practically harmless! If that's what she thinks, no wonder this book is so tame. I want to learn about the _real_ dark creatures!'

Professor Ironwood was looking at them angrily, so they shut up before any marks could be taken.

She then conjured up a stand for an old-fashioned projector, and drew the curtains closed with a wave of her wand. An expectant hush fell on the class as the projector flickered to life and a moving photo of a Forest Imp came on. The photo was old and grainy and they could hardly see the little creature, more so because its body was shaped to mimic the leaves and twigs of its surroundings.

"I could get her a dozen of those in a pack, with leashes round their necks!' smirked Evan Rosier, who, under cover of the darkened classroom, had leaned over and was whispering to him. 'They run wild in many of the trees on our estate…'

Professor Ironwood waved her wand and the old projector, an odd piece of equipment with many elaborate gilt decorations, creaked into action once more. Another photo, just as grainy and unclear as the preceding one came into view. They could just make out the shape of the Imp which appeared to be shaking its fist at whoever was taking the photo.

'The Forest Imp,' Professor Ironwood was saying 'due to its vicious nature, and the secretive, stealthy way it haunts our woods, ready to attack the unsuspecting witch or wizard, has been classified in Category D, that is, among 'Dangerous creatures', and in sub-category 4, because of its stealthy nature, in the new draft regulations on the classification of dark creatures. According to Article 4, sub-article 3 and paragraph b of the draft regulation on the control of…'

Severus stole a look at Lily. In the pale light of the projector he could see her face screwed up concentration. Not a good sign, because when something interested her, she absorbed it easily, without effort. He remembered how naturally and quickly she had learnt whatever he used to tell her in their summer holidays.

He looked resentfully at Professor Ironwood who was still reciting legislation, which, after all, was only drafted stuff, and therefore not in force. He got the impression that these regulations were her pet projects, and she was going to make sure they knew it.

Lily wasn't the only one struggling to comprehend. Wilkes was playing a game with Aubrey under cover of the darkness in the room, Pavo had a glazed, unfocussed look in his eyes and some of the Gryffindors at the back were holding a whispered conversation about Quidditch, which was almost loud enough to be heard from the front of the classroom.

When the lesson was finally over, they all trouped downstairs towards the Great Hall for lunch, blinking in the sunlight streaming through the high windows. Severus made a detour back to the dungeons to see if the old potions room he used to hide his stuff in was still there and still untouched, while everyone else was at lunch.

He hurried along the dark, cool, passageways of the dungeons, and, after making sure that there was no-one around, ghost or student, he felt his way along the low dark tunnel that led to the door of his hideout. The massive iron hinges creaked a bit as he pushed it open.

Once inside, he was relieved to find everything untouched, albeit somewhat dustier than when he had last seen them. All his carefully stored phials were still there. He would add more to them this year, he thought, as he took his book on dark arts from his bag and placed it in its old hiding place. He would, perhaps, have enough to experiment with something from the book itself as soon as he found time.

With one last look at the room, dimly lit by the thin slivers of sunlight filtering through the high, barred dungeon window, he left and headed upstairs, secure in the knowledge that his book would be safe for yet another year.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

'Lily, hey, Lily – wait up!'

Lily was on her way to the greenhouses where Professor Sprout was waiting for the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs. It was already well into the second week of lessons.

Lily turned around and saw Alice hurrying up.

'Hi Alice.'

'Finally – I got you on your own at last! I've been trying all morning,' she said. 'You're always with that Slytherin boy, its maddening!'

'Severus is my friend, Alice,' she retorted coldly. 'You can tell him whatever you want to say, too.'

'Not this, I cannot. Come over here, away from Sprout...'

She dragged Lily away from where Mary was already keeping her a place, to the very end of the long table in the middle of the greenhouse, where some Hufflepuff boys were already preparing to pull on their dragon hide gloves.

'Lily, yesterday I overheard something I think you ought to know about…'she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. 'I overheard Evan Rosier from Slytherin talking to Rabastan Lestrange…'

'So?'

'Don't you know who Rabastan is?'

'No.'

Her friend's petite, heart-shaped face registered her surprise.

'Well, you're muggle-born, so perhaps you wouldn't have heard …'

'Heard what, Alice?' she was starting to get a little impatient.

'Rabastan Lestrange is a Slytherin. He's in third-year. Well, actually, it's Rabastan's father… he is …' her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper as she leaned close. 'My father says he's a Death Eater – one of Lord Voldemort's closest…'

'Really? But what does that have to do with-?'

'It's got everything to do with you, Lily. Do you know what I overheard Rabastan tell Rosier down the Charms corridor yesterday?' her tone was so vehement that one of the Hufflepuff boys looked up. He was rather chubby and had a round, good-natured face. He gave them a tentative smile, but Alice scowled at him till he looked away.

'He told Rosier that his brother had been sent on an important mission to a mountainous region in Spain to make contact with giants that still live there. Lily, You-know-who must have sent him!'

'Alice, are you sure? I mean – giants! Anyway, it doesn't mean that Voldemort sent him - he could've gone just for research purposes, to see if they still exist. Severus told me they are difficult to find and …'

'They still exist, though I guess he's right to say that they're difficult to find. Lily, with Rabastan's family background, his brother is not going there for any innocent reason. Do you know what this means? It means Lord Voldemort's looking for allies!'

'Giants for allies? What does he intend to do with them? Overthrow the Ministry?'

'My father said yes, eventually. For now, they will just make sport of muggles – Muggle-baiting, they call it…'

'And what did Rosier say?' asked Lily in trepidation.

'He said he wished he was old enough to go. I don't know if he was talking about going to Spain or something else. They looked round and saw me then, so they both shut up. I could see that Rosier was sucking up to him, though…'

'He's only in third year.'

'I don't think he was sucking up to him because he's a year or two older, – it's because of his connections. And that is what I wanted to talk to you about, Lily – you know that Snape is Rosier's friend, and that means...'

'That means nothing, Alice,' she retorted hotly, seeing where this conversation was leading to. 'You have no proof that anyone is running after giants on Lord Voldemort's orders, least of all Rosier. Besides, I don't think Severus is really that keen on him – it's more like Evan Rosier who tags around after Severus sometimes. And anyway – '

Alice did not hear what else she had to say, because at that moment a shadow loomed over their table. They were so busy discussing what had happened that they hadn't noticed Professor Sprout coming up behind them.

'Ms Walker! Ms Evans! You haven't even _started_ re-potting the Devil's Snare we planted last year! Any more talking and I'll be taking marks off Gryffindor. Look at Frank Longbottom -' she indicated the chubby Hufflepuff boy who was looking at Alice some time before. 'He has already repotted 3 of them, and not even a scratch'

Frank Longbottom flushed at the praise and stole a look at them. Alice and Lily, however, were hastily pulling on their protective gloves, their faces even redder than his, and then started filling pots with soil and manure, before reaching out for the small plants with their sinuously-moving tendrils.

'This year,' Professor Sprout was telling them, 'we will be studying plants that possess magical healing properties. Needless to say, given the current anxious times in the wizarding world, the knowledge of the healing powers of certain plants is of utmost importance…'

Alice gave Lily a meaningful look, but she ignored her, choosing to concentrate instead on her Devil's Snare, whose minute tentacles were making determined efforts to strangle her fingers.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Severus was alone in the Library. It was almost closing time and most students had cleared out. He was once again, looking through old school records, trying to find out more about his family tree. His connection with the Rosier family had intrigued him. It certainly explained some of Evan's mysterious statements last year, if they were distantly related. But, more than that, the book Rosier had given him was his first real proof, apart what his mother had told him, that he was descended from someone important, someone he could, perhaps, be proud to claim a connection to….

All his life he had been looked down upon as a dirty slum kid from the worst part of town. His hands balled into fists as he remembered the shouted insults, the raised eyebrows, the snide remarks in the playground during that short time he was at school; Lily's sister looking at him as though he was something that had just crawled out of the gutter….

Here at Hogwarts it was better, much better, but still, idiots like Potter and Black had lost no time in noticing that he couldn't afford certain things.

They spent the first week bragging about their Nimbus 1000 brooms, for second-years were allowed their own brooms. To his disgust, they had even got their identical brooms down to breakfast with them! An admiring group of students had gathered around the Gryffindor table, including Fred Perkins, the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, gawping at the brand new brooms. Lily, he noticed with relief, had not even looked at them, but had continued chatting with Mary MacDonald, completely ignoring the knot of students.

'Well, Snivellus, looks like your flying days are over.' Potter had said, as he and Black passed by the Slytherin table on their way out, broomsticks on their shoulder.

'Yeah,' said Black 'We heard you don't have one!'

'So I guess you should leave Quidditch to those who can play it better,' Potter said, grinning smugly 'And to those who can afford it!'

At that the two of them started laughing, but hurried out of the Hall for Severus had grabbed his wand. They knew he wouldn't dare hex them in front of all the teachers and students in the Great Hall, but the memory of last year's hexes seemed quite fresh in their minds.

With a sigh he closed the book he had been looking at – it was a list of students in alphabetical order, who had been prefects at Hogwarts. He had found nothing.

He had long since given up on trying to find his great-grandfather. He had tried that last year and had already found the only records available – records that stopped abruptly in his grat-grandfather's 4 th year.

He had tried a different track – something more recent. He remembered that he had, after all, two older cousins. If he found their records, he could perhaps start building himself a family tree like the one in Rosier's book.

He did not know much, just what his mother had told him – their names, that they lived 'overseas', and that they were the children of her only other sibling, her sister Maureen .

Now that he thought about it, he was sure that once he had heard his father let something slip during a particularly loud row with his mother a couple of years ago. Their raised voices filtered through the floorboards of his room and through the fingers he held to his ears: ''…that bloody Irish sister of yours!' his father had shouted hoarsely at his mother.

Severus was hardly surprised. He knew his mother hadn't always lived in England – she had only been in England for a few years before she had met his father.

Sometimes, in unguarded moments, he heard her speak in a strange accent, quite different from the Lancashire dialect of their neighbours in Spinner's End. It had a musical lilt to it, pleasant and slow, but the occasions she used it had been extremely few – mostly when she spoke to people unknown to him, via floo network. She had always cut her conversation short if she noticed him.

He realized his mother must be Irish, that her family home must be in Ireland, and that she had said 'overseas' to fob him off. He wondered why – she had spoken, sometimes even nostalgically, about her family home, but had never mentioned its whereabouts. 'Far away' was the standard answer, whenever he asked her.

He wondered for the umpteenth time, why she didn't want him to know – was it just because of the family rift? Did she think that perhaps he would one day go looking for them? If things were as bad as she made out, he could hardly be so stupid as to go looking for a bunch of long-lost relatives who probably hated him…

He looked up as Madam Pince rose from her chair and walked towards him. He knew it was time to go and heaved another sigh. He had found nothing! His cousins were about eight or nine years older than him – they should have just left Hogwarts, but there was nothing, no mention of them in any of the school annals, reviews; Student clubs, or school photos.

He put the books away in their proper shelves under Madam Pince's watchful eye, and headed out of the Library. Hogwarts was the only wizarding school in Britain, so why weren't their names there?

Feeling rather disillusioned with his elusive family tree, he directed his steps down the grand staircase towards the door that led to the dungeons.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: The Flying Club.**

Autumn was well on its way – fluffy, white clouds that had floated slowly across the sky were replaced by low, grey ones that accumulated heavily on the horizon and then dissolved into showers of rain, followed by blustery winds.

However, the last Sunday of September was fine and Severus and Lily were sitting by the lake, finishing off a southern hemisphere Star chart for Professor Sinistra. Their previous Astronomy lesson at the top of the Astronomy tower had to be cancelled due to a violent storm.

'You know, Sev,' Lily said, as she dangled her hand in the water, watching the small fish darting around it curiously. 'We should join a club…'

'Mmm?'

Severus was labeling the last constellation and did not hear her.

'Join a club,' she repeated, sitting up and moving over to where he was sitting cross-legged, with the large star chart spread across his lap. 'A flying club!'

'A what?'

'You know – a club, a Student's club. There are many of them – The Charms club; the Gobstones Club – it would give us something to do on weekends, something to look forward to….'

'May I remind you that we _do_ have something to do,' he said, lifting up the star chart. 'And I'm doing it for you actually, since you seem more interested in paddling about in the water.'

'Oh, come on, Sev – you know I looked up all the names for you. It's just that your handwriting is smaller, and you can fit in all the names in better…'

'And you just didn't feel like working, even though it's a joint project,' he said with a wry smile.

'Professor Sinistra is taking Dumbledore's words about house unity quite to heart - That's the third joint project she's given us.' She giggled. 'D'you know who Peter Pettigrew was doubled up with?'

'Who?'

'Wilkes. And they are both so abysmal at astronomy that Peter spent all yesterday morning in the Gryffindor Common room trying to scrounge the information off someone. Finally Potter took pity on him and let him copy his notes.'

'And who was the poor git who got to partner Potter?' he asked with a sneer. 'No one in the Slytherin common-room mentioned him.'

'Oh – he offered to partner Remus Lupin because no-one else wanted to – he's sick so often. In fact, yesterday morning I saw him heading off to the hospital wing, and it seems he didn't come back, because Potter had to finish the chart by himself. I wonder what's wrong with that boy…?'

Severus didn't answer. Lily knew the mention of Potter or Black always put him in a bad mood. She couldn't blame him – these last few weeks they had been particularly obnoxious – there was hardly a day when they when they weren't prancing around with their expensive brooms, polishing and grooming them in the Common-room or out in the castle grounds, under the admiring gaze of many students, including those on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

'Well, how about it?' she said after a while.

'How 'bout what?' he mumbled.

'How about joining the Flying Club?'

'What for?' he said, acerbically. 'So Potter and Black can fly in circles around us on those bloody broomsticks of theirs? Isn't it enough they keep shoving them up everyone's nose at breakfast, just to make sure everyone knows they've got the best …'

'I don't think they're in the Flying Club. I heard them bragging it's too tame for them.'

Severus said nothing but rolled up the large parchment he had been working on and handed it to her wordlessly. Then he stood up.

'I've got things to do,' he said.

She got up too.

'What things? We finished our homework – there's a whole afternoon. Don't tell me you're still reading that stupid book Rosier's given you!'

'It's not stupid!' he snapped, heading back towards the castle.

She bit back an angry retort. Perhaps he thought she was insulting his only family member in that book, but it was getting a bit ridiculous.

'Look, it's not stupid, perhaps, but it certainly isn't important,' she said, following at his side. 'Certainly not as important as doing something fun…'

He continued walking, ignoring her, but she caught his arm, forcing him to stop.

'Oh, come on, Sev, I know you used to like flying last year. And I miss it too. There are no flying lessons this year.'

He paused, looking at her eager, pleading face.

'Alright.'

'Oh good! You'll enjoy it, you'll see! There won't be so many people, we'll get to choose the best of the school brooms, and we can practice Quidditch too…'

She prattled on happily all the way up to the castle till she had managed to convince even him, that it was a very good idea.

IIIIIIIIII

They joined the student Flying Club that very week. It was mainly for those students who liked flying, but were not on any of the school Quidditch teams. They did not actually need the Quidditch pitch for flying – that was reserved for the House team's practice sessions, but Madam Hooch usually found the club members a slot during the weekend (though at rather ungodly hours), to practice on the pitch.

Most members, as Lily had foreseen, had their own brooms, so they got to choose relatively good ones out of the old school brooms.

Their first time at the club was late in the evening, the next Saturday, after the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had finished their practice, and they were finally allowed onto the pitch. Quite a few of the club members turned up, for the day had been fine. Lily noticed Severus and herself were amongst the youngest members (the Club did not accept first-years). There were no Gryffindors from her year – she had tried to persuade Mary, but she didn't want, and Alice, who was a more likely candidate, had joined another club with Thalia. Jenny, of course, was out of the question.

She did recognize a Slytherin third-year, Philistus Avery, who was talking to a another Slytherin third year, a tall gangly boy; and Melchior Abbott, who was probably trying get in some practice to be able to live up to his sister's reputation on the Hufflepuff team. The rest were senior students whom she did not know.

The club President was a burly Ravenclaw fifth-year called Will Ollerton, who immediately told all the newly-joined members to get onto their brooms and fly a few times round the pitch, so he could assess their strengths and weaknesses.

Her heart hammering fast, she took her place next to Severus and the gangly Slytherin third- year boy, called Mulciber, who had joined that week, too. On Ollerton's signal, they all kicked off and rose into the air.

Lily forgot her fears as soon as she was airborne. This was like riding a bicycle – she hadn't forgotten. She leaned forward, putting on some speed, the cool evening breeze lifting her hair. A dark shadow flew over her head and then in front of her.

It was Severus! He had overtaken her and was now glancing back at her, a satisfied smirk on his face. The hypocrite! He was enjoying every minute of it, after she had to try so hard to persuade him to join! Well, she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing!

She leaned further forward in the perfect aerodynamic position for maximum speed that she had learnt last year, and her broom shot forward. It was vibrating slightly, but she ignored it. She noted with glee that she was catching up on Severus, and at that moment he decided to look back to see where she was. That threw him slightly off balance, so that he slowed down, and she overtook him with a whoop.

It was then that it happened. She had looked back at Severus, intending to gloat, and was surprised to find him close on her tail. However, he was looking past her, and the look on his face was one of alarm.

'Lily, look out-!'

She looked back in time to see the third-year Slytherin, who had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, swerve in front of her. The tail of his broomstick caught hers and she was sent spinning sideways. She hadn't been expecting it, and fought desperately to regain control, but her broom had already been going at a speed it could ill-afford, and she thought with a sickening feeling that she would surely crash, when she felt someone grab her tightly around her arm. It was Severus. She felt as though her arm was being pulled out of its socket, but at least he had stopped her uncontrollable spin. The momentum had almost unseated him too, but he managed to hang on to his broom with one hand, whilst his other arm was linked to hers, steadying her until they reached the ground.

'Are you ok?' he said anxiously.

'I'm fine,' she mumbled, getting off her broom. 'What happened? Where did that idiot come from?'

'Apparently, he decided to join the race – he came up from beneath you and hit you.' He looked darkly at the third- year, who had now dismounted on the other side of the pitch where the other club members were looking on. 'Probably just to show off the new Nimbus 1001 he was bragging about yesterday'

'The idiot! I wasn't expecting him!' she shouldered her broom in disgust 'And I hope he hasn't got me kicked out of the club.'

'Why should you be? We were just supposed to fly round the pitch, remember? He wasn't supposed to kick you right out of the sky!'

'Well, yes, thanks about that, Sev.' she gave his arm a grateful squeeze, 'I'd be in the Hospital wing right now, if it weren't for you!'

' 'Twas nothing' he mumbled, shouldering his broom and following her 'I'll hex Mulciber into oblivion, if he tries that trick again!'

'But that's what they do in Quidditch, don't they? It's called Blatching, and its part of the game,' she said, reasonably.

'That's an _illegal_ part of the game. And we weren't playing Quidditch. He ... he just had better not … he'd better not do that again, anyway!'

Lily looked sideways at him. His eyes were dark, his face slightly flushed and he was scowling at the distant knot of students, in the middle of whom was Mulciber.

Lily realized with some surprise, that he was ready to defend her even against a fellow Slytherin. Sure, Mulciber had behaved like an idiot, but she didn't think it such a big deal – people got hurt all the time in Quidditch, didn't they? Being one of very few girls in the Flying Club, she had been determined not to make a fuss. However, Severus' words had given her an inexplicably warm feeling inside.

It must be how one felt when part of a Quidditch team – the camaraderie, the shared feelings; the sticking up for each other… But she knew she and Severus could never be on the same Quidditch team together- they were separated by their school houses. Perhaps it was just the fact that they were friends – best friends, and that is what best friends did.

She was still so inexplicably happy, that she found it difficult to wipe the smile off her face when they came up to Ollerton and the other club members. Severus still looked thunderous, and she was half-afraid he might carry out his threat and hex Mulciber. But they found that he was being given a good talking-to by the Flying club President, who also threatened him with expulsion from the club, if he tried any unauthorized attacks again.

'Good flying, Evans. You're a Chaser.' Ollerton said, as they approached. He turned to Severus and grinned. 'And that was a great save, Snape. I'll let you try as Keeper today.'

Then he divided them into two groups and Lily found she had been wrong to think she would never be in a Quidditch team with Severus, for that is what Ollerton proposed for the rest of the evening. It was not a proper Quidditch match – that was for the School house teams, but, given that they had the pitch to themselves, Ollerton thought it best to make the most of it.

There being so few people, the two teams were naturally made up of students from all the four houses within each team. Severus was with Lily in the first team, but so was, unfortunately, Mulciber.

He had not even apologised to Lily for knocking her off her broom, but he took to the sky and proceeded to try and interfere with whatever their temporary team Captain, a tall, fourth-year Raven claw, said.

'He's like that,' Severus explained, as Lily came to hover near the goalposts, their team Captain having stopped the game for the second time, to yell at Mulciber. 'He's always bossing everyone around – even in our common room. Always wants to get his own way with everything - someone ought to teach him a lesson!'

Ollerton, who was acting as referee, blew the whistle once more and the game started again.

It was nothing spectacular as Quidditch games go - most members were untrained, and a certain amount of cheating ensued at first, with team members from the same house favoring their own house members, but Lily was surprised to see even this dissipate, as the game progressed. In the excitement of playing (they had scored 2 goals each) she saw them forget their house differences and mesh together as a team intent on winning. She had managed to score a goal, and Severus had managed to save some, so overall, they were playing quite discreetly, considering she had a very old broom and Severus, as Keeper, should have been preferably six-foot tall.

Their team managed to score more goals and was winning, when Melchior Abbott spotted the snitch and dived for it before their own seeker had even noticed.

Lily smiled as she saw the members of the other team surround Melchior. Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and Slytherins, were all cheering the blond and freckled Hufflepuff boy as he held the snitch aloft ; shouting and whooping for all the world like it was a real game. She wondered whether they would regret this display of camaraderie between the different houses, when the adrenaline rush was over, and they were back at lessons, each house vying with each other for house points. It seemed to her that, at least for that brief moment, all she had heard about the war and people taking different sides was far-fetched and untrue.

At that moment Madam Hooch appeared, and it seemed they had almost overshot their curfew, because she berated Ollerton soundly for forgetting, and shooed them all off to the showers, telling them not to take long, or they would get detention.

They trouped inside the changing rooms near Madam Hooch's office and removed all the protective gear they had been allowed to borrow. Like the brooms, they had borrowed school protective gear which was ill-fitting, having been designed for older students. Severus's arm guards and Keeper's gloves were the only things that fitted well, for he was sporting a red welt caused by a Bludger hitting him over a too-large helmet, whose brim had bitten into his skin.

'I hope I'm not Keeper again next time' he said, unstrapping the leg guards that reached beyond his knees. 'because I'm not wearing that ruddy helmet again!'

'Ollerton said we may not play Quidditch next weekend. It's close to the first Quidditch match, and we won't stand 'alf a chance of using the pitch,' said Avery, who was placing his bat back on the rack.

'Probably we'll just practice over the lawns,' Lily said 'That should be fun, too.'

'Nah – Quidditch is better'n flying around doing nothin' special!' and Phil Avery headed towards the boy's showers at the back.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all heading back across the lawn towards the castle, with damp hair and shivering slightly in the cold, night air.

Argus Filch, the caretaker, was waiting for them at the main door. He was a thin, rather ugly man with what seemed a permanent, sour look on his face. This year he had procured himself a sandy-coloured kitten that accompanied him everywhere, and whom he had named Mrs Norris.

'Get along with ye,' he grumbled, 'It's already three minutes past curfew and if Madam Hooch hadn't insisted otherwise, I'd be haulin' ye all off to the Headmaster…. Proper punishment is what ye deserve!'

Lily scurried past him quickly, turned towards the grand staircase and mouthed a silent goodnight to Severus, who was heading towards the door that lead to the dungeon common-room followed by Avery and Mulciber.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Starting Secret Potions **

It was Saturday, and Severus was on his way to the dungeon hideout that he had made for himself. He had managed to pilfer some moonstone dust from potions the previous week, as well as some Gillyworm scales and a small portion of the hair off the tail of a unicorn.

The last had been difficult to get. It was very expensive, but Slughorn had shown them a long silver one, when he was enumerating its magical properties during last lesson, and then left it on his desk to go and rescue Wilkes at the back of the class, who had set his cauldron on fire for the second time that week. During the resulting commotion Severus got out the small silver knife he had inherited from his mother, and deftly cut a few inches off the long silver hair without anyone noticing.

He found the entrance to the tunnel-like passage that led to the dungeon hideout and stepped silently inside its dark interior. He was about to light his wand, when the ghost of the Bloody Baron suddenly floated right through the wall of the torch-lit passageway behind him, the cold aura and pearly light causing him to whirl round in alarm

He held his breath, but the pale ghost glided away towards the upper levels, the white blood spatters on his tunic shining more opaquely than usual, and the expression on his ghostly countenance setting the hairs at the back of Severus' neck prickling. The Bloody Baron got like that sometimes, and woe betide the student who crossed his path then, or worse still, passed through him, for the Slytherin ghost could somehow project some of the dread and despair that clouded his transparent eyes onto and into you, and for several minutes afterwards, you couldn't move for the heavy pall of impotent despair that descended upon you. And no-one dared ask the sinister ghost why he felt that way. Rumour had it that some years ago, a Hufflepuff girl, with a Hufflepuffs' usual nosy, do-good attitude, had tried to and the Bloody Baron had flown into a rage, locking her into a magical room in the Ravenclaw tower. She had emerged many hours later, white, shaking and unable to speak for days.

Severus watched the faint white glow of the transparent ghost fade away completely in the distance, but he decided to feel his way along the dank walls in the dark, rather than light his wand. Saturday morning was rather risky for wandering around the dungeons, or anywhere else – there were many students around in the corridors, besides the ghosts.

He wondered if the Bloody Baron, or any other ghost, had come across his hideout – after all, they could go right through solid walls. But if they did, they never said anything, though he had, on one occasion, he had met the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat friar, down one of the deeper passageways, who had looked at him rather knowingly.

He pushed open the door and went inside. The room smelt musty, but now his collection of herbs and potion ingredients was growing steadily, and so other smells were intermingling with those of candle wax and tallow. He lit the candles and went to store away his newly-acquired ingredients. He had enough now to try some of the potions in his Great-grandfather's book.

The spells in there had already proved useful last year, and, judging by the teachers' reactions last year, they were not well-known. Even if they were considered Dark magic, it seemed they were rather obscure. He wondered if Severus Prince had invented them himself, because he had not found these spells anywhere, not even in the books on Dark Arts the senior students used in the Library. True, he hadn't been able to get into the restricted section yet, but he felt fairly sure that the spells were original, or that Severus Prince had given more well- known spells a twist that was uniquely his.

Could it be that that is what he was such a well-known wizard? He wasn't sure how he felt about that – certainly the Dark Arts were not to everyone's liking, but still, to invent spells that are uniquely one's own – that was the mark of a powerful wizard or witch – those whose names went down in wizarding history, and whose portraits adorned many of Hogwarts' walls.

After all, he mused, as he got the Book on Dark Arts down from its hiding place, if it hadn't been for some of the spells in this book, Potter and Black would not have been as wary of him as they now were. Admittedly, they lost no opportunity in making him aware of how much they hated him, but at least they did it with _caution_ which, in his mind translated to something similar to respect. Not that made it any easier for him, for the two Gryffindors always made sure he couldn't retaliate when they ragged him.

Even his fellow Slytherins had been surprisingly impressed with his knowledge of those particular spells. There was a time in first year, when a day wouldn't go by without Wilkes asking him to teach him those spells. He had refused of course, and it was when he had finally threatened to hex him with those same spells, that Wilkes had desisted. And he had been careful since, not to let Potter, Black or anyone else to provoke him into revealing such spells in front of any member of the Hogwarts Staff.

He wondered if Severus Prince had given the same personal twist to the potions mentioned in his book. He had been toying with the idea of an Invisibility Potion – several of his close encounters with students and ghosts down in the dungeons – though in the upper levels - had convinced him of its necessity.

He knew about the existence of Invisibility Cloaks – they were rare and enormously expensive cloaks imbued with a Disillusionment charm. The effect wore off after a while, but perhaps his great-grandfather had improved upon the spell.

He turned the yellowed, brittle, pages carefully – it had been roughly bound, and some of the parchment pages stuck out, and were consequently frayed and torn; others at the back were stuck together, perhaps accidentally, during the rather amateurish binding of the book. This last section of the book he usually ignored – the magic spells on them were far too advanced for him right now.

Finally, he came upon a rough diagram of what looked like a cloak, and in his great-grandfathers small, cramped, handwriting was a caption that read – _In the need of Stealth, and Insinuate Introductions._

And under that was a list of ingredients and a description of the potion's effect:-

_When the cunning wizard is in need of stealth, then let him begat the potion ingredients written hereunder and brew them according to my instructions. Then shall he imbue the stuff of a cloak and hat with this potion forthwith, and he shall be more than invisible, for he shall take unto himself the essence of another wizard, one who has provided the last ingredient for this potion, that is, a drop of life's blood. _

_For this so no simple Disillusionment Charm, useful when stealth is required, but limited. _

_This potion will convince a witch or a wizard that one's true nature is that of another, enabling the clever witch or wizard to insinuate themselves effortlessly on those they wish to beguile. This potion will also deaden the sound of footsteps, and thus envelope the user with a silence deeper than that of the tomb. The effect of the potion will last for a half hour of the clock. _

Not very long, Severus mused, though in essence, very useful, because, as he further perused the small handwriting, it seemed the potion would revert back to a simple Invisibility Potion, when the half hour was up. There were even the alternate instructions of an invisibility potion at the bottom of the page.

But even the latter was a difficult potion to brew, without the added complication of finding a drop of somebody else's blood to throw into the concoction. He realized why most wizards used a charm to become invisible – it was easier and lasted longer.

He poured over the tiny handwriting, determined to at least try out the Stealth Potion. It would need time: some of the plant ingredients were not even in season…

He sighed. He really needed to go into the restricted library, as well as some of the other places which were off-limits for students, and he could think of no other safe way to do it. On the other hand, he could simply risk going in the old-fashioned way – under cover of darkness…

Having read that page several times over and made some notes of his own on what he needed, he hid the book back in its place and headed out of the dungeons.

It was when he arrived in the Entrance Hall that he noticed the storm. Deep in the bowels of the castle dungeons, absolute silence reigned, but up here he could hear the howling of a strong, northerly wind, and a flash of light lit up the Entrance Hall, followed by rumbling thunder. He had promised to meet Lily here for their next Flying Club meeting which was supposed to have been over the castle lawns, but he doubted if it would take place in this weather.

'Hi, Sev.'

He looked round and Lily was standing there looking at the sky out of the front doors, a glum expression on her face.

'I take it we're not going…'

'No, Ollerton has a cold. Melchior's just told me. He's been up at the Hospital wing for some Pepper-up Potion, and Madam Pomfrey forbade him to go out. I guess we can't go without him.'

'Did you seriously think of going out in a storm?'

'Why not? I love storms - it must be exciting….'

'And cold and wet. And if your broom gets struck by lightning…'

He looked at her incredulously. He knew exactly what being out in the cold and rain meant – he spent many wintry days looking for shelter from storms anywhere he could find, on those occasions when he did not want to return home. Here at Hogwarts he didn't need to do that, so he couldn't understand why Lily did. Perhaps it was just the thrill of a storm.

He watched her as she moved to the main door, looking wistfully out at the driving rain across the courtyard and lawns of the castle.

'I like storms, too,' he said, moving to stand next to her at the door. 'But they look better seen from _inside _the castle, rather than the other way around, believe me.'

A flash of lightening blinded them, followed by a loud clap of thunder that rumbled and rolled its way through the sky.

'Listen! Listen to that! Don't you feel it?' she clutched at him, her voice low with excitement.

'Feel what?' he replied, bemused.

'The power! The – the _sound_, that seems to go right through and around you! It's so exciting!' her eyes shone, the despondent look of a few moments gone, and he looked at her with a slight smile. It was amazing how Lily managed to see the most common-place of events as something special.

However, he knew what she was trying to tell him, though he still would not go out in this weather, if he could help it. He knew her enough by now to know she liked doing 'exciting things', or 'adventures', as she called them, and he thought she would not be averse to a little rule-breaking to make them more exciting still.

'I was really looking forward to flying this afternoon…' she said after a while, her voice heavy with disappointment once more.

'Come with me, and I'll show you something that'll make you forget the Club!' he said suddenly.

She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

'Where are you taking me?'

'You'll see. We have to go now, while everyone is at lunch. You said you wanted something to look forward to in weekends, didn't you?'

'And this will involve some rule-breaking, I take it?'

He started to regret telling her, but then he saw a twinkle in her eyes, and the corner of her mouth was twitching upwards.

'Not many rules… just the few you can handle, for now,' he grinned, delighting in the look on her face as she fired up in her own defense.

'Severus Snape, you take that back, or I'll – I'll –' she paused.

'Yes?' he said, one eyebrow arched.

'Nothing,' she said, deflating suddenly, 'Stop goading me! D'you want me to do something rash and lose points for Gryffindor? Well, I'm not falling for it,' she added with dignity.

'Something rash? You were the one who wanted to go flying in a raging thunderstorm, not me! As regards losing points, we'll both be breaking the same rules. D'you still want to come, or- or not…?' he ended, rather more harshly than he intended.

Lily looked at him for a moment. For a moment he was afraid she'd refuse. Then she nodded.

'But no more talk of me being some sort of Gryffindor saint, ok?'

'Gryffindor what?' he chuckled, in spite of himself.

'You know what I mean' she retorted, trying to look cross.

'Ok, Saints are out. Now come on, before lunch is over.'


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: The Underground Lake**

He led her through the door that led to the dungeons and down the steps beyond. Lily's curiosity was aroused and she followed him without a word. They had walked for about a quarter of an hour through the torch-lit passageways, going steadily downwards, until even the noise of the thunderstorm was deadened. They had not met anyone except a couple of sixth-year Slytherins coming out of one of the deserted dungeon classrooms, who looked at them curiously as they passed by. Everyone was still at lunch in the Great Hall.

'So, can you tell me now where we're going?' asked Lily.

The sound of their echoing footsteps was the only sound that broke the deep silence.

'I've discovered a way out of the castle, I think.'

'A way out? But from down here? We must be under the lake. It's impossible!'

'We're not under the lake any more, I think. Look - the ground's rising again.'

This was true, since, as they went round a particularly sharp bend, there were a couple of steps leading to an upward-sloping passageway. The torches here were not lit.

'_Lumos!_' said Severus, and the bluish-white light of his wand illuminated the passageway. Lily followed suit.

'I always imagined that such an old castle would have many secret passageways, but I would've thought they'd be sealed off…' she said.

'Perhaps they are, but where I'm taking you is not a secret passage. Leastways, we've been through it once, already.'

'What? Oh! Yes, of course! The night we first came to Hogwarts… it was an underground passageway from the lake! Is that where we're going?'

He turned briefly to look at her and nodded, grinning.

'But how come it's not sealed off? I'd imagine lots of people would sneak through it if everyone knows about it.'

'There's no need to seal it, because it's difficult to find.'

'But I don't remember it being such a long way from the castle, when we first came here.'

'That's because we had taken a straight route to the castle grounds, in front of the main door. _That_ entrance _is_ sealed. But we're taking a different way, from the old dungeons instead.'

'Seems an awfully long way. Spooky, down here too…'

He turned back to look at her, his pale face almost ghostly in the white light of the wands.

'You're not scared, are you?'

'Scared? Me? Of course not! I love adventures! You _do_ look like a ghost, though, Sev,' she giggled, regarding his white, thin face framed by long inky-black hair. 'A nice one, mind!'

He snorted, and turned back to the dark tunnel ahead of them. Lily said the most unexpected things sometimes. But it made him feel warm and happy inside, especially when he had her all to himself, like now…

'We should be there soon,' he said, as the passage leveled out.

'Have you been out of school this way before?'

'Not yet. I've come across it a few times last year, when I was looking for… I mean, when I was exploring. It's a tunnel that joins up with the main passageway that leads up to the school grounds. I recognized it.'

Suddenly the passageway narrowed, and started descending once more. It became almost tunnel-like. Even the walls seemed to be very roughly hewn from solid rock, and they noticed an increasing dampness, for the grey rock glistened with moisture in the wand light.

'Here we are.'

Severus, who was slightly ahead, emerged into a large, torch-lit passageway at a point were it twisted sharply to one side. Lily followed. She could see why no one had noticed the tunnel they had just come out of. It was in deep shadow behind an outcrop of rock that partially hid it from view.

'I wonder if anyone knows about that passage, Severus?'

'Probably not. It seems to have been dug after the main passageway was created. In fact, we have to be careful not to miss it on the way up…'

'Yes, I wouldn't want to go wandering around lost in this labyrinth forever. I don't know how you managed to find your way down here, Sev.'

'I had lots of time to explore last year. And I _did_ get lost a few times…'

Severus was not sure, but he thought Lily was looking at him with admiration. He felt that strange, warm feeling inside him again and found himself walking taller.

'It's just down this last slope,' he said. 'But I've never been further than this, except for the time we first came to Hogwarts…'

'Yes, you're right! I'm recognizing it now.'

They had put out their wands now, for at the end of the steeply inclining slope, a dim greenish light was filtering through. Suddenly, the passageway ended and they found themselves in a large cavern more than half of which was occupied by an underground lake. A narrow flight of rock-hewn steps led down to a pebbly shore. In the distance, a light was coming from the crevice through which they had once entered on enchanted boats.

They could see a sliver of the grey sky outside through the crevice, and the silence of the underground passageways had given way to the howling of a strong wind. The thunder had ceased, but rain was still coming down heavily.

'I wonder if the boats are still here.' said Lily, her footsteps crunching on the small pebbles, and her voice reverberating eerily around the cavern, as she set off towards the dark inner recesses of the cavern.

'Oh yes, look – they're here!'

Severus followed her voice and, sheltered behind some large boulders, they found about twenty small boats. Most had been pulled up on the pebbly shore, where the small waves of the lake water could not reach them. Some were stacked upside down, supported on special wooden staves. A couple were berthed near a small wooden jetty, tethered to it by ropes.

'Let's go for a ride!' said Lily.

She was already standing on the small jetty.

'Wh- What?'

'Come on, Sev. Help me get this boat loose!'

She was trying to loosen one of the floating boats from the rope that tied it to a wooden pole on the jetty.

'I don't think that's a good idea, Lily.' He felt rather nervous, suddenly.

'Don't worry; no-one will see us.' She had managed to untie the rope. 'We need oars now…'

'They're enchanted boats, they moved by themselves when we were in them…'

'Something tells me they're only enchanted when the first-years use them. This seems like a very ordinary boat to me, now. And I should know for I often go boating when we go to Scarborough in summer.'

Severus had a look around the beached boats and sure enough, resting against the wall in a recess in the cavern wall were several pairs of oars. He picked the two that seemed in best shape and handed them to Lily, who was already in the boat.

'Come on, jump in!' Lily said, as Severus hesitated.

Reluctantly he got in and sat down beside her.

'Let's go to the crevice' she said, handing him an oar, 'here – put the oar in the rowlock.'

'The – the what?'

'The rowlock – that thing there. Haven't you ever rowed a boat before?'

'No. Dunno how.'

Lily could see he was silently fuming as he put his oar in the rowlock – it seemed he didn't like to admit ignorance, even in small things. She smiled secretly. Well, it was her turn to be the teacher, for a change.

'It's easy, Sev,' she said, smiling encouragingly at him, 'Just do what I do.'

She cast off the rope and gave a slight push. The boat glided gently over the smooth water towards the middle of the water-filled cavern. Severus was looking intently at her hands on the oar. She lifted the wooden handle up, dipped her oar in the water and heaved it back. The boat slid in a tight clockwise circle.

'You, now,' she said.

He repeated her motion quite accurately, but pulled back too soon and too strongly, so that he was almost unseated when the oar came out of the water suddenly.

She laughed, which earned her a scowl, as he lifted the oar to try again. The boat drifted towards the middle of the water filled cavern. However, this time, Severus dipped the oar and pulled back more slowly.

'You see, you can do it!' smiled Lily, as the boat turned in a lazy, anticlockwise circle. 'It's easy. I thought you must know, living so close to the river…'

'I've seen people rowing back home, but I don't _own_ a boat, Lily.'

'Well, alright. But you've got the hang of it. Now you need to learn how to row together with me. Let's practice.'

Slowly they made their way across the width of the cavern. After a couple of laps Severus was rowing in easy synchronicity with Lily. He felt rather proud of himself – he hated appearing ignorant, especially in front of Lily, but rowing was easier than he'd expected.

'Let's go to the crevice and have a peek outside,' she was saying.

'No. Better not. We may be seen, and there may be storm waves or currents...'

'No one will be out in this weather, the crevice was hidden by hanging ivy, remember?'

'I've just learnt how to row a few minutes ago!' he mumbled, with a slight flush.

'You row as well as I do now, Severus. There's nothing more that I can teach you. Or is this rule that we're breaking more than _you_ can handle?'

At these words he turned to look at her, his colour rising even in the pale light of the cavern. He glared at her, his eyes darkening in anger, but she held his gaze defiantly. He had started this – painting her as some sort of prim and proper little schoolgirl. After all, she was a Gryffindor, wasn't she?

'Let's go.' he said in a quiet, but tight voice, and, never taking his eyes off hers, he gave a sweeping stroke with his oar that turned the prow of their boat towards the distant light of the crevice.

They made their way slowly across the still smooth water, but as they approached the cavern's mouth, Lily could hear the noise of the wind getting louder and she noticed a swell rising and falling. They rowed on in silence until they reached the opening – it was tunnel-like and narrow, a detail they had forgotten from when they had first passed through. Perhaps since it had been dark then, and the boats were driving themselves, they had not seen it well.

The swell was stronger in the narrow opening, and they were struggling to keep from hitting the wet alga-green walls of the cavern with the oars.

Lily was starting to regret coming to the cave mouth.

She stole a quick glance at Severus, but his face was set, and he looked as though he would row right across the entire lake, if needs be. She regretted having goaded him to come this far, especially since she had accused _him_ of doing the same thing that very afternoon, and she was starting to think that he may have been right about the currents.

As if to prove her words, their boat gave an upward heave, climbing up a particularly large swell of dark water and then, with a wobble that almost made Lily lose her seat, it slid down the back of the swell into a deep trough.

But their boat did not stop – their oars were slammed suddenly to the sides of the boat as they were sucked swiftly out towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Severus managed to grab an oar and tried to stop the movement of their boat, but all it did was raise an enormous amount of splashing water, and made the boat spin crazily.

'Sev, no, stop!' Lily shouted, trying to counter-thrust with her oar. 'You'll capsize the boat – we have to do it together!'

They managed to stop the spinning, but they could not stop the movement of their boat along the current. They were finally spewed out of the tunnel and through a thick curtain of hanging ivy and dangling roots, onto the lake outside. Severus had tried to grab the dangling plants as they passed through, but having stood up suddenly, he made the boat wobble so much that Lily almost fell into the water. He was left with only a handful of leaves in his hand.

They were on the lake now and in a few seconds more, they were drenched to the skin in the driving rain.

'Sev, the current's not so strong here,' Lily shouted over the howling of the wind. 'We can try and row back. Help me.'

They tried rowing hard for a few moments, but made little progress. Severus paused for a minute, stood up, and wiped his hair from his face, trying to get their bearings. They were still behind the outcrop of rock that hid the cavern mouth from view.

'Don't worry,' he shouted 'I think from this position no-one can see us, anyway!'

'Severus Snape! D'you think that for one minute I care about who sees us? All I want is to get back inside – or haven't you noticed that now it's the wind that's pushing us further out, and not the cur- AAAHH!'

Lily shrieked suddenly, - a huge slimy tentacle, as thick as a boa constrictor, had fallen across her lap, half-coiling around her. Severus, horrified, moved towards her, intending to try and prise it loose, but, forgetting where he was, he made the boat list dangerously to one side. He almost fell head-first into the water, beneath the surface of which he could see the huge, pale, elongated body of the owner of the tentacle.

'Get it off me! Get it off me!'

Lily was still scrabbling frantically at the huge, wet and slimy tentacle across her lap. Severus, who had stepped back and regained his balance, whipped out his wand and pushed his sodden hair from his eyes. He didn't want to hurt Lily, but the thing around her was groping her, as if trying to determine what it had caught. If he didn't act fast, perhaps she would be pulled under!

He waved his wand in a tight circular pattern, feeling the warmth of magic passing through his arm and out of the tip of his wand in a blinding, concentrated, light that condensed into a blue flame. As soon as it touched the glistening surface of the tentacle, it uncoiled from around Lily's waist, and disappeared below the surface of the lake.

For a brief second, they looked at each other in relief, but then, with a splashing noise, five more tentacles emerged from the lake, entwined themselves completely around their boat, and before they knew it, they were hurtling back towards the mouth of the cavern so fast that Severus, who had been standing up, lost his balance and fell over back wards, into the several inches of rainwater at the bottom of their boat.

Lily reached down to help him up, as, with a final push, they were propelled towards the cave entrance. Then all the tentacles disappeared beneath the surface once more.

'Lily, look out! Above your head! Grab something!'

She turned round at his shout. They were passing through the mouth of the cavern where the overhanging plants hid the opening from view. They were already slowing down, and she knew what Severus meant. If they didn't anchor themselves somehow, they would be thrown out again on the prevailing current. As their boat passed slowly under the overhanging plants, they both managed to grab some strong roots and ivy branches. Not a minute too soon, for they could feel the current taking hold and pushing them out again.

They stared helplessly at each other for a minute, then-

'I know what we can do' Lily said. 'D'you think you can hold us for a moment?'

'Er, Yes - Why?'

'I think I can make a rope with this root and tie it to the one from the boat. Then we can use a levitating charm to throw the rope over that overhanging rock up there. We can pull ourselves along to pass this bit. What d'you think?'

She looked at him anxiously, water dripping down her face and hair from the plants above.

'Should work,' he grunted, panting with the effort of holding onto the roots, as she let go and used her wand to cut some pliable branches into short lengths.

'I'm going to use a Sticking Charm to weave it into a rope.' She said 'but I never tried this - I hope it works.'

Severus didn't answer – he was hanging on desperately to the long, dangling roots, looking anxiously upwards as particles of soil started showering down on top of him and into the water. It seemed they were coming apart. He looked round as a glow from Lily's wand wrapped itself momentarily around the newly woven rope and it started to levitate upwards towards the dark roof of the tunnel, like some weird snake. Lily's wand was still pointing at it as it wove its way through the dark and found the jutting outcrop of rock. It wrapped itself several times around it, and then dangled freely.

Lily started to pull on the rope, but what little progress she made during the ebb of the current, was lost again during the flow.

'Hang on – I'll help you!' And Severus let go of the vine-like trailing plants and lunged for the rope.

Together they pulled hard until they were beneath the rocky outcrop, midway through the tunnel-like opening of the cavern's mouth. Here the current was not so strong, and they decided to try and row the rest of the way back. Luckily, the oars were still on the boat, so Lily used a Severing Charm to cut the rope, and they rowed back to the cool darkness inside the cavern.

The relative silence in there rang strangely in their ears, after the noise of the raging storm outside. It was broken only by the sound of their oars as they dipped in and out of the water, and the dripping of many tiny rivulets of water that had formed down the cavern walls from the sodden grounds above.

They did not stop rowing until they reached the pebbly shore and the boat crunched up the beach. Lily jumped out.

'Well, that was some boat ride!' Severus said sarcastically, as he attempted to upturn the water-filled boat. 'I hope it fulfilled all your expectations, Lily, because I'm not going back there in a hurry –'

She didn't answer, and he gave up his attempts on the boat, and looked up the beach to where she was standing. To his dismay he saw she was shivering uncontrollably, her head bent, wet, dark coppery strands of hair covering most of her face and tears coming down her face. He knew they were tears, not water drops because she sniffled, trying hard not to sob.

'Lily – I – I didn't mean…' he said awkwardly, aghast at having upset her.

'It's all my fault!' she moaned, 'I almost got us both killed and …'

She stifled a sob and turned away from him, uselessly trying to wipe her tears on her sodden sleeve.

He stood for a minute looking at her shivering body, desperately wanting to do something, _anything_, to make her feel better. He fought a strong urge to go to her and put his arms around her. He went up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to turn her round to look at him.

'It's not your fault, Lily' he said, awkwardly. He could feel her shoulders trembling under his touch. 'I said let's go, remember? I – I should've known better-'

'You _did_. You _told_ me. And you saved me from that monster! Oh, Sev, I'm so sorry…'

And with that she turned round and hugged him. His arms automatically came up around her but she let go again almost immediately, before he had even realized what she'd done.

'Well, you – you saved both of us with that rope charm,' he managed to mutter.

'Thanks for trying to make me feel better,' she replied, her face almost as red as her hair even in the dim light. She was looking at her feet.

Severus, whose face had been drained of all colour in the few seconds he had held her trembling in his arms, now felt as though he was on fire. A strange warm sensation filled him, so that he was not aware that he was wet, or cold - all he knew was that Lily had hugged him, and he forgot everything else. He knew that his face was now as red as it had previously been white.

'That's Ok. But really, I enjoyed every minute of it,' he said, and he knew that he meant it. He would row right across the lake again, if this was the reward.

Lily gave him a watery smile. He was glad to see that she had stopped crying.

'I thought you wouldn't even want to speak to me after that disaster!'

'Never that, Lily. But perhaps we'll choose better weather next time, ok?'

She grinned. 'Next time?'

'Of course. Didn't you notice when we were out there, that that outcrop of rock…'

'No, I was too busy trying to disentangle myself from that sea monster. It felt like a dead body, cold and slimy…' she shuddered.

'Here, sit down, you're still shivering …' and Severus conjured up a bright blue fire onto a depression on one of the rocks and led her to it. 'You should get dry.'

He returned to the boat, removing the oars and coiling the rope.

'You know, I think that was the Giant Squid.' he said, as he worked. 'I think it was trying to save us when it pushed us back in.'

'Perhaps you're right, but I thought it wanted to pull me under. I hope we don't meet up with it again, anyway.'

'So you'll come again?' he knew he sounded hopeful, but he wasn't sure she'd want a repeat, since the trip had upset her so much.

'Of course. I'm a Gryffindor, remember? No sea monster or silly squid is going to scare me away. I – I was upset because I thought …' she paused and took a deep breath. 'Anyway, what were you going to say about the rock you saw?'

'There's an outcrop of rock that hides boats from view as soon as you come out. If you keep to the shore for some time you will not be noticed, and then there seems to be a point where the other shore is quite close. I think that we could make it across the lake if we wanted to, quite easily. If you want to visit the Forbidden Forest perhaps…'

He looked at her, to see what effect his words would have. As he guessed, Lily's eyes grew bright at the mention of the Forest, and there was excitement in her voice as she said:

'You think so?'

He nodded, turning back to the boat and trying to upend it once more. He didn't know if a Levitating Charm would work on something this big.

'Next time it's nice weather, then…'

'Don't you want to go to the Flying Club?' he panted. The waterlogged boat was very heavy.

'This is far more exciting. Here, let me help with that.'

And she got up from near the fire and ran to help him. Together they managed to flip the boat over, so that the water sloshed out. Much lighter now, Severus turned it over once more, pushed it out onto the water and Lily tethered it once more to the little jetty.

'Come over to the fire, now, Sev. You look like a drowned rat. We'd better get reasonably dry, or everyone'll wonder where we've been.'

They huddled around the fire in comfortable silence, warmed by the fire and an unspoken something they felt in each other's presence. Perhaps the fact that they had faced and overcome danger together, or perhaps the conspiratorial confidence of successfully breaking the rules, or something else altogether, but a further bond seemed to tie them together that afternoon. After a while, Lily started planning their next adventure to the Forbidden Forest, a topic that always excited her. Severus listened on, mostly, reveling in the joy of their friendship.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Alliances**

For the next few weeks the weather remained unstable: thunderstorms were interspersed with very few days of relative calm, and these never on a weekend, but Lily insisted on going to the Flying Club a few times, since they did not want to risk the boats again.

One blustery Saturday afternoon, close to Hollowe'en, they were returning to the castle after a couple of hours trying to fly in a stiff, cold wind. Ollerton had been chosen to replace a Chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, so this was his last time as President of the Club. In view of his upcoming training, he had them all practicing at catching the Quaffle interminably.

The pitch was occupied by the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so they practiced at the bottom of the castle lawns, close to the Gamekeeper's pumpkin patch. This area had been turned to a quagmire by the previous day's rain, and after a many crash-landings, trying to catch a Quaffle that was frequently blown off-course in the driving wind, all the club members were covered in mud, and cold and wet.

Quidditch matches were played whatever the weather, and in the spirit of his new position on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, it was dark when finally Ollerton called it a day, and that only because of mutinous muttering from a few of the members that this was a Flying Club, not a Quidditch World Championship team.

Severus and Lily arrived at the great oaken doors and found the Entrance Hall deserted, for everyone was at supper.

'We'd better hurry before Filch comes, or he'll have a fit if we leave footprints in the Hall.' Lily looked ruefully behind them at the two sets of footprints coming up the castle steps. Her hair was windswept, she had a smudge of mud on her nose, and her hands were caked in it.

'We're not the only ones. Mulciber, Avery and the others are coming too. It's not our fault that we cannot use the Quidditch Pitch changing rooms.'

Severus' hair was plastered to his face with mud, and his clothes heavy with a covering of dark, peat-like soil. During one spectacular, low dive to catch the Quaffle, he ended up driving a deep groove in the soft soil of the pumpkin patch, before he could regain altitude. Despite Ollerton's praise, he refused to do it again.

'It will be a long time before we can use the Pitch, now.' Lily said as they prepared to sneak inside. 'The next Quidditch match is in a few days' time, so I doubt if-'

'Why, Snivellus!' said a voice behind them. 'Has someone rubbed your face in the mud? Who was it? I want to congratulate them.'

James Potter and Sirius Black had just come up behind them, both looking very windswept and shouldering their brooms. Bringing up the rear was Peter Pettigrew, warmly wrapped in a cloak, his pet rat on his shoulders.

Lily put her hands on her hips, and looked angrily at them.

'For your information, Sirius Black, we've been practicing Quidditch down by the lawns!'

'Practicing Quidditch, Evans?' said Potter, with a sneer. 'Oh, I see – you're in the _Flying Club_!' He gave a loud guffaw. 'You call riding some old Shooting Star practicing Quidditch?'

'Yeah, you should leave that to the pros, Snivellus,' smirked Black, leaning an arm on Potter's shoulder. 'James here, has been chosen as reserve Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. _We _practice on the _Pitch._'

'_You_, Black, practice nowhere, because you're not on the team,' Severus retorted angrily, 'and _you_, Potter, are on _reserve,_ because your broom far outstrips your brain, both in Quidditch and in any other subject you care to mention!'

Sirius Black took his hand off Potter's shoulder and Potter's smug look disappeared from his face.

'You better watch your mouth when you talk to your betters, Snivellus,' Potter said, his eyes narrowing angrily, 'or you'll find yourself permanently embedded in that field of filthy mud you've just come from!'

'Perhaps he likes it there, James – reminds him of home, see?' Sirius' gray eyes glittered maliciously.

Lily, who had seen Severus's hand inch towards his pocket, was about to give a heated retort, when a high-pitched mewling sound at their feet startled them. The pale, yellow eyes of Filch's sandy-grey kitten looked up at them. The mewling grew in volume as the kitten bent its head, sniffing at the puddle of mud by the door of the Entrance Hall. Then they suddenly heard Filch's shuffling footsteps.

'Come on, Sev,' Lily pulled him by the cuff of his sleeve as, with one last dirty look at each other, all five students took off in different directions. The last to leave was little Pettigrew, who had not said a word, but watched the scene with interest. He did not leave any muddy footprints, but clutched his rat tightly in his hand, for the sight of the kitten had upset it.

Lily followed Severus in silence through the door that led to the dungeons and to the Slytherin common room. She could tell he was furious, his hands were balled into fists, and his face pale under the streaks of mud, in sharp contrast to his eyes, that appeared even darker than usual.

'They – they shouldn't have said that…' she started tentatively, almost running to keep up with him.

He said nothing, but strode on.

'Look, Severus, I -'

'Don't you have to go to Gryffindor Common room, or something?' he snapped, finally.

'There's no need to be like that!' she answered huffily, 'Potter and Black were being prats as usual! If it's true he's been chosen as reserve I don't want to go back to our common-room just now. They'll be celebrating, and it'll be sickening…Listen, if you had a good broom, I'm sure -!'

'I'm not interested!'

'But if you -' she stopped as the heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

Lucius Malfoy came into view. He slowed down to let them pass, and Lily thought for a moment that he was going to speak to them, as he took in their bedraggled appearance, but with a curt nod at Severus, who barely acknowledged him, he turned round and proceeded up the passageway.

Before he disappeared in a swirl of his black cloak, white-blonde hair gleaming in the dark, Lily saw him throw her a look of deep disdain.

She hurried after Severus, but he had stopped at a recessed door. It was the boy's bathroom.

'Listen, Lily,' he said, taking a deep breath. He was speaking calmly, but she was not fooled. 'I'll see you tomorrow, at the Library, if – if you want. I've got to wash this muck off, now.'

Lily had to admit defeat, for she could not follow him into the boy's bathroom.

She turned to go with a frustrated sigh. Now thanks to those idiots, Potter and Black, she would have a job to persuade Severus to go flying again tomorrow. Why did they have to run into them and their stupid Nimbus 1000s? And what did she do to make Lucius Malfoy glare at her like that? Last time she had spoken to him was in Knockturn Alley, and though he seemed a bit stuck up, he had, after all, intervened just in time to save them from that Madeira witch. She reached the Grand staircase in the upper levels and made her way straight to the Girl's bathroom, eager to wash off the caked mud.

IIIIIIIIIIII

That evening, Severus made his way to the Slytherin Common Room, hoping to find a place next to the fireplace, but he found the best seats occupied by a group of fifth- and sixth-years. Lucius Malfoy's pale head looked up as he came in.

Severus's foul mood had diminished somewhat, and now he shivered in the cold chill of the underground common room, deliberating what to do. Mulciber was losing a game of wizard chess to Avery in one of the alcoves, and for a moment he thought of joining them, attracted by seeing Mulciber, who was a sore loser, being taken down a peg or two. But his clothes were drenched by his dripping hair, since he hadn't bothered to dry it, and the dark, cold alcove was not appealing.

At that moment he noticed Lucius beckoning him.

'Come here and sit by the fire,' he said, pointing to a chair that had just been vacated by a tall, slender girl.

He complied, stretching his hands towards the warm glow of the fire. He felt Lucius's eyes on him, appraising him for he knew not what.

'I see you've washed off the … er … _mud_ that was… um … bothering you.' he drawled, taking in his slick, wet hair and drenched shirt.

There was a small tittering noise from some of those present. Severus's head snapped up.

' 'Twasn't the mud that was bothering me!'

'Of course not, of course not.' Lucius said, placatingly, as some of the tittering changed into outright laughter. 'We know.'

Severus turned back to the fire, scowling. He didn't feel like arguing with them now. After a while they ignored him, and continued their conversation, which he only half-listened to, for the warmth was making him drowsy, but he dimly realized they were talking about someone related to the Black brothers.

He had almost fallen asleep against the carved wings of his chair when an inner alarm roused him, and he realised that most of the students had gone or moved off. Only Lucius remained, lounging in the chair next to his, and he was staring at him fixedly. He remembered that barely a few months ago, it was Lucius who had saved them from the clutches of the witch with the scarred face in Knockturn Alley.

'Lucius, last summer, when we met in Knockturn Alley,' he said, after an awkward pause. 'you said something about Legilimency…that I should know -'

'That you should know what Legilimency is. Yes, of course.'

'But there's nothing much in the Library…'

Lucius made a disparaging noise. 'The Library? For something like that? I told you it's a very obscure branch of magic. You won't find anything there. Besides, it can't be learnt from a book, it requires a tutor, and, they say, a natural affinity'

Lucius paused, then sat up straight, and looked him straight in the eye.

'I thought that you should know, because your Great-grandfather, Severus Prince, was the greatest Legilimens of his time. His skill was impressive and much admired by the most important wizarding families. My father knew him, and always spoke highly of him.'

Severus listened with an increasing sense of pleasure at hearing the admiration in Lucius' voice as he spoke about his mysterious relative.

'He died before I was born,' Severus volunteered.

'Yes. A very unfortunate circumstance.'

'He might've taught me Legilimency, perhaps.'

'Perhaps. But since then, there has been only one wizard that rivals, if not surpasses, your Great-grandfather's skills.'

'And who's that?'

Lucius did not answer immediately.

'You are too young. You have to prove yourself worthy to be introduced to such a great wizard. Perhaps someday, but for now you must find yourself another tutor, if you're interested. Has none other of your family inherited that particular skill, then?'

Severus shrugged and looked away. He did not want to discuss a family that was lost to him. Lucius seemed to be thinking along those lines for he leaned forward, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

'Severus, I'm aware of the particular circumstances of your mother's youthful mistake,' he said in a low voice 'But the Prince blood is strong in you, _very _strong. And you will redeem that mistake. I've heard that you know curses that not even the teachers know. Is it true you've cursed some Gryffindors with the Apnea curse?'

Severus, who wasn't sure how he felt about Lucius referring to his father as a 'mistake', nodded. Lucius grinned and the hand that still held his shoulder gave it a playful slap.

'Good lad. See what I mean? I'll be keeping a bit of an eye on you this year, for I'm sure that you are going to be very useful and – and even important, perhaps. The main thing is to be careful and work hard to ensure that your Great-grandfather would be proud that you're representing the Prince bloodline once more at Hogwarts.'

Severus was about to ask him if he knew why his Great-grandfather had seemingly disappeared from Hogwarts during his fourth year, when he noticed they were being watched.

The tall, slender girl he had seen earlier was leaning in the shadows at the edge of the mantelpiece, her delicate alabaster hands crossed over the white marble skulls that supported the frame of the mantelpiece. Lucius followed his gaze and saw her standing there.

'Narcissa?' he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. 'Care to join us? I was just talking to young Severus here, about the importance of bloodlines…'

The girl called Narcissa did not move from her position. She was so pale, with white-blonde hair that reached down to her waist, that Severus doubted whether even the red glow of the firelight could warm that whiteness.

'I saw you with that red-headed Gryffindor tonight. Is that why you were angry?' she asked. Her voice had a calm, cold imperturbable quality, like smooth glass.

'About that, yes. I want to talk to you about the company you keep, Severus,' Lucius interrupted, 'Not only tonight, but I found out since I saw you last summer, that those girls are Muggleborns – not at all worthy of your attention...'

'Lily's my friend!' Severus said vehemently, sitting up. Why did this conversation have to take such an unpleasant twist? Was that the reason Lucius had tried to talk to him? He was not going to be taken in – no-one touched Lily, not even Malfoy!

There was a soft rustling sound, and Narcissa was sitting in front of him, on a low stool. The firelight finally touched her hair like the red sunset on snow. She shook her head.

'No, No. No-one is asking you to give up your friends, Severus. I think such loyalty is admirable, don't you, Lucius?'

'I – what?' Lucius was distinctly uncomfortable now, and his face was suffused with a red colour that had nothing to do with the firelight.

'Loyalty is an admirable trait, Lucius,' she repeated, 'It should be encouraged. I would never dream of telling you to give up your friends, Severus, even though they are Muggleborn.'

She paused. Lucius was looking at her incredulously.

'I just want you to remember, Severus, that the best friendships are the ones that last, and here in Slytherin we are ready to support you. Slytherins always stand by their own kind. And you should know that some differences are just too great, too irreconcilable, and no friendship can withstand…'

'Some can!' he muttered defiantly.

She said nothing for a while then:

'Tell me, how long have you known this girl, then?'

'She's from my home town. Knew her before I came to Hogwarts.'

'I see. I can understand why you're friends, now. You must have been disappointed she was not sorted into Slytherin.'

Severus looked at her. She seemed to understand a lot of things. She also seemed genuinely interested, but there was something cold, almost indifferent, in her voice which he did not trust.

'But it would have been very difficult for her to be sorted into Slytherin, Severus, – it's one of the irreconcilable differences, and you know it,' she continued. 'You have been privileged to enter, and I am sure you will prove yourself worthy of it. Even in first year, you had already made yourself a reputation many of us are envious of – and I'm in fifth year!'

Her pale eyes looked up at his searchingly. He started to feel uncomfortable. Her words were soothing, but he knew there was a catch in it.

'As I said, far be it for me to advise you to drop your friendships, but once the differences become insurmountable, then do not expect the Gryffindor spirit to condone or forgive. If your friend ever shows signs of refusing to acknowledge what you do, is disgusted by the dark arts…' Severus squirmed uncomfortably, '…or your connections to this House, I want you to remember that here in Slytherin you will always find those who'll help and support you, no matter what. Slytherins stand by each other.' She paused, letting her words sink in. Severus gazed down at her face mutely.

'Whatever anyone says, Severus, blood is thicker than water, - at least wizarding blood is, and this is where you belong. Just think about it, ok?' and with a pat on his knee she rose to leave.

Severus mumbled 'Goodnight', his troubled eyes following her as she made her way across the common-room towards the door to the girl's dormitories. Lucius, who had remained uncharacteristically silent, also followed her swaying, slender figure as she disappeared through the curtained door.

Severus remained seated, even after Lucius left a short time later. He felt uneasy somehow, and wished Narcissa hadn't spoken to him at all. He knew Lily didn't care about bloodlines and such stuff, and she would never jeopardize their friendship over petty house differences, but a small voice inside him said that, after all, he had been purposely hiding from her the fact that he was still using the book on Dark Arts, and had lied when she had once asked him where he got his spells from. He hadn't even told her about his secret hideout for he had a niggling doubt as to how much Lily would approve of some of the spells he was now working on in there.

The common-room was empty now and the glowing embers of the dying fire were reflected in his dark eyes as he gazed, unseeing, at the fireplace. Perhaps he should tell her…then again, what if she'd hate him for it…?

With a growl of frustration he got up and headed towards the door to the dorms. He couldn't think what to do – Narcissa's words kept coming back to him_:"If your friend ever shows signs of refusing to acknowledge what you do; is disgusted by the dark arts, or your connections to this House, I want you to remember that here in Slytherin you will always find those who'll help and support you, no matter what'._

IIIIIIIIIIII

The next morning, Lily went down to the Library with some trepidation. It was Sunday and there wouldn't be many people. She hoped to persuade Severus to go flying again today, since it was a mild autumn day and she had got up early on purpose.

To her surprise, as she walked past a row of bookshelves into a wide area containing a long Library table under a large mullioned window, she saw a lone boy sitting down on the bench surrounded by many open books. Severus had managed to beat her to the Library.

The early morning sun shone through the huge window, illuminating the books and touching in red the soft, dark hair that fell around the boy's thin face. Lily smiled and walked over.

'Good morning!' she said brightly, as she slid in beside him.

Severus had looked up when he heard her steps. His hair had been covering his face before, but now she noticed that he looked very tired, and had dark circles round his eyes.

'Goodness, Sev – you look terrible!'

He scowled. 'What? Washed the mud off, didn't I?'

Lily giggled. 'No, not that. I can see you did anyway: there isn't any trace of mud in your hair, and it's quite nice and shiny, actually'

He reddened slightly.

'I couldn't get rid of _my_ mud so easily, though,' she continued 'I tried a new Cleansing Charm to get rid of the dirt under my fingernails. It worked alright on my left hand, but when I held the wand with my left hand to do my right…well … look!'

She held up her right hand ruefully. The fingernails on her right hand had disappeared. She saw the corners of Severus' mouth twitch, as though trying not to laugh. Encouraged, she went on, hoping to get him in a good enough mood to ask him to go to the Flying Club.

'That should teach me to use a good old-fashioned muggle finger brush instead of experimental charms! Talking of mud, d'you know my sister used to paint her face with it last summer?'

'What'd she want to do that for?'

'It's supposed to make you beautiful!'

Severus made a derisive noise.

'I know. I was in hysterics every time she plastered herself in it, which is why she locked herself in her room afterwards. Anyway, seriously, Sev, I meant you look terrible because you look tired. Have you been in here all night, or what?'

'No. Just couldn't sleep.'

'Don't tell me you've been brooding about what those idiots Potter and Black said last night, because they're not worth it!'

She saw his eyes darken immediately at the mention of those two.

'Potter and Black mean nothing to me! They can go and stuff their bloody Nimbus 1000 up their –!'

'No talking in the Library!'

Madam Pince had come up suddenly from behind the shelves. Lily wondered whether the woman actually lived amongst the bookshelves. Somehow, being a Sunday, she hadn't expected her to be patrolling the library.

They stared down at their books in silence until Madam Pince finally moved off. Lily knew Severus was still fuming, and had probably remained awake all night because of what those two had said. But she didn't mind not having the latest model of broomstick: for her, the sheer joy and freedom of going for a ride was more than enough. And she knew Severus would be alright too, once she got his mind off Potter and Black. It had been a mistake to mention them. She returned to the attack, saying in a low whisper:

'You know, today's a nice day and-'

'No, I'm not coming flying.' His eyes had not moved from the book in front of him.

'I haven't said anything about flying.'

'But you were going to.'

'Well, yes. It's such a nice day…' She could not keep the disappointment from her voice.

Severus looked up at her. She was glad to see he didn't seem angry any more.

'I've got another idea…' he told her quietly.

'What? Go down to the Lake again? Through the dungeons, I mean?'

She wouldn't mind, but she did hope that the Giant Squid wouldn't be around. She couldn't forget the feeling of that huge, cold, slimy tentacle around her.

'No. Somewhere else,' he whispered.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Dumbledore and the Nun's Portrait**

'So, where are we going?' Lily said.

She had followed Severus out of library, through several short cuts through deserted corridors, and up several flights of steps. She was very curious, since the places Severus usually took her to were always intriguing, and this had the feeling of another adventure.

'Seventh Floor.'

'I know that, Gryffindor common-room is up there and I recognize the way we're going, but where exactly-?'

'Shh!'

The sound of cackling laughter drifted down the last staircase they had been heading for. They hid behind the corner of the corridor that led to the staircase and waited until Peeves slid down the banisters and disappeared from view in the opposite direction.

'D'you remember our first day at Hogwarts, when Peeves chased us on our way to the Library?' Severus said as they made their way upstairs.

He spoke eagerly, and seemed to have shaken off the tiredness of a few moments before.

Lily nodded. 'When we got lost and ended up in front of that moving Gargoyle?'

'Yeah. Well, last Christmas, when I was exploring the Castle, I thought it'd be interesting to see if there was a way past the Gargoyle, to the tower beyond. I couldn't get past that thing, though…'

'It had said you needed a password.'

'I did try a few random words, but of course, none worked…'

'I guess Dumbledore has to give you the password.'

'I know, Lily, but I was hoping to get it to speak, at least.'

'What for?'

'Oh, you know, information,' he said vaguely. 'But I gave up after it started to look annoyed.'

'A giant stone Gargoyle? _Annoyed?_ What did you do?' she asked, incredulously.

'Well, I thought it prudent to leave, but that's not important now.'

Lily gave him a half-amused, half-exasperated look.

'As I was going back, along the seventh floor corridor,' he continued, 'the one with the tapestry, I noticed something…'

'The tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy?'

'The one with ridiculous trolls, yes. We were chased down that corridor, remember? And we hid in a broom cupboard.'

Lily nodded, wondering what new adventure awaited her.

'Well, that's where we're going – to find that broom cupboard!'

'What?' Lily felt all the excitement drain out of her. 'What's so interesting about searching for a broom cupboard? There's a big one in the Entrance Hall, if you want!'

'I don't think it's an ordinary Broom cupboard, because you see, that day, as I was going back, I looked for it - but it was gone!'

He saw that his words did not have the impact he expected, as Lily kept gazing at him blankly.

'So?' she said, shrugging. 'Many doors disappear here at Hogwarts. They're bewitched.'

'No, they don't disappear. They're charmed to take on the appearance of the wall around them, or the walls or paneling is bewitched to look just like a door, but a simple Door Revealing Spell, you know 'A_pris portos',_ would show them up, easily. I've even found some doors in the dungeon that change position. But this one is different…'

'How, different?'

'The Revealing Spell does not work. So it's hidden by more powerful magic. There must be a reason why it's so well-enchanted. Perhaps it's hiding something…'

'A Broom-cupboard? What could it be hiding? Mops and brooms?' said Lily derisively. She was still feeling a bit disappointed.

'Perhaps it's a secret passage disguised as a broom cupboard, just in case someone _does_ manage to go in. Anyway, here we are.'

They were in a long corridor with a stretch of blank wall on one side and a large tapestry of trolls in ridiculous costumes on the other. Lily remembered pelting down this corridor with Peeves on their heels on their first day at Hogwarts. She had passed here a few times since, but she had not noticed the door had disappeared.

'It was somewhere here,' she murmured, running her hands along the rough, grey stone of the wall. She took out her wand and tapped it, muttering the revealing spell, but nothing happened.

'I told you, I'd already tried that last year.' Severus said walking slowly along the wall and examining it minutely. 'I think perhaps it is another spell, or else there must be a clue as to where it disappears to …' he walked the length of the wall, stopping at one end where a huge vase decorated with dragons stood in a niche. He tried to peer inside it, and managed with difficulty, but there were only a few large spiders inside that scuttled out on being disturbed. Lily came over and they examined the base, feeling around the wide, cool, roundness of the porcelain, but once more, all they got for their trouble was a handful of cobwebs.

They straightened up, dusting their hands.

'Let's try the window on the other side.' Severus said 'Perhaps we'll find something there.'

'Have you lost something, Mr. Snape?'

A voice behind them made them jump.

It was Professor Dumbledore. He had just come round the corner and now stood looking at them over his half-moon spectacles, his hands at his belt, into which his long white beard was tucked.

Lily was thinking frantically if they had broken any rules by being there, but Severus was answering.

'No, Headmaster, not exactly.'

Lily wondered how he could speak so calmly. Had Professor Dumbledore been looking at them long? What were they going to tell him? Would he be angry if he found out they were nosing about, looking for hidden rooms? Then Dumbledore turned to look at her, and she saw a twinkle in his eyes. She breathed easier.

'Well, then, Mr. Snape' he said, looking back at Severus, 'I will not inquire further into what you may have 'not exactly' lost. You see,' he continued with a smile, 'In my experience, sometimes students come up with wondrously complicated explanations when posed with such simple questions.'

Lily saw Severus redden slightly, but he still looked up unflinchingly at Dumbledore. The headmaster looked at her next.

'And who have we here? A young Gryffindor, if I recall correctly.'

'Yes sir. Lily Evans, sir.'

'Ah, yes. Now I remember,' he smiled benignly at her. 'You are Muggle-born. I had to write a letter to your sister. I'm afraid it may have disappointed her...'

'Well, Petunia is quite happy in her own school, sir. I don't think she would have been comfortable here.'

'I see you are aware of the nature of her request.'

Lily nodded, reddening, and looked down.

They stood, rather awkwardly, in front of their Headmaster, while he continued to look at them in silence for some time, quite unabashed. On the contrary, he seemed pleased at what he saw.

'Well, Mr. Snape, Miss Evans, I have been keeping an eye on you for some time, and I must say, I am rather pleased to see that some students have taken my words on house unity to heart! A Gryffindor and a Slytherin! It is quite surprising, yes.'

He beamed at them.

'I – I knew Severus before I came to Hogwarts, Sir.'

'Did you, now? Well, you're both from Castleforth, are you not?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'I must leave you to continue your …um… search. Do enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and Miss Evans, keep up your good work and make sure your young Slytherin friend here gets some fresh air every so often, alright?' And with a nod and a smile he turned and walked down the corridor.

'What did he mean by that?' Lily whispered in surprise, as she watched the tall form of their Headmaster disappear down the corridor.

Severus shrugged, scowling. He had suddenly remembered Dumbledore's mysterious warning, during last year's Christmas Holidays, about reading dangerous books. Lily was still looking askance at him.

'I dunno. Perhaps he thinks I read too much.'

'No - about the good work, I mean. I'm not as good as you in most subjects, and-'

'Yes, you are, Lily. Anyhow, I don't think that's what he meant.'

'What did he mean, then?'

'Never mind. Come on; let's get out of here, before he's back.'

He did not want to answer her question. It seemed to him Dumbledore had sounded excessively surprised at seeing a Slytherin and a Gryffindor friends, and Lily's 'good work' would presumably be some sort of positive influence on him, especially if the headmaster knew (and he probably did) about the spells that had gained him a reputation for knowing dark curses. Perhaps if Dumbledore had been observing them, as he claimed he had, he would have noticed Lily's efforts to involve him in the Flying club, or 'fresh air' activity as he called it.

'I think that went quite well,' Lily was saying, 'I thought we were going to get into trouble, but he was quite nice about it, wasn't he?'

"We hadn't actually broken any rules …yet.'

'Yes, but he seemed to know we were up to something.'

'Of course he did, Lily - there was "guilty as charged" written all over your face,' Severus said, with an amused smile. 'Really, you need to do something about it – how can we break any rules, if you look guilty even when you're innocent?'

Lily scowled. 'I got flustered, ok? I mean, that was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our times, and he caught us there outside his office, rooting around for secret passageways and whatnot!'

Severus rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

'Well, Sev, I think he's nice not to have insisted on our telling him what we were up to. I doubt even _you_ could have come up with a reasonable explanation. Look, let's pass through here – I think it's a shortcut to the stairs.'

She pointed to a corridor between two coats of armour that led off to the right.

There were no windows in this corridor, but it was wide and short, so the late morning light filtered through anyway. Lily recognized the portrait of the Nun who had given them directions to the library when they had got lost that first day of school.

'You're not lost again, my children, are you?' the Nun said, pausing to look at them, a puzzled frown on her round, benevolent face. She had been pruning some plants in the cloister windows painted behind her.

'No … er ... Sister, we know our way around now.' Lily answered.

'Yes, I should think so. The Fat Friar told me about how well you know the castle's passageways, young Mr. Snape. I must say, I am not surprised – your Great-grandfather was much like you – always wondering around the castle halls and corridors, and a very frequent visitor here, and the Headmaster's Office.'

Severus, who had gone past the Nun's portrait, froze. He turned around slowly.

'You – you knew my Great-grandfather?'

The Nun, who had gone back to her potted plants, paused once more, looking at him closely. Her face was now in the shadow of her black habit, silhouetted against the light of the arched cloister windows, but he could tell there was a strange expression on her wrinkled, kindly face.

'Yes, I did,' she answered. 'You look remarkably like him. I saw the resemblance the first time I saw you, but it was the Fat Friar who confirmed you are Eileen Prince's son, and have, in fact, been sorted into Slytherin.'

'D'you know why he left Hogwarts?'

The question escaped him before he realized it. He did not know if he wanted to hear the answer.

The Nun shook her head.

'I do not know the details, but he was a brilliant student, overshadowed only by Albus Dumbledore.'

'He – he was at school with our Headmaster?'

'Yes. They were friends, too, I believe. I often saw them together, though they were in different houses. It always soothed my heart to see such examples of house unity – I myself, was in Hufflepuff, before I joined the convent, and…'

'Wow, Sev, your Grandfather was friends with the greatest wizard in recent history! That's amazing!' Lily said enthusiastically.

'He was just a student then,' the Nun said. '…and though Albus Dumbledore stole all the limelight, young Severus Prince preferred it that way. I'm sure he possessed the same brilliance as Albus, but he preferred working in the shadows .'

'But why did he leave, if he was so good?' Severus insisted.

'I – I don't know. There was some unpleasantness with the then Headmaster of Hogwarts.'

'Did he get into trouble with the Headmaster?'

'No. The Headmaster was put under great pressure to expel young Severus Prince. It was very much against his will, for the Headmaster greatly loved that boy, but finally, I think, he had to invite him to leave Hogwarts.'

'But why?'

The Nun did not speak, but looked at Severus rather sadly.

'You have to find your answer elsewhere, my child. In this corridor, I have only heard rumours, and these, being only half-truths, are not worth the telling.' And she turned round to her cloister plants determinedly.

Severus gazed at her for another minute then proceeded wordlessly down the corridor. Lily followed him in silence, glancing sideways at him every so often. He had a dark, closed expression which she knew meant he was upset.

She couldn't understand why – she would have been happy to know she had such a brilliant relative, one who was closely connected to the greatest wizard of their world. Not that she was ashamed in any way of her own kindly Grandparents; still, it would have made her feel more as though she belonged to the magical world if she had had a wizard or witch relative. In summer, especially, when she was so entrenched in the muggle world, she would have felt very cut off, if it wasn't for Severus.

'Nice to know your Great-grandfather was on par with the likes of Albus Dumbledore, isn't it?' she said after a while.

He made a sound of disgust. 'Weren't you listening? He was expelled in fourth year!'

' "_Invited to leave_", the Nun said, and against the Headmaster's wishes,' Lily reminded him. 'She didn't say he was expelled'.

Severus gave a non-committal shrug. He did not want to tell Lily what he now suspected :that, judging by the nature of the book on Dark Arts he had written, his Great-grandfather was probably expelled because of some illicit spell or potion.

He remembered with unease the Dark Arts book hidden in the dungeon storeroom; the half-brewed potions he had started doing. He had toyed with the idea of letting Lily in on his secret of his hidden dungeon room and letting her help him, for she was a dab hand at potions, but now he was glad he hadn't, for if she suspected (and she had already asked about the ingredients he kept nicking from Potions class) he was still using the dark Arts book, she might think he was going the same way as his predecessor, and be expelled from Hogwarts.

'If the Headmaster then was opposed to him leaving Hogwarts, he can't have been bad.' Lily was saying, obviously trying to mitigate the blow. 'And he was in that book Rosier gave you, remember? The one with only rich or famous wizards? Anyway, how did you know he left Hogwarts?'

'School records.'

'Did you find anyone else from your family in the school records? Your Grandfather perhaps?'

'No. Just him and my Mum.'

'That's strange.'

They had reached the Grand Staircase and as they descended they saw that many people were heading towards the Great Hall now, for it was nearing Lunch time. Lily was hailed by Thalia and Alice who were just back from their Charms Club, and she went to join them at the Gryffindor table.

As she left she saw Evan Rosier at the Slytherin table move up to make space for Severus, who, however, ignored him and moved past. He sat down at the end of the table near Black's younger brother Regulus, who looked up with some surprise. Severus did not speak to him, but slouched over a glass of pumpkin juice, which he toyed with in silence. After a few minutes had passed, Lily looked again at the Slytherin table but Severus had left.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: November classes.**

In the weeks that followed Lily could not persuade Severus to join her in the Flying club. Ever since the incident with Potter and Black, when he had found out that James Potter was a reserve Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he seemed to lose interest in flying.

They had been down to the underground cavern on the lake a few times, but the weather, which was getting steadily worse as November drew to a close, prevented them from risking another boat trip again.

In fact, towards the end of November, nightly frosts threatened to turn the lake into ice, so they had to abandon any plans of using the boats whatsoever.

It was when Lily started talking about joining Thalia in the Charms Club that he reluctantly agreed to go to the Flying club again. Ollerton, the club President, had been replaced by a Gryffindor fifth year, Jake Brodie, who, although very enthusiastic about flying, (he bullied the club members into flying whatever the weather, or time of day or night), did not have the same talent and knowledge of Quidditch as Ollerton had. He was a very good flyer, and gave them excellent tips on speed and broom control, but he did not know much about practicing Quidditch moves.

This suited Lily just fine, for she liked flying for the sake of flying, but she could see that Severus's heart was not in it any more.

Of course, he refused to explain the real reason why he didn't want to come any more, and always managed to find a ready excuse. She was fairly sure that it was because Potter had made it into the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was bragging his head off about it to anyone who would listen (and even those who would not).

'Why don't you try and get into the Slytherin Quidditch team, Severus?' she asked as they were heading back to the changing rooms. It was late in the evening, and very cold, but it was the only time slot that Brodie could find for the club members to practice on the pitch.

'What for?'

'Well, I overheard Mulciber telling Avery that the Slytherin team is looking for a Seeker, and you fly really well…'

This was true, but he was also flying without much enthusiasm now.

He snorted.

'Join the Slytherin Quidditch team? With what? This old Shooting Star?' he indicated the old school broom over his shoulder. 'Anyway, I'm not interested.'

'Perhaps someone in your year could lend you a good one. Perhaps you can…'

'Forget it.'

She gave up and went to put her broom and protective gear on their racks in the changing room. She glanced at Severus. He was shoving the old Shooting Star back in its place with a look of dislike upon his face. Perhaps it had been a mistake to suggest trying for his house Quidditch team. He was right, of course – only the best flyers, with the best brooms, were usually allowed onto the house teams.

She had mentioned wanting to buy a broomstick in a letter home, but the Owl came back with a letter full of admonitions. Her father had been under the impression that, like a Muggle driving license, one had to be eighteen to be allowed a broom, and that he hoped she was not trying to break her neck on one of those things, and that any flying was under the strict supervision of a Hogwarts teacher.

She was glad she had not mentioned the Flying Club in her previous letter, and carefully omitted saying anything else about flying when she wrote home. At least until the holidays, when she would hopefully explain how important it was to have a broom.

It was almost curfew, so they headed quickly back to the castle, wrapped up in their warm, black cloaks, Severus still hadn't said a word. Their breath hung mistily white in the cold night air and their feet crunched over the frost already forming. It was a pity Severus had lost interest in flying now, for she found it quite a relief to be free from Potter and Black's company. James Potter being on the Quidditch team meant that those two had something else to occupy their time, and, except for that one time last month, it had been weeks since they had bothered them.

She bade Severus goodnight and headed off to the Gryffindor common room with Brodie and another Gryffindor fourth-year girl who was also in the club. She wondered if she would give up flying if Severus was adamant in not wanting to join her. She probably would continue, but it would not be the same without her best friend.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was some days later, during DADA class, that Severus told her he would be staying at Hogwarts this Christmas, too. Lily did not say anything for a while and they listened to Professor Ironwood drone on about sub-articles, paragraphs and annexes on her proposed law to regulate magical creatures she deemed evil.

Her lessons had become as boring as those of Binns, the History teacher, and most of the class had glazed looks on their faces. She was using the old-fashioned projector again today, and in the dim light of the darkened room, under cover of the rather loud whirring noise coming from the machine's innards, many whispered conversations were taking place.

'Have you received any owls from home?' Lily asked tentatively.

It was always a touchy subject with Severus, and she knew it was one of the reasons he didn't return home if he could avoid it.

'Just the one.'

'Is – is everything ok?'

He shrugged. 'Guess so. Dad's still got his old job, and Mum wanted to know if I'm staying here. I told her I am.'

'Doesn't she wish you to -?'

'To what?' he cut across her, his face darkening ominously.

'Well, to stay home for Christmas! You know - to celebrate.'

He snorted. 'My father celebrates with his mates down by the pub, and my mother doesn't bother .'

'Never, _ever_?'

He paused. He thought he could vaguely remember a time, once, when he was very little, that he had seen many lights over the mantelpiece, and his father and mother were both at home. He remembered his mother handing him something warm wrapped in a cloth that smelled good, like a confectioner's shop. His father had helped him unwrap it, smiling…

He shook his head; he must have been mixing up real memories with dreams.

Lily was still looking at him raptly, but in the gloom he could not see her face. He wished she would look away, for he was sure she was feeling sorry for him, and he could feel the anger stirring in him.

'I love Christmas,' she was saying. 'I love the warmth, the fun, the presents; getting together with your family…' she stopped, biting her lip. 'Well, I used to like getting together with my family, but last year, it _was _a bit boring, to tell you the truth. It sounded nicer here at Hogwarts.'

She stopped. Severus did not say anything, but his heart suddenly was beating faster, his anger fading fast.

'You know what, Sev? I think I'll ask my mother if I can stay here with you this Christmas. We can do some more exploring.'

He did not trust himself to answer, but he felt suddenly elated. To have the whole castle to himself and Lily, would indeed, be a good way to spend the Christmas Holidays.

A nagging suspicion remained, however. What if she was staying because she felt sorry for him? That must be it. Why else would she want to give up staying with her family? He felt the anger returning with a vengeance.

'You should go home, Lily. Your parents will expect you to. You don't have to stay here.'

He spoke more harshly than he intended.

Lily sat there for a moment looking at him, her eyes gleaming in the light from the projector, and then she turned towards the grainy photos projected on the board, and did not speak to him for the rest of the lesson.

He knew he had offended her, and that he should say something, but the thought of how pathetic he must appear to her, wanting to stay here at Hogwarts because he had nothing to go home for, made him head straight for the door as soon as Professor Ironwood dismissed them a few minutes later.

He strode down the corridor, still seething. Potter's words to him, this time last year, came back to him forcefully: he and Black had just found out that Severus was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas: - "…_What's the matter? Don't they want you, back home?"_ they had taunted him then.

He heard footsteps running behind him. For a moment, he thought perhaps Lily had come after him, but they were much heavier footsteps…

Wilkes came into view, panting. Severus lowered his wand.

'Hey, Severus, listen. I've got something for you.'

'I'm not interested.'

'You will be, this time. I've just got a package from home, and there are these really good pasties you might be interested in. You only have to show me how to do the Apnea Curse, and I'll let you have…'

However, he did not finish what he had to say, because there was a flash of light, a cry of '_Petrificus totalis'_ and Marcus Wilkes found himself on his back, rigid as a board.

That is how, seconds later, the rest of the Slytherins and Gryffindors filing out of DADA class found Wilkes. No-one could see who jinxed him however, for the corridor was empty. Lily thought she saw, from the corner of her eye, the edge of a black cloak disappear behind one of the tapestries that hid a shortcut to the grand staircase.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The next lesson Severus had with Lily was Potions two days later, for Astronomy had been cancelled due to bad weather. He wondered if she would speak to him again as he made his way to the underground dungeon classroom.

It was bitterly cold, for it had snowed in the night, and even the temperature in the upper storeys of the castle had dropped, so that students usually went to their lesson wrapped up in their cloaks.

Slughorn had opened the door a bit earlier so the students could get into the relatively warmer classroom. Most of the Slytherins were already there, but the Gryffindors had to come from the seventh floor, and none had yet appeared.

Severus slid into his place by his cauldron and took out his book. His eyes kept wandering to Lily's empty seat on the desk they shared.

There was a commotion behind him as some noisy Gryffindors arrived. He turned and saw Potter laughing raucously at some joke Black had made. They were accompanied by Remus Lupin, who was also laughing, albeit more moderately. He was rather pale, but healthier-looking than the previous week, when he had been off sick again.

Severus noticed that Remus Lupin had moved his cauldron forward, to the space between an empty desk and the one which Black and Potter shared. He then sat down at the empty desk next to theirs. Black, who looked up just then, noticed Severus looking at them and mouthed a silent obscenity, after checking Slughorn's back was turned.

Severus turned back to his book and ignored him. They were trying out Swelling Solutions today, which were very simple. In fact, he had already tried out the potion in his secret hideout, bottled the resultant solution and stored it in his cupboard. He wished they were doing something more challenging.

A rustling noise next to him made him look up. It was Lily, who had sat down beside him, taking off her cloak. He stole an anxious look at her.

'Er… we're doing Swelling Solutions, page 73,' he said awkwardly.

'I know. It's on the board.' She pointed to where Slughorn had written that day's lesson.

Severus, feeling foolish, said nothing else and turned back to his book. Perhaps she was still angry with him.

However, after checking to see that Slughorn was still busy talking to some Slytherins, Lily turned back to Severus and whispered:

'I wrote to my Mum, you know. And I just got the answer back today.'

' 'bout what?'

'About Christmas. I owled home, asking if I can stay at Hogwarts.'

Severus stared at her. He had expected her to give him the cold shoulder after last time, which was nothing more than he deserved. But instead, she still wanted to stay here with him (which was what he had been secretly hoping for, anyway).

He didn't know what to say.

'Oh.' Was all he managed.

'Well, unfortunately, Mum said it was a bit late, for she had already booked the hotel we're staying in, when we go to my Grandparents house for Christmas…'

'I see.' He struggled to keep the disappointment from his voice.

Lily grinned. 'But you're to come over to my house next Christmas, Sev. Mum said you could. Petunia's off on a skiing trip with her school Christmas after next, so we're not going anywhere.' She beamed at him.

Severus felt bad. She had every right to be angry with him, and yet here she was, inviting him to her own house for Christmas.

'Listen, Lily, last time, I didn't mean…'

'It's ok, Sev,' she interrupted. 'You don't have to explain. But I think we should do something to make both our Christmases a bit better, eh? It'd be more fun then, wouldn't it?'

'Erm… yes, … fun, of course.'

Lily giggled. 'Yes, _fun_! Severus Snape, I swear, sometimes you speak as though you don't know the meaning of the word!'

Severus, who was glad she was talking to him at all, didn't argue.

'I think finding out more about the castle is …er…._fun_, you know,' he said.

'I wish I was staying here with you.' Lily said, ruefully. 'We could've gone to that Nun's portrait again, ask her more about why … you know… what happened to your great-Grandfather.'

'I did.'

'You did?'

'Last weekend.'

'What did she tell you?'

'Well, she got a bit shirty with me when I kept insisting. Told me curiosity is a sin, and that even my Great-grandfather would've done well to remember that.'

'That curiosity is a sin? Why?'

'Dunno. She wouldn't say anything else. Listen, I think Slughorn's forgotten the time, the lesson should've begun.'

'Yes. Let's get started, shall we?'

He nodded 'It's an easy potion. In fact, I think I might try it out a bit differently. I was thinking that if you use early-stage frogspawn, rather than the late-stage stuff, you could have more predictable results…'

'Alright, let's try it then.'

Severus smiled. Not many would have wanted to try out something different from what Slughorn had written on the board. Indeed, many of them had great difficulty in doing even that. But apparently Lily trusted him. He reached out for his scales and started weighing out ingredients, while Lily checked the board for what she would need from the student cupboard.

Slughorn finally realised that he was late and set them all to brewing the Swelling Solution without further ado. He nodded in approval as he saw Severus had already started, and went to the back of the class where he knew those students less proficient at potions usually set their cauldrons.

Severus noticed that Potter was helping the sickly boy, Remus Lupin, with his potion. Not surprising, since he knew even less than that idiot, Potter, considering that he missed so many lessons when he was sick. Then Black decided to pitch in and started to show Lupin how to detach the spines off some dead Fireplant caterpillars.

Severus smirked – the dunderheads were going to add the spines before they had cooled the potion with Hagfish slime. He waited eagerly for the explosion. However, Slughorn, who was at the back of the class, noticed and stopped Potter just in time – his hand was already hovering on Lupin's cauldron, ready to shake in the spines.

Slughorn, shaking his head ruefully, did not ignore Lupin as Brocklehurst used to do, but went over to the boy's side and explained patiently which ingredients had to go in first, whilst Pettigrew, who was sitting with Wilkes on the desk in front of Lupin's, tried desperately to overhear, for both his and Wilke's potions were giving off an orange smoke that was nowhere near the white, fluffy vapour that was supposed to appear at this stage.

'That was close, wasn't it?' Lily said.

She had come back from the student's cupboard laden with the ingredients they would need. She dumped everything on their desk where Severus was pre-stewing the Nymphaea seedpods in a small desk-top cauldron, before adding them to the proper potion already brewing in the large one on the floor between the desks.

'Pity Slughorn stopped him. Potter would've looked good with a faceful of half-stewed frogspawn!'

'It was Remus Lupin's cauldron that would've exploded, Sev, and that poor boy's sick enough as it is!'

'He's Potter's friend!' he retorted angrily.

'Mmm. Well, they do seem to be sticking together recently,' she conceded. 'But Remus is nice. He's not nearly as conceited as Potter or Black.'

'So now you're in with Potter's friends!' Severus stopped stirring the small cauldron and looked at her angrily. He was not even bothering to keep his voice down, and despite noise of bubbling and hissing cauldrons, several people looked up.

'He's not their friend!' It was her turn to get angry. 'And I'm not '_in_' with Potter's stupid gang of admirers! Remus –' She lowered her voice, glancing around her. '…Remus is too sick to have _any_ friends. He keeps disappearing so often to the Hospital Wing, no one wants to stick around him. But I spoke to him a few times in the common-room, and he seems ok…'

Severus made a noise of disdain.

'Well, if so, it won't be for too long. Potter and Black have recruited him among their worshipers …' He turned and indicated the desks at the back, where Sirius Black was now entertaining Potter and Lupin with some whispered joke, Slughorn having moved off.

'I still think Remus isn't all that bad.' However, she half-glanced at the group of boys at the back doubtfully.

Severus muttered something under his breath that sounded rather uncomplimentary, and dumped Frog-spawn into the cauldron.

'Oh, come off it, Sev, you don't even know him after all!' she said irritably.

'But _you _do, I suppose! D'you know why he's sick so often? D'you know why he's sticking to Potter and Black now?'

'No I don't, but that has nothing to do with-'

'What if whatever he's sick with is contagious?'

'Don't be silly – he'd be in the hospital wing or even St Mungo's, if that were the case. The staff wouldn't allow him in the common-room.'

He tried a different track.

'And he's sticking to Potter so that he helps him with whatever lessons he's missed, and in return, Potter gets another toady to follow him around his stupid Quidditch practice.'

'Actually, Potter and Black aren't in the common room too often anymore, _because_ of Quidditch practice. So I've helped Remus myself a couple of times with homework,' she replied coolly.

Severus looked up at her for a second, and she was taken aback by the white-faced, furious reproach in his expression. He looked down quickly again, bending over his cauldron so that the dark curtains of his hair covered his face.

'What's wrong? Is it because I helped Remus? I told you – he's not contagious, and he needs all the friends he can get…'

She stopped. Severus had reached out for the phial of crocodile bile to add to the cauldron. He was holding it with a white-knuckled grasp, and his hand was shaking slightly. He remained silent, his face still hidden between curtains of dark hair as he bent over the cauldron.

She suddenly understood and leaned forward across the desk. With one hand she reached out gently and pushed the dark hair back, away from his face. She heard a sharp intake of breath and wide, dark eyes fixed themselves on hers.

'I only did it because it was past curfew, Sev, and you weren't there. You know I always study with you whenever I can, because _you_ are my best friend, not anyone else…'

His face, so pale and white seconds before, was reddening before her eyes now. She hastily snatched her hand away, feeling a bit awkward, but in the steamy, noisy, potions class, no-one had noticed.

'And careful with that bile, you were going to throw in too much,' she said, to cover her confusion.

Severus did not say anything, but just nodded and carefully put in three drops. She noticed his hand was steady now, and though still a bit red in the face, he was not hiding behind his hair anymore.

She hoped he wouldn't be angry with her for doing that. But she hated bad feelings and wanted to clear it up quickly, so she acted without thinking. He might not appreciate being touched, or, even more, being teased, had anyone noticed.

She remembered how he had reacted when a boy in the playground had teased him once and called her his 'girlfriend'. It was years ago, soon after she had first met Severus, and the boy who had teased him ended up flat on the ground with a bloody face. She recalled how she had been a bit scared of Severus then.

She smiled quietly. She knew Severus would never harm her now, but she still couldn't see why the thought that she would prefer to study with Remus would upset him so much, because there was absolutely no comparison….

'What're you grinning at?' Severus asked, rather grumpily. He was holding out a measured amount of the liquid from the small cauldron.

'What? Oh, nothing,' she lied, taking the steaming phial in her hands. 'Thanks for sharing this.'

She added the contents to her own cauldron and the fluffy, white vapour coming off the surface turned into a pale mauve for a few seconds, then disappeared. The surface of the liquid bubbled, rose a few inches, and then turned transparent and glutinous. It seemed to fit the description on the board.

'Shall we try it out then?' Severus was peering down over the edge of the desk at her cauldron. He had already bottled a sample.

She nodded and looked around. Very few had finished their potions. Wilkes and Pettigrew were having the congealed mess in their cauldron vanished by Slughorn, as usual.

Thalia was stoppering her sample bottle, looking doubtfully at its strange greenish tinge. Bertram Aubrey had also finished his, but was having difficulty closing his phial, because the liquid, although transparent, was giving off a hissing orange steam.

They had to try them out on some Stag Beetles Professor Slughorn had procured for them. He would be giving marks for whoever got their beetle to swell to three times its original size.

Soon, she and Severus had two large beetles scuttling around their desk, exactly three times their original size. Slughorn came over, beaming at their results and awarded them full marks, when there was a commotion on the other side of the classroom as Thalia's beetle, swollen to the size of a large bulldog, attempted to impale the nearest students in its large, antler-like jaws.

Later, when Slughorn had managed to calm everyone down and shrink the beetle to its original size, he dismissed the class, and Lily walked up the dungeon steps with Severus, Mary McDonald and Peter Pettigrew. They were full of praise for her, for having won Gryffindor points for a perfect Swelling Solution.

'Yes, well,' she said 'but it was really Severus who ...'

Severus looked at her quickly and shook his head the slightest bit. She stopped.

'Yes, Severus got points, too,' said Mary, misunderstanding her, 'but you must excuse me for not dancing for joy, you know. It's just that you're in Slytherin, Severus.'

Severus did not answer her. Lily thought that perhaps he did not want anyone to know he had used a different ingredient to what Slughorn had written.

Before reaching the main Entrance Hall, Severus had already disappeared towards the Slytherin common-room, so Lily followed the other Gryffindors up the Grand Staircase towards their own common-room, high up in Gryffindor tower, still wondering why her friend did not want to claim any credit for the enhanced potion.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: The Restricted Section**

It was well past midnight, and the corridors of Hogwarts were bathed in pale moonlight that seemed somehow brighter, reflected as it was by the white expanse of snow outside.

Something was moving in the velvety darkness between the pools of light cast by the huge arched windows.

A lone boy was pressed against the rough stone walls, his black cloak creating a darker shadow than the night itself. He moved noiselessly, but his thin, pale face and the mist of his breath on the cold air gave him away.

Severus was cursing silently under his breath. He hadn't thought to check about the moon's progress, when he decided to flout the curfew rule. He glanced at the huge, pale orb casting its light over the pristine white of Hogwarts' grounds. It was an elementary mistake, and he was angry with himself for having forgotten.

However, it was the night after Boxing Day, and he was hoping both staff and the few students left at Hogwarts would be sleeping off the revelry and good food of the previous two days.

This year, no Slytherin students had been left to spend the Christmas Holidays at Hogwarts, so he found it easy to leave the common room unnoticed. He had also taken the opportunity to examine the alcove where his great-grandfather had left his initials, as well as the mysterious sign engraved upon the marble skull and stone snake. He tried magic on them both, hoping that perhaps they would transform, or open to reveal another secret passageway. Given Hogwarts many secret rooms and passageways, he was half-hoping something of the sort would happen. He had to admit defeat though, and besides, the alcove was rather small and not even the lake's greenish light penetrated there.

After fruitlessly searching the whole common-room for days, he had given it up. That was when the idea to search the restricted section of the Library came to him. And that was why he was standing in the cold, dark corridors of the fourth floor, half-wishing he had never left his bed.

Why hadn't his Great-grandfather written down instructions or something in his book of dark Arts? If he had taken such pains to hide the book, he could've written the reason _why_ he did so and why he had carved his name in such an unusual place!

Perhaps, after all, it did not mean anything. Perhaps his Great-grandfather was just given to carving graffiti in unusual places!

Severus sighed in frustration, and instantly regretted it, as the cloud of misty breath hung wraith-like in the air. That instant, a pale ghost of a young woman appeared through the wall at the end of the corridor. He recognized her as the ghost of the Grey Lady, as she went past him, appearing alternately brighter or more insubstantial as she passed through the alternating pattern of moonlight and shadow of the corridor.

She seemed absorbed in her own thoughts and did not notice him. He was just glad it was not Peeves, for Peeves would have been delighted to give him away. Unlike all the portraits he had encountered on his way up from the Slytherin common-room, Peeves did NOT sleep, and deprived of his usual student victims, was hell-bent on causing chaos at the least opportunity.

Severus inched his way slowly to the Library door, keeping to the parts of the corridor that were deepest in shadow. He had never ventured to the upper floors of the castle after curfew, though he had wandered through the dungeons and lower levels often enough.

Finally he was standing in front of the Library doors, and , after a quick glance along the deserted corridors to ensure himself there was no-one – ghost or otherwise, he took out his wand and whispered :

'_Alohomora!'_

To his surprise, the heavy Library door clicked open. He had expected it to be sealed with something more sophisticated than a simple lock which any student above second-year could easily open by magic. Knowing Madam Pince and her possessive attitude towards the Library books, he had even half-expected Anti-intruder Charms over the door. Perhaps, Hogwarts being practically devoid of students during the holidays, she didn't think anyone would try to get in.

All was calm and quiet as he pushed the door open and slipped noiselessly inside, shutting the door behind him. He was used to the barely audible, rustling whispers of the books on the shelves. But even these fell strangely silent as he made his way to the back of the Library where the restricted section was, so that all he could hear was the loud hammering of his heart.

The restricted section was roped off from the rest of the Library, and as he cautiously made his way through, he thought he heard the whispering start up again, but in a disjointed way.

'_Lumos'_ he breathed, and the blue-white light of his wand tip lit up the narrow shelves.

The gilt titles of the books gleamed momentarily as the lighted wand tip passed them by.

As he had surmised, most were tomes on dark magic, though some appeared to be archives of Wizengamot proceedings, and others were roughly-bound, medieval-looking manuscripts illuminated with pictures of dark creatures.

Severus forgot everything else in his excitement, as he browsed the bookshelves, hardly knowing which volume to read first.

He was attracted by a blood-red, leather-bound volume at the end of the shelf: _'Curses that alter the core of life at the Quickening_.' The gold letters gleamed briefly in the light of his wand, but they did not make much sense to him.

He took it out and noticed that it was fairly new for a Hogwart's Library book – not more than a hundred years perhaps. Under the title, outlined in gilt on the front cover, was a depiction of a slender witch with long, dark, hair flowing down her chest. Her head was bent forward so that her face was hidden, and her arms were crossed over her belly, which was swollen. A long slender wand was clutched in her hand.

Severus, intrigued, opened the book.

Then several things happened at once. The book opened on a page that had a detailed drawing of the witch on the front cover, but on this page she was lying down on a bed, back arched in agony. The reason for her swollen belly became suddenly evident to Severus, and he watched in horror as the witch in the picture turned her contorted face towards him, opened her mouth, and screamed. The shrill, blood-chilling sound was not limited to the book of the witch in the throes of childbirth, but it reverberated around the whole library and beyond, piercingly loud and shrill.

Severus slammed the book shut and shoved it back in its place, but the screaming continued. He ran pell-mell from the Library, not bothering to keep to the shadows, but just wanting to distance himself from the noise.

It was only after he had put two flights of stairs and several corridors between him and the Library, that the sound became deadened. He paused to get his breath back in one of the hidden corridors behind a large tapestry.

He cursed himself once more – Madam Pince had, after all, put Anti-intruder Charms in the Library. He would need to find another means of getting to those books, or else discover the spell that would lift her Anti-intruder Charm. He cursed the Librarian soundly and hoped that he wouldn't have half the staff at the castle on his heels now.

At least he had had the presence of mind to run in the opposite direction from the Caretaker's office. For Filch, like Peeves, was missing the opportunity to dole out punishment, and would be overjoyed to catch him out of bed.

He had just decided to try and sneak carefully down the Grand Staircase to the door that led to the dungeons, when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned round. He found Filch's face inches away from his, thrown into a rather alarming relief by the candle held in his hand.

'Thought you could have a wee night-time stroll, didn't you?' he said, with barely-disguised glee. He was in his nightshirt, and Mrs. Norris, his dusty-coloured kitten, was on his shoulders, the flickering candle-light reflected in her large eyes.

'Thought I wouldn't find ye skulking in this hidden corridor, eh?' he said, half-lifting Severus up by his cloak. 'Thought I'd be asleep, p'rhaps, eh?' he said, pushing his face even closer. His heavy jowls were unshaven and his thinning hair was unkempt and straggly. There was a slight smell of fried fish about his clothes.

'Oh, just ye wait! You're going to be in so much trouble!' he said, smiling broadly.

Severus struggled to free himself from Filch's vice-like grip, but only managed to half-strangle himself with his cloak, the silver clasp digging into his throat. For a split second, Severus was reminded of his father – the same helpless, but furious feeling of being held prisoner before the blows started to rain down on him.

His hand was already on his wand and for a moment he almost forgot himself and drew it out. However, Filch did not seem to have any intention of hitting him, instead he was dragging him off towards the Ground floor where his office was.

'I – I didn't do anything wrong! There's no-one at Hogwart's, anyway!' he protested as they reached Filch's office. He had to know how much he had heard.

'Nothing wrong, eh? You call prowlin' around the restricted section of the Library, nothing wrong? Mrs. Norris heard the caterwauling and screaming of the Anti-intruder Charm, and came to fetch me!'

Filch opened his office door and threw Severus bodily inside. He hit the front of an old-fashioned desk, causing it to slide backwards into something metallic dangling from the ceiling that jangled and clanged. Looking up he saw iron chains and handcuffs hanging from a hook of the low office.

'I keep 'em well oiled and ready.' Filch said with a leer, noticing what he was looking at. 'The punishment must fit the crime, I always say.' He pointed to a rickety chair. 'You sit there and don't move. I'm going to fetch Professor Slughorn, your Head of House. There bein' no students at Hogwarts doesn't give you the license to be out of bed at this hour!'

With a last gloating look, he slammed the door behind him, leaving a ringing silence in his wake.

Severus looked around him in the dim light cast by the stub of one candle on Filch's desk. The iron chains were still swinging gently from the ceiling and he wondered, with some trepidation, what Filch intended to do with them. He remembered hearing him shout at students something about hanging them up in chains by the feet. If that were the case, he would probably be able to get out of them, if he still had his wand.

Unfortunately, his worst fears had been confirmed, and Filch knew exactly where he had been. He thought he'd better think up a good excuse before the caretaker came back with Slughorn.

However, nothing really plausible came to mind. Frowning, he noticed some heavy square cabinets in one corner of the office. He moved over to examine them and almost fell over a bowl of cat food. He shoved the fishy-smelling container to one side with his foot, and saw that they were actually old-fashioned filing cabinets.

He grabbed the candle off the desk, and opened one drawer at random. It contained cards, arranged in alphabetical order, listing students who had broken school rules; their crime and punishment. He browsed through them hoping to see whether Filch was allowed to use the iron chains or not.

Some of the cards were very old, damp-spotted and mouldy. Some were written and signed by a different caretaker called Pringle – perhaps Filch's predecessor.

Seeing the dates on some of the cards, he automatically started looking for the name Prince as he had done so often in the Library. Unsurprisingly, his cousins were not there, but he did find Eileen Prince, his mother, a few times in the drawers that covered the misdemeanours of students in the 50s. He gave a wry smile – judging by what she had been put in detention for, his mother had never suffered fools gladly, and was quick to jinx whoever crossed her.

What was more surprising was when he came across the name Maureen Prince – he had not encountered it before. It seemed that in her seventh year she had been put into double detention with her younger sister Eileen for cursing another seventh-year who had called her sister names. A quick look through the filing cabinet assured him that there was no other mention of his Irish Aunt.

Either she must have been a model student, or else must have been clever enough not to get caught, he mused. Which is what he should've done, he reminded himself angrily. He should have been more careful.

However, all was quiet in Filch's office, and he proceeded to rifle through the cabinets, searching these unusual records for familiar names. He came across some well-known surnames in the old cards, probably relatives of present-day students, but he was eager to search the older records.

Many of these were damaged by mice, and it seemed that Pringle was not as meticulous as Filch in keeping the records – he was predisposed to write only the worst crimes. The punishments meted out in those days were also correspondingly harsher.

Severus was looking for one particular date – if what the Nun's portrait had said was true, then Severus Prince's crime would certainly have been recorded.

He searched feverishly under 'P' for the year 1897 keeping an ear open for the sound of footsteps, and finally found the card. It was easy to pick out because it had an ominous outline in red ink around its edge. Pringle's slanting handwriting filled the card from top to bottom, but the ink had faded in places and the bottom edge was damaged by mice:

"_On the_ _11__th__ June of the year 1897, several objects of the darkest magic have been confiscated from Master Severus Prince, esquire. Said objects consist mainly of two books, one bound in red Moroccan leather, and the other in green damask. Both contain the initials S.P. and have been quilled in the same hand, that has been recognised, without shade of doubt, as belonging to same Master Prince. Their contents have been deemed to consist of magic so dark that it must not be mentioned here or anywhere in the school records, and is known only to the Headmaster and few members of staff._

_These books have come to light through the intervention of another student ….' _A large spot of mildew made the faded ink illegible '…._existence of a third book could not be ascertained, despite his insistence that he had seen it with his own eyes. _

_On the 30 th June 1897, the request for the expulsion of Master Severus Prince was not upheld by Headmaster Nigellus, who stated that young Master Prince has been hitherto a most intelligent and excellent student, and an asset to Slytherin House. _

_On the 23 rd of July 1897, Headmaster Phineas Nigellus requested the presence of young Master Prince and his esteemed father at his office at Hogwart's, following the missive of the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and the disturbing events outside Hogwarts in recent weeks. Master Severus Prince was withdrawn from Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry immediately following this meeting, which was held behind closed doors. Headmaster Nigellus instructed that records of Master Prince's achievements and merits were to be struck off and …"_

The rest of the writing at the bottom of the card had been destroyed by mice. Severus stared at the card. There had been two, perhaps three, books on Dark Magic and somebody had found out, had blabbed, and caused his Great-grandfather to be expelled. Not _expelled_, exactly, but if he could read well between the lines, the then Headmaster had been pressured into inviting him to leave Hogwarts, or face expulsion.

This card created more questions than it answered. Who had given his great-grandfather away? What was the magic so dark it could not be mentioned? What made the Wizengamot interfere at Hogwarts? And what were the 'disturbing events'? Where were the confiscated books now? Could it be that he had one of them, or was his book the mysterious 'third book' mentioned in the cards?

At least he now knew why he had not found any special record of someone so clever at Hogwarts, and why all of the few remaining records stopped at 1897. He was still musing on these unanswered questions, when he heard footsteps approaching the office door. He hurriedly stuffed the card inside the drawer and sat back in his chair. He could only hear one set of footsteps. Surely enough, when the door burst open, it was Filch alone that appeared, looking very disgruntled.

'You, boy' he said, jabbing a finger in his direction. 'Get back to your dormitory. Your Head of House, Professor Slughorn, has postponed your punishment till tomorrow. He said …he said needed to sleep in the early hours of the morning, and will deal with you after dawn. After _breakfast_ were 'is words, actually.'

Severus got off his chair and made for the door.

'And mind I catch ye wondering the castle at night again, or I'll chain ye up in my office meself until your Head of House deigns to come and punish ye!' Filch shouted after him, but Severus had already melted into the shadow of the dark corridor beyond.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: The Lead Singer.**

'So what did you see there?' Lily asked.

She was walking with Severus towards the Astronomy Tower. The weather was frosty and cold, but clear, with no moonlight to outshine the stellar constellations. Professor Sinistra was holding their first midnight Astronomy lesson since the students returned from Christmas Holidays.

'Nothing. The first book I opened started screaming.'

'What?' Lily looked at him in alarm.

He had been telling her about his night-time attempt to get into the restricted section.

'There was a picture of a witch in the book and she was … well, she started screaming. It must've been Madam Pince's Anti-intruder Charm. I suspected that that demented vulture would've done something, but being the holidays, I thought perhaps she'd forgotten.'

'So what happened then?'

'I ran for it, but that book's infernal racket alerted Filch's kitten and that blasted animal must've gone for him. He found me just as I was going downstairs.'

Lily gasped.

'It's ok. He threw me in his office while he went to rouse Slughorn, but Slughorn was asleep and couldn't be bothered, so I was free to go.'

'Did he let you off?'

'Well, no. Slughorn sent for me the next morning and was quite huffy about the whole thing. He said he would've come last night to punish me himself, had he known it was _me_ in the restricted section'

'Why would he punish you more than anyone else? That's unfair. I thought he liked you.'

'Dunno why he said that,' Severus frowned. 'I was ready to plead research work or something, but I knew he wouldn't buy it when he took that stand. He started waffling on about old books polluting young minds, and that sort of rubbish…' He stopped suddenly, as if an idea had occurred to him.

'Did he give you detention?'

'Yes. Sorting out the Potions store cupboard.'

Lily glanced at him as they started going up the spiral staircase of the Astronomy tower. He had a satisfied smirk on his face, and she knew that it was not a punishment at all for him, but an opportunity to get his hands on more ingredients.

'Well, you shouldn't go wondering around at night, Sev, really. If you get caught again, you may get expelled…'

She saw a shadow pass over his face momentarily. Had Slughorn threatened him with just that? She found it difficult to see why he would be so harsh with one of his best pupils.

'I'll be careful'.

'No, really. You mustn't go back there again. Perhaps the books in there really are dangerous…'

'They're just _books_, Lily. Perhaps I'll try a Disillusionment Charm next time, so that foul Squib and his cat won't see me.'

'A Disillusionment Charm? That's NEWT level magic! Can you really do that?'

'Haven't tried yet. But I'll think of something…'

Lily glanced at him, and, seeing his determined look, tried a new tactic.

'But why risk it, if there is an Anti-intruder Charm on the restricted section? Why did you want to go in there, anyway? Can't you just wait a couple of years, and then get written permission from the teachers?'

Severus stopped suddenly, so that she almost ran into him. He did not bother to answer her, but the exasperated look he gave her made it clear enough what he thought of her suggestion to wait a few years.

'Well, it wouldn't hurt to try and ask a teacher,' she insisted. '_Your_ way only got you a detention and you didn't get to see anything, anyway.'

Severus had started climbing the tightly spiralling staircase again.

'I made some stupid mistakes, which I'm going to be careful not to repeat. Besides, I _did_ find out something…' He hesitated, as though he had let slip too much.

'You can tell _me,_' she said, panting slightly as they climbed.

Severus stopped again and turned to look at her. Then he glanced once down the staircase to see that no one was near, and said in a low voice:

'He wrote some books –my Great-grandfather wrote some books on magic which he was not supposed to have written. Another student found out and gave him away. The books were confiscated, and it was as the Nun in the portrait said - he was invited to leave Hogwarts, and all records of his achievements were removed from School records.'

He was looking closely at Lily as he spoke, studying her reaction. Lily's eyes widened in comprehension.

'When you say books on magic, you mean _Dark_ magic, don't you?' She could see his eyes still on her, as he nodded slowly. A frightening thought occurred to her.

'Sev, that book you found in your Mum's old school trunk, you don't think that –?' she could not keep the note of fear from her voice.

'I said his books were _confiscated_, didn't I?' He sounded a trifle irritated.

'But perhaps he wrote another, and … and… hid it in that school trunk, and you found it.' She saw his expression getting darker as she spoke. Clearly, he was regretting telling her about the books. But she knew she had to warn him. 'Listen, if the stuff that's in the books could get you expelled way back then, it could get you into trouble even today!'

'There is no proof that any books survived,' he said in clipped tones, as he turned to the stairs once more. 'Forget what I've told you, Lily'.

'But I won't!' She grabbed the sleeve of his robes as he made to go up the stairs. He whirled round, his eyes dark with anger, but she stood her ground.

'I won't forget it, Sev! That book's a danger. I know you still read it at home, if you haven't even got it here to Hogwarts! It's dangerous! You know as well as I do that it probably belongs to your Great-grandfather! I remember - there were his initials on it!'

'Well, it's none of your business!' Severus spat, snatching his sleeve out of her grip and proceeding to the trapdoor that led to the top of the tower.

'Yes it is!' she retorted angrily. 'If you get expelled, I ...!'

He turned round and looked at her.

She blinked rapidly. He said it wasn't her business after all, and that hurt. Why was he so interested in that damned book on dark arts? If what he said was true, then he seemed very much inclined to follow in his Great-grandfather's footsteps. She took a deep breath.

'Listen, Severus. I know your Great-Grandfather was a brilliant wizard, but you cannot pretend that getting expelled…'

'_Invited to leave_.'

'Whatever. That's almost as bad. You – you shouldn't risk it.'

'I'm not going to get expelled or invited to leave, Lily. _Nothing_ will make me leave Hogwarts,' he said quietly.

He pushed open the trapdoor and gave her a forced smile, indicating she should go through. She climbed past him into the starlit world above, unwilling, for the moment, to argue with him anymore, but determined, nonetheless, to warn him again about that old book.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was a few weeks later that she got the opportunity. It was a Sunday and she had spent the whole morning with Alice and Thalia in the Girls' Dormitory. They had spent Saturday finishing their homework so that they would be free to do what they pleased on Sunday.

She had tried to persuade Severus to play Quidditch with the rest of the members of the Flying Club, but it had become almost impossible to get him anywhere near a broom. She had even reminded him of Dumbledore's words last term, when he had enjoined her to get him to enjoy 'some fresh air', but Severus had only snorted derisively.

She half-hoped that he would relent today, because it was her birthday. Probably he hadn't even remembered – he had even forgotten his own last year, and had been surprised when she had reminded him.

She sighed and slouched over to Thalia's bed where she and Alice were engrossed in opening a small package Thalia had received from home that morning.

Lily was glad her parents had remembered her birthday anyway. The school owls had delivered a birthday card, a large box of sweets, and a Muggle book on sea shells at breakfast that morning.

A wave of homesickness passed over her as she looked at the small book perched on the table near her bed.

'Why're you looking so gloomy, Lily? Come here and see what I've got! You'll love it!'

Thalia patted the bed beside her and Lily sat down, curious to see what all the excitement was all about.

'Isn't he dreamy?' Alice exclaimed, as the object of their admiration emerged out of the brown-paper wrappings of the package.

It was a newspaper of sorts, but much more colourful than the _Daily Prophet_: _'Bewitched'_ _– The magazine with the latest news on fabulous wizards and witches; Love stories and advice on magical beauty products for young witches,"_ ran the title, and a huge moving photograph on the front page showed a young wizard with extremely long, black, hair and glittering robes, holding a music instrument that looked like a guitar.

Lily could hardly see his eyes, because they were hidden under the mass of hair, but a strong, square, jaw jutted out from beneath the black mop, and he was looking up at them with a lop-sided grin and waving.

'_Stubby Boardman' _was written underneath the photo in glowing letters, '_Lead singer of the popular wizarding musical group: 'The Hobgoblins''_.

'He looks so – so _manly_!' sighed Thalia, smoothing out the magazine.

Lily looked at her two roommates in some surprise. They were behaving like this ever since they came back from their holidays. They reminded her of Petunia sometimes – she, too, used to closet herself up with her friends and drool over girl's magazines back home.

'Don't you think so, Lily? I thought you'd be thrilled to see this. My Dad knows the Editor, and this is the latest edition, you know. No one has it yet.'

Lily tried to look suitably thrilled.

'Er… yes, he looks very …um…'

The two girls looked at her expectantly. Stubby Boardman glanced up at her from the newspaper, giving her a rather inane smile.

'Well, he's got such huge jaws it makes his head look small, doesn't it?' she said finally.

They looked at her in shocked silence.

'How can you say that, Lily?' said Alice, 'He's gorgeous! And anyway, the fact that he almost didn't get his OWLS or NEWTS at Hogwarts doesn't count now, because he's famous anyway, and lots of people just love him!'

'So I was right when I said he looks a bit of an idiot, wasn't I? Ok, Ok, I won't say anything else!' she added hurriedly, as the two girls looked daggers at her.

They flipped through the magazine, and Lily tried hard to see what her roommates found so exciting. But unlike them, and her sister, she found it hard to like someone just by looking at their picture; especially if they looked a bit dim-witted, or were too smugly pleased with themselves.

She could objectively see that some had regular, symmetrical features, pleasant to the eye and handsome even, but to _like_ them? Without ever even having spoken to them? Impossible!

However, she said nothing, and even helped Thalia decorate the wall behind her four-poster bed with large pull-out photos of Stubby Boardman and his band, The Hobgoblins, that were inside the magazine.

'Hey, Lily, I heard you telling Severus Snape you'll meet him in the Library after lunch,' Thalia said 'Could you give this package to Bridget Finnegan? She'll be there. You know the one – tall, sandy hair and freckles. I promised her one of Stubby's photos when I got my copy of '_Bewitched_.'

'Lily, why don't you come with us to the Charms Club this afternoon instead?' Alice interjected. 'It's better than the Flying Club or – or - staying in the Library with Snape and the crowd of people _he_ attracts…'

'Alice, Severus is almost always alone in the Library, and I've already told you what I think!' Lily answered rather tightly.

'Yes, I think Severus isn't all that bad, Alice,' Thalia said, placating, 'A bit strange and quiet perhaps, and certainly too pale and thin. But I heard he knows a lot about curses. Remember what he did to James Potter and Sirius Black last year?'

Alice made a sound of disgust. 'Who doesn't?' she said.

'Well, they foisted a jinxed broom on him and could've hurt him. They deserved it.'

'I'm not saying what those two did was any good, Lily, but there were other occasions, and he used unknown curses on them.'

Lily squirmed. What Alice had said was true, and in the light of recent revelations, she wondered if perhaps he had got those spells from the old book.

'You've got to be careful, Lily…' Alice was saying.

'Oh, I'm sure Snape wouldn't do anything like that to _Lily_.'

'How d'you know that, Thalia? After all, he's in Slytherin and… and… Lily's a Muggleborn. You know what a lot of them think…'

'Severus will not harm me because he's my friend!' Lily said emphatically, interrupting the two girl's discussion on her ominous fate. 'Now, Thalia, that package.'

'Oh, right. Here.' Thalia handed her a rolled up, poster-sized photo of Stubby Boardman. She had painted little pink hearts all around the frame of the photo. 'By the way, Thanks for the sweets, and happy birthday!'

Lily left for the Library feeling rather disgruntled. She wished Alice would leave off warning her about Severus. It seemed Alice's father filled his daughter's head with too many dire warnings. After all, Severus had not jinxed Potter or Black in a long time, because apart from some shared lessons, they rarely had occasion to meet, for the two Gryffindors were now spending most of their spare time in the Quidditch Pitch.

She went down the spiral staircase to the Gryffindor common-room. Only Remus Lupin was working today. He was on a table in the corner trying to catch up on whatever lessons he had missed lately. She gave him cheery wave which he ruefully returned, indicating the pile of books before him.

Still clutching her rolled up poster-photo of Stubby Boardman, she followed some tall fifth-years out of the portrait hole, and into the corridor outside.

Out of the window at the end of the corridor, she could see it was snowing heavily, and she thought about what Severus had told her yesterday. Seeing how disappointed she was that he had not wanted to come to the Flying Club with her, he had suggested going for a walk instead.

Somehow she hadn't felt like going to the Flying-club herself after his refusal, which was why she had spent all morning with her room mates, and why she was now clutching a rolled-up photo with pink hearts all over it, as she made her way to the Library.

She hadn't even asked Severus whether he wanted to go for a walk in the school grounds, or else to the underground lake. The latter was frozen, so there was no chance of taking the boats.

She reached the Library and made her way to the back, near the Restricted Section, where she knew Severus always sat when he was alone. Sure enough, there he was, dark head bent over a book as usual. He looked up as he heard her footsteps.

'Are you ready to go, then?' he said, with a strange half-smile.

She looked at him closely. He was not usually this eager at the prospect of running about in the snow.

'Er… yes. Where're we heading for?'

'Tell you in a minute. Hey – what's that you're carrying?'

He indicated the rolled up paper. Stubby Boardman's face winked up at him from among the pink hearts.

'What –? Oh, this?'

'D'you like that idiot then? Is that why there're pink hearts all around his stupid face?'

She was surprised at how quickly his face had changed – he was sneering now, barely able to disguise his anger.

'I would answer exactly like you did a few weeks ago, Severus Snape, and say that it's 'none of your business!' And I'm talking about some stupid Wizarding Band's lead singer, not something sinister like –' she dropped her voice to an angry hiss '– like a book on Dark Arts that can get you expelled !'

She held his gaze angrily, but his face had changed once more and he had a closed expression now, which however, did not fool her.

'You've just called your lead singer 'stupid',' he said, with a sneer.

'That's because he's NOT my Lead singer. This is Thalia's, and she told me to pass it on to Bridget Finnegan, who should be in here somewhere.'

There was an almost imperceptible change in Severus' expression.

'Ok', he said 'I won't speak to you about that Stubby Boardman dunderhead, and you forget about my book, alright?'

'I don't know why Stubby Boardman should bother you so much - you can speak to me or not about him, or any of the rest of the Hobgoblins. I'm not interested! I can't understand why so many girls say they're in love with a moving photo!' she replied, vehemently. 'They're all blank, to me - all of them! But about that book, Severus….'

'Please, Lily. Not today.'

She looked at him in surprise. Severus never pleaded, and certainly not in such a low, subdued voice. She had been waiting for an opportunity to say something – make him get rid of that book, if he had smuggled it to Hogwarts. But something in the look he gave her made her desist.

She sighed and nodded.

'Good. Now let's get rid of that thing,' he pointed with disgust at the photo. '…and get out of here.'

Lily located Bridget Finnegan with a group of other third-year girls, and deposited Stubby Boardman in their midst, to many muffled squeals of delight.

Then she followed Severus out of the Library, through several short-cuts along hidden corridors, and down several storeys to the Entrance Hall.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: The Birthday Gift.**

Severus paused at the great oaken doors, peering outside.

'It's stopped snowing. Come on.'

'You haven't told me where we're going yet.'

'I did, early this morning. For a walk.'

As they went out of the castle doors they saw that many others had realised the snow had stopped falling, and had ventured out. A group of rowdy first years were having a snow-ball fight near the Gamekeeper's hut, and Lily saw Melchior Abbot had procured himself a toboggan, and was sliding down the sloping ground beneath the castle walls with a group of other Hufflepuffs.

Tracks in the snow indicated that many of the senior students had decided to visit Hogsmeade, a wizarding village some distance from the castle grounds.

'I'm dying to be able to go to Hogsmeade.' Lily said, looking wistfully at where the tracks disappeared beyond the school gates. 'I heard there're some wonderful shops there.'

'Next year we'll be able to.'

They wound their way carefully around the Whomping Willow. Professor Sprout had told them it was a very valuable and rare tree that Hogwarts School had managed to procure the summer before she and Severus had first started school there.

Lily agreed that it may be valuable, but she couldn't understand why they had planted it within the school grounds, since it had a propensity for beating anyone who came near it with its branches. The tree creaked menacingly as they edged around it, keeping well clear of the reach of its branches.

'Let's go past the Gamekeeper's hut. Hagrid's in Hogsmeade.' Severus said.

'How d'you know that?'

Severus pointed silently to some unmistakeably large footprints leading from the Gamekeeper's hut and joining the many tracks going towards the school gate. They were fairly fresh, Lily noted.

With a quick glance at where the rest of the students were playing in the snow, they hurried down the sloping, snow-covered grounds towards the Forbidden Forest, clutching their cloaks around them, for it had started snowing again, though lightly.

'Let's go into the forest!' said Lily, breathless with excitement, as they went past Hagrid's hut.

'Well, we could, I suppose. But we have to retrace our steps a bit and obliterate our footsteps, otherwise they'll see…'

'Oh.'

She had forgotten. She looked back at the two sets of footprints they had left behind, clearly going beyond Hagrid's hut.

But Severus had doubled back, and with a swiping motion of his wand, he was obliterating all signs of their passage.

'Come here, now.' he said, as he drew level with Hagrid's hut. He led her towards Hagrid's door.

'There.' he said 'Now it will appear as though someone went to visit Hagrid. Let's go to the forest. But we can't stay long because if Hagrid comes back he'll want to know why there are no footsteps leading _away _from his hut.'

They made their way once more around the gamekeeper's hut and towards the Forest, this time making sure to wipe their footprints behind them, so that only pristine white snow could be seen.

'Isn't this is wonderful, Sev?' said Lily, as they entered the first clump of trees at the fringes of the Forbidden Forest.

Some of the trees on the outskirts were barren, and the snow lay heavily on their branches. As they went further into the forest, the trees were snow-laden evergreen pines and fir-trees.

Severus nodded. 'It's very white, and… quiet.' he whispered.

He had been walking backwards, removing their footprints, but he turned round now, observing Lily.

She had climbed onto a fallen log, her arms held out as though she were about to fly. She breathed deeply and then exhaled, her breath hanging mistily in the cold forest air. Her green eyes were alive with excitement, and in the stark black and white of the snowy forest background, her dark red hair provided the only vivid splash of colour.

She noticed him looking at her with that strange half-smile again.

'What?' she said, smiling broadly.

An unexpected breeze in the otherwise still air made their black cloaks billow around them.

'Nothing.' he lied.

'I know you think I'm nuts for liking the forest so much. But it's so … I don't know... I feel so _alive_ here. And there's nothing like this back home.'

'No there isn't.' he agreed, watching her step lightly along the fallen log.

'I like the quiet here, too. It must be the snow…'

Severus didn't say anything. It could be the snow of course, but the Forbidden Forest had many secrets. Perhaps there would not be the usual forest noises in here, anyway...

Lily glanced at the distant grounds through the trunks of the trees.

'I don't think Hagrid'll be back soon. Let's go a bit deeper into the forest. Look- there are some tracks in the snow…'

Severus peered at where she was pointing. He couldn't tell what had made them – the snow was too deep at that point.

'Perhaps you should get your wand out, Lily – I don't know what animal made those footprints. There are some strange creatures in here.'

'Oh, no! Not these. I'm sure of it.'

'How can you be sure? What if whatever made those tracks is waiting to ambush…'

But Lily had already set off in pursuit of the animal that had left those tracks.

'Lily, wait!'

He ran after her and caught her by the sleeve of her robe.

'You can't just go tearing off into the forest! You can't see any path in the snow. You could get lost.'

Lily glanced backwards and had to admit he had a point. The trees were growing close together and they had lost sight of the clearing where they had come from.

She reluctantly followed Severus back towards where the trees grew less densely.

'I'm sure the animal that made those tracks was friendly.' She said again. 'I know - I can _feel_ it.'

Severus shook his head unbelievingly and was about to berate her for being so illogical.

'But I've had the best time so far today!' she said, before he could open his mouth.

'Er… about today…' he said, stopping suddenly. He fumbled for something underneath his cloak. 'I … er …got you something. For …for your Birthday.'

He handed her a small package wrapped in brown paper.

'Why, Sev. I thought you had forgotten! Thanks. What is it?' she said, her eyes shining.

'Well, open it!' he said, two red patches suffusing his pale face with colour.

There was a brief rustle of paper.

'A mirror!' Lily said, looking up at her friend in some surprise. She held the small square mirror up. It had a narrow, but ornate, gilt frame, which did not look new.

'It's not any mirror.' Severus hastened to say. 'It's a magic mirror. I've bewitched it!'

The first thing that came into Lily's mind was the '_magic mirror on the wall'_ of a muggle fairytale. Would an evil face appear in it, she wondered? But only her reflection looked back at her, as held it up in front of her face.

'It's a two-way mirror.' Severus was explaining 'It's one of a pair. I have the other one.'

Lily looked questioningly at him.

'When you need me, you look in the mirror and call my name, and I'll appear in your mirror and you in mine.' The faint blush spread further on Severus's pale face. 'I – I thought they'd be useful if you want to plan another trip to the forest or something.' He said quickly. 'You know - if it's after curfew, we could communicate easily with these…'

Lily saw her own eyes in the mirror widen with excitement, as the various possibilities the mirror offered suddenly opened up before her.

'Wow! You're right! What a great idea, Sev! Thanks!' she gave him a one-armed hug, still looking down at the mirror in her hand.

'So you like it then?' he said after a minute, when he felt the flush on his face subside a little.

'Of course I do! It's a wonderful gift! And to think I only gave you a bag of sweets for _your_ Birthday!' she said, smiling up at him ruefully.

'Well, you reminded me that we had now reached the momentous step of becoming teenagers. Dunno why it should be momentous, but anyway…'

'I don't know either. But we're both thirteen now, so officially teenagers, for whatever it's worth!' Lily laughed.

It had started snowing a bit more heavily now.

'I say, Sev - how d'you do it? It's pretty advanced magic, isn't it?'

Severus allowed himself a brief, but smug, smile.

'It is, rather, but at least it makes up for the fact that – well, I didn't _buy_ the mirrors, so I'm afraid they're a bit old.' he ended, mumbling.

Suddenly it occurred to Lily that he might not have forgotten her previous Birthdays, but that he could not buy her anything. This understanding brought with it a wave of affection for her friend that made her smile at him so warmly, that he felt the snow melting on his cheeks rather faster than it would normally have done.

'M- mirrors are notoriously complicated to bewitch,' he stammered, 'but the results are rewarding, and there are infinite possibilities of magical effects on reflections, so that…'

'Let's try it out!'

'Wh – What?'

'Let's try it out. Do you have the other mirror with you?'

Severus's hand moved instinctively towards the pocket of his robe.

'Good. You've got it. Let's see…'

She walked a few meters away from him, beyond the fallen tree. He reluctantly took out a similar mirror from his pocket.

'Shall I go first?' she said, holding the mirror up to her face.

He nodded mutely.

'Severus!' his name rang out loud and clear in the hushed silence of the forest glen. It was echoed by the mirror held in Severus' hand. He brought it up to his face.

Lily gave a startled gasp. Her reflection had disappeared, and Severus's face appeared just a few inches away from hers, for she had been holding the mirror very close. He was so close she could count the snowflakes that had settled on his long, black eyelashes. She gave a confused grin.

'Oh, wow!' she said, and heard her voice echo from Severus's mirror. She lowered her mirror and gazed across the few meters of space at Severus in amazement. When she raised the mirror again, only her reflection looked back at her.

'Turns back to a normal mirror once you break contact.' he said.

'Now your turn.' she said.

She saw him swallow and hesitate, but then he put the mirror up to his face.

'Lily!'

He had not shouted, but said her name in a low whisper. However, it was echoed by the mirror she was holding limply in her hand.

'_Lily!_' called the mirror softly, and she raised it to her face.

Severus' face appeared once more, as she knew her face must have appeared in his. This time she found she could not put it down again immediately. She felt the snow settle heavily in her hair, and some snowflakes were melting into small rivulets down her cheek.

In the mirror, she saw flurries of snowflakes, looking even whiter in contrast with Severus's dark hair, whirl across his face. His dark eyes looked straight into hers and a small, shy smile started to form on his lips. She felt herself smiling in response, when suddenly a terrified shout rent the air.

'AAAAARGH!'

She almost dropped her mirror in fright. Suddenly Severus was at her side, wand in his hand, and had pulled her in the lengthening shadow of the nearest tree.

'The sound came from over there' she told him, indicating the direction of the school grounds. 'It sounds as though someone's in trouble!'

They heard the terrified shout again, this time shriller and almost hysterical.

Lily pulled out her wand and set off at a run towards the sound.

'Lily wait! They'll see you coming from the forest!'

But this was not true, for the snow was now coming down so thick and fast that it was difficult to see anything beyond a few meters ahead. Severus did not even bother to obliterate their footprints – it was snowing so heavily they would be gone naturally.

He hurried to catch up with Lily's dark, cloaked figure in the swirling snow. The terrified shouting was coming from the direction of the far end of sloping lawns in front of the castle.

They came out of the trees near Hagrid's hut. The sloping grounds were now covered in deep snow and this slowed their progress, but finally they could see where the commotion was coming from.

A huddle of small, dark figures was standing around a giant tree, which stood alone. It was the Whomping Willow, and its branches were swinging wildly, trying to reach the small figures around it. As Severus and Lily approached, they saw that there was a group of terrified first-years around the contorting tree.

'What's happened?' said Lily, breathlessly.

A girl with curly hair and wide eyes shining with tears, pointed at one of the branches.

'It's Davy – Davy Gudgeon! The tree's got him!'

Barely visible in the swirling snow a small figure was hanging from one of the branches by his cloak. It seemed his cloak had become ensnared in the branches and the tree was trying to shake him off.

'We were trying to get close enough to pull him loose, but the tree won't let us come nearer.' sobbed the little, curly-haired girl. Some of the first years had their wands out, but clearly had no idea what to do. Lily looked at the small boy anxiously. The tree was tossing him around like a rag-doll. If she didn't do something soon, his neck would be broken.

'Sev, I'll need your help. Try and distract the willow.'

'Try and distract - ?! What are you…?'

But Lily had set off round the other side of the tree. She found a big abandoned toboggan, and with her wand carefully levitated it onto the branches furthest away from the now limp body of Davy Gudgeon. The tree stopped trying to shake him off and started beating the toboggan instead.

'Now, Sev! Quickly – get him!'

Severus looked disbelievingly up at the hanging boy. Surely she didn't expect him to climb up the Whomping Willow and get him down? Lily was still pointing her wand at the toboggan, driving it deeper into the branches, and was looking at him expectantly. Splintered shards of the toboggan had started raining down on her.

He shook his head in disbelief, but went forward anyway, raising his wand.

'_Diffindo_!' he cried, feeling the tingle of magic travel down his arm and leave his wand as a bright light.

He was relieved to see he had hit the spot he had been aiming at, and Davy Gudgeon's cloak tore all along its' length with a sheering sound. If Lily had not diverted most of the trees branches, his spell would not have been able to get to him at all.

The boy fell with a muffled thud at the bottom of the tree, cushioned by the deep snow. However, Severus's spell had also torn through the few twigs that had been entangled in the cloak, and the Whomping Willow seemed to take exception to this. With one wild, sweeping movement it tore the toboggan from its branches and sent it flying across the snow.

Severus , who had just ventured under the Whomping Willow's branches and grabbed hold of Davy Gudgeon's feet, suddenly saw all the tree's branches drawing themselves together and prepare to attack him. Several people screamed.

Cursing fluently, he pulled desperately at one booted foot. But a limp body half-buried in snow was more of deadweight than he imagined. He knew he wasn't moving fast enough, and he was about to give up and run for it, when someone came running to help him. It was Lily. She grabbed hold of the boy's other foot.

'Pull! Quick!' she half-screamed.

Severus swore loudly, but put all his strength into dragging the limp body away from the tree. A swishing noise overhead told him it was too late, and next second the branches had landed, hitting him hard. He saw stars for a moment, and then looked over to where Lily lay in the snow, arms over her head. She seemed unhurt however, for she was getting up and urging him on.

While the tree gathered its branches for another attack, they managed to pull him clear, away from its reach.

'We were out of reach of the heavier branches; thank goodness' Lily panted 'we only got hit by the smaller ones, and I think the soft snow helped.'

Severus, his head still smarting, did not say anything. He kneeled down near Davy Gudgeon, to see if he could arouse him and curse the hell out of him for getting them all into such trouble. However, as he bent over for a closer look, he saw the boy's face was very bloody.

'How is he?' Lily knelt at his side. The other first years were also gathering around.

Severus turned the boy's head to see where the blood was coming from. Lily wiped some of the snow away from his face and then gave an audible gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.

Davy Gudgeon's right eye was a bloody mess, his eyelid torn and distorted. The curly-haired girl screamed.

Severus gazed at it for a few seconds, then let go of his head, which fell back lifelessly, and stood up suddenly.

'Well, has any one of you dunderheads thought about going for help?!' he shouted, looking at the frightened first-years standing there.

'We … Timothy's just gone for Madam Pomfrey.' said the curly-headed girl, who was white and shaking.

'Couldn't you've thought about it before? What in Merlin's name was he doing so close to the Whomping Willow, anyway?!'

The girl gave a quick frightened glance at a point some distance away, and it was then that Severus first noted the lone boy in the swirling snow. He was standing like a small dark statue, apart from the others, a layer of snow covering his head and shoulders.

'It was Regulus Black.' she said. 'He ran under the Whomping Willow, and then dared Davy Gudgeon to do the same. He told him he should be ashamed as a Gryffindor, if he didn't do it!'

The curly-haired girl gave Regulus Black a look of dislike, but the young Slytherin first-year did not move, but remained rooted to the spot like a snow-covered statue, quietly looking on.

'What happened? Did someone go for help?'

Lily had come up to him and she was shivering for she had taken off her cloak and wrapped it around the unfortunate Davy. Severus was telling her what had happened, when they heard a shout in the distance.

They saw Madam Pomfrey hurrying down the snowy expanse with a boy in tow. They could barely make out, in the deepening twilight and swirling snow, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout coming behind her.

'Why are you all still here in this cold? You should be inside!' Madam Pomfrey shouted. 'What did the Whomping Willow do? Remus, do you know anything about this?'

Remus Lupin, the boy she had in tow, was shaking his head, looking frightened.

The group of students stood apart to let her pass to where the unconscious boy was lying, still wrapped in Lily's cloak.

They heard a sharp intake of breath as she bent down to examine him. Then she stood up quickly, conjured a stretcher, levitated him onto it, and set off towards the castle without a further word.

Professor McGonagall started chivvying the first years towards the castle, while Professor Sprout went to examine the Whomping Willow.

'I want a full explanation as to what happened this afternoon.' Professor McGonagall was telling them. 'But right now, I want you all inside. You, too, Mr Snape, Ms Evans. You should know to stay inside in this weather.'

The first-years tumbled over themselves in their eagerness to get inside. Severus and Lily followed them at a distance. Severus glanced at the spot where Regulus Black had been standing, but there was no sign of him.

Lily, who was shivering, but had adamantly refused to take his cloak when he offered it to her, had conjured up some warm blue flames in an empty can of nuts the first-years had left behind.

'Why on earth do boys do such stupid things?' she said, warming her hands on the can of blue flames that she had become as adept as Severus, at producing.

Severus looked at her, arching his eyebrows.

'Well, ok – _some_ boys, then!' she said, grinning. 'You should hear Potter and Black boasting about who got closest to the Whomping Willow! Even last year, I heard lots of boys dare each other to go up to it.'

'Well, if anyone else is going to fall for pointless acts of daring, it's their look-out – I'm not going near that tree again!'

Lily giggled. 'Well, Sev, I think you just won all the bets ever made, as you were practically hugging it's trunk just now!'

He looked at her incredulously, and was about to tell her in no uncertain terms, that it was her fault that he had been there in the first place, and had almost been whipped to a pulp by that monstrous tree. But she was smiling at him admiringly, and it reminded him of a fleeting look he had seen earlier, as he gazed in a mirror.

'You came to help, too.' he said, grudgingly, after a while.

'You had almost pulled him out by the time I got there.' she said, sobering up as she remembered his horrific injury. 'Poor Davy Gudgeon. I hope Madam Pomfrey will be able to mend his eye.'

Severus mumbled something like '…learnt his lesson.' which she didn't quite catch.

'I wonder why Madam Pomfrey thought Remus had something to do with it?' she mused, 'He was in the Gryffindor common-room, working, this afternoon…'

They had come up to the Castle's great oaken front doors and Lily extinguished her blue flames as they entered the relative warmth of the Entrance Hall. Severus had shot her a sour look when she had mentioned Remus, but she didn't notice. Standing at the far end of the Hall, Professor McGonagall was beckoning them.

With a quick glance at each other, they strode forward to give their story of what had happened that afternoon.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Combined Spellwork.**

It was a few days later that Severus saw Regulus Black again. He had avoided mentioning the younger Slytherin's role in the Whomping Willow incident when McGonagall asked for explanations, but there had been many eyewitnesses (mainly Gryffindor and Hufflepuff first-years) and so Regulus had earned himself a detention and McGonagall had docked a hundred points from Slytherin.

Which was why Regulus was now sitting alone in one of the dimly-lit alcoves of the Slytherin common-room, finishing homework that had piled up because of his detentions. His fellow Slytherins had not taken too kindly to seeing their House hour-glass almost empty of the green emeralds which had recently filled it.

Severus, whose efforts in the classroom had earned a lot of those emeralds, was inclined to agree. Besides, it was extremely foolish of Black to attempt to trick someone into such a dangerous situation in front of so many eyewitnesses. Then he remembered that after all, he was Sirius Black's brother, and that was just the sort of trick Sirius loved to play on his unwary fellow students.

Severus snorted in disgust, and was about to turn back to his essay on witch-hunting in mediaeval Britain for Binns, when he noticed the subject of his musing looking at him intently from where he was sitting. Regulus Black gave a hesitant smile when he caught his eye, but Severus ignored him and turned back to his parchment.

A moment later however, a shadow was cast over his work and he looked up to see Regulus standing near his table, fiddling with a quill in his hand.

'I - I just wanted to say thank you for last Sunday,' he mumbled.

'Thank me for what?'

'You got that boy out from under the Whomping Willow, and even though Helvetia Briggs, that Gryffindor girl told you what happened, you didn't snitch to McGonagall about me…'

'How d'you know what I told McGonagall?'

Regulus shrugged. 'She mentioned you hadn't. Misplaced House loyalty and all that…'

'Well, it would do for you to remember about house loyalty next time you attempt to try such a stupid trick in front of so many people,' Severus said coldly. 'You're exactly like your brother! But even _he_ would be more careful not to get caught!'

'I'm NOT like my brother!' Regulus's fists were balled suddenly, and his voice was even angrier than Severus's.

He observed him silently for a moment. His reaction was interesting. He remembered that, after all, Regulus had braved the Whomping Willow first.

'What made you go under the Whomping Willow anyway?' he said quietly.

Regulus, who had turned to go back to his alcove, paused.

'Davy Gudgeon is in Gryffindor, and he's always telling me I was sorted into Slytherin because I'm not brave like my brother. He wouldn't shut up about it…'

'There's a big difference between being brave and being downright rash and foolhardy like some Gryffindors,' Severus sneered.

Regulus smiled and fiddled with his quill some more as Severus returned to his books.

'Do you know-? I mean…how _is_ Davy Gudgeon?' he muttered nervously.

Severus turned back to him in surprise. Was he feeling sorry for the boy he disliked enough to lure into the clutches of the Whomping Willow?

'He's been sent to St Mungo's'.

'Oh.'

Severus observed him closely. The boy's head was bowed, and he seemed uncomfortable.

'But Lily Evans, who's in Gryffindor, told me she heard he would make a full recovery.'

'Oh. Right. She's the one that helped you pull Davy out, right?'

He nodded.

'Are you worrying about that Davy Gudgeon's fate?' Lucius Malfoy, who had come up behind Severus, went round to where Regulus was still standing, and laid a hand on his shoulder. Regulus turned red as he looked up at the tall prefect.

'I heard that he had been taunting you about your Gryffindor brother, so do not feel sorry for him,' Lucius said. 'As you can see, he, being in Gryffindor, got away with it - the _poor victim_, in fact. While you, for doing exactly the same thing, have got detention and house points docked.'

Regulus blinked up at him. Severus was sure the younger boy hadn't thought of it that way, and neither had he, actually, though he doubted that what Regulus had done was the same as Gudgeon.

'Even Severus here,' Lucius was saying, 'was reprimanded for 'withholding information' as Professor McGonagall put it. Whereas he had just risked his life to pull out that boy from under the Whomping Willow, after successfully extricating him from its' branches.'

He paused.

'And do you know what that Gryffindor girl got? You know – Lily Evans?' Lucius looked meaningfully at Severus. 'She got ten points for Gryffindor, for the rescue of Davy Gudgeon from the Whomping Willow.'

He then added delicately: 'McGonagall is, as you know, the Gryffindor's Head of House.'

Severus said nothing, but looked sullen. Lily had told him of course, but he didn't think much about it – she had, after all, instigated the rescue in the first place. But the way Lucius put things in a completely different perspective, made him wish he hadn't lifted a finger to help that stupid first-year in the first place.

'I'm not saying what you did was very clever,' Lucius had turned his attention to Regulus again, who was drinking in his every word. 'Apart from the house points, we've ended up with a complete ban on going anywhere near the Whomping Willow, which can mean a lot of tedious patrolling for us Prefects…'

Severus knew he was referring to the notice, signed by the Headmaster, that had appeared in all the four common-rooms at Hogwarts last Monday, banning every student from approaching the Whomping Willow.

'But I certainly would not bother about any Gryffindor, Regulus – they are very well taken care of…' Lucuis continued. 'You come from …well, a _mostly _good family, Regulus, and like Severus here, it's your loyalty to Slytherin House that counts, and not any brother or friend in Gryffindor.' and with a last glance in Severus' direction, Lucius went to join some other sixth-years near the Fireplace, leaving Regulus staring at him with a rather wistful expression.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

With February came a rain that lasted for many days, washing away the pristine whiteness of the snow. Lessons were becoming more difficult and many evenings were spent inside, poring over books and last-minute dashes to the Library to finish Homework. The worst was that of Professor Ironwood, because, despite the reams of essays they had prepared, trying to untangle the boring, convoluted principles behind the various pieces of legislation she made them read, Severus knew that they had never had any practical experience of recognising the dangerous creatures ( or those _she _considered dangerous, anyway) she lectured about ( unless you counted the grainy pictures on her old projector), much less learned how to tackle them, if they had to come across one.

He remembered the tracks in the Forbidden Forest, and wondered whether he could gain some experience there. The Forbidden Forest had always attracted him because of the possibility of finding unusual or rare (and certainly fresh) potion ingredients, but now another possibility occurred to him. Lily, who loved the forest, would certainly agree to go, even without the added benefit of doing something practical about increasing their knowledge of Dark creatures.

With a mental note to suggest it to Lily as soon as they had a moment alone together, he sat down next to Rosier for their Charms Lesson. It seemed Flitwick had procured a large number of muggle matchsticks, and they were now charming them to form complicated shapes and structures.

He was finding it difficult to do, because he thought it quite as purposeless as playing with muggle building-blocks. So his mind was not on the task when Flitwick handed them each a box of matchsticks and told them to get on with it.

He pointed his wand listlessly at the matches spread out on the desk before him. The usual feeling of magic welling up from deep inside him, when he performed a particularly complex, or challenging spell, was barely a tingle in his arm now.

In fact, he only succeeded in setting some of the matches on fire. He quickly swatted them to put them out before they set the others on fire too.

Rosier, who was sitting next to him, smirked.

Severus scowled and made another mental note to study this charm with Lily, if he got a chance – she was much better at these sort of Charms than he was.

He looked over at Rosier to see if he'd managed to create the snowflake-like circle Flitwick wanted. To his surprise, he saw that Evan Rosier's matches had all moved neatly in a line to form a slightly misshapen circle on the desk in front of him. Evan noticed him looking, and, leaning forward across his desk, so that only Severus could see, he muttered something under his breath. His wand glowed with a blue light and the matchsticks moved so that the misshapen oval undulated into a form Severus recognised at once.

It was a crude skull, and out of its mouth a long, angular, matchstick tongue came out. Only Severus knew it wasn't a tongue, but a serpent.

He glanced quickly at Evan, who was looking at him intently with an enigmatic smile on his face. Before he could open his mouth to ask him why he had formed the crude Dark Mark, Severus heard tiny footsteps behind their desk, warning him of Flitwick's approach. Evan Rosier hastily swept his matches into a tangled heap in the middle of the desk.

Flitwick, seeing the jumbled mess of matches in front of them both, set them extra work in practising this charm before their next lesson.

'What did you do that for?' Severus said angrily, as they filed downstairs for lunch.

'Do what?' Rosier answered, raising one eyebrow.

'The Dark Mark! If Flitwick saw you-!'

'What Dark Mark? Only Death Eaters are able to conjure up the Dark Mark!'

'You know what I mean.'

'Oh, the matchsticks, you mean?' he made a sound of disgust. 'Even Flitwick wouldn't be afraid of that rubbish! The _real_ thing, on the other hand,' he lowered his voice '…is really awe-inspiring – fills up the whole sky!'

'And how would _you _know?' Severus said sarcastically 'Have you ever seen one?'

Evan Rosier gave him an annoyingly superior look.

'Well, Severus, as you once told me yourself: 'ask no questions and you'll be told no lies.' And with that Rosier sat down at table, and started to help himself to some soup.

Severus slid down on the bench near him, but could not quite take his mind off the image of the skull and the undulating matchstick serpent coming out of its mouth. Nor could he forget the genuine, suppressed excitement in Evan Rosier's voice when he said the words '...really awe-inspiring, - fills up the whole sky!'

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

But the Charm aggravatingly eluded him, and try as he might, he managed very little progress with it. He had finally produced a very wobbly matchstick line during Flitwick's lesson, but his fellow Slytherins had progressed to more complicated patterns.

'I definitely want to see an improvement to your _Resumptum Duco_ Charm, Mr Snape, or it will be detention. Look at Rosier – a perfect, six-pointed snowflake. And Miss Blackwater has produced a most elegant spider's web pattern!'

The tiny Professor had tut-tutted some more at his weak effort, and then set them an essay on wand movements for the _Resumptum Duco _Charm.

Which was why he was now sitting with Lily in a disused classroom in one of the upper levels of the dungeons, she having agreed to help him with it, since he seemed to have developed a bit of a block about it. All he could think about was the skull and serpent Rosier had produced with the _Resumptum duco_ Charm, and he had to be careful- it would not do to repeat _that _accidently!

'Look – it's more of a _wavy,_ circular motion,' Lily was saying, 'and you've got to _imagine_ the shape you wish to produce.'

She demonstrated the wand movement. Severus, who was sitting at a desk with a box of matches spread out before him, followed her instructions, but the matches seemed reluctant to obey. His wand glowed briefly, but only a few matches rolled together to form a slightly wonky semi-circle.

'No, that won't do. Flitwick wants a circular pattern – doesn't care if it's hexagonal, octagonal or whatever, but it has to be a circle!'

'I know, Lily. What d'you think I'm trying to do!'

'You're not trying hard enough!'

'This spell is so _pointless_! What the hell do I need to form matchstick circles for?'

'Oh, I don't know. I like this Charm – perhaps it may prove useful someday,' Lily replied, airily, 'Besides, I think the patterns are quite pretty.'

'_Pretty_?' Severus snorted in disdain.

Lily chuckled. 'Oh, come on. I'll show you!'

And with that, she slid off the desk where she was sitting, and stood behind Severus's chair. Bending over, she placed her right hand over his hand as he clutched his wand, curling her fingers so that she, too, was touching the ebony wand.

'Now, Sev – remember when we went to the forest and it was snowing?'

Severus nodded. He did not trust himself to speak, with her voice so close to his ear, and her hand resting lightly over his.

'Remember how heavily the snow was falling?' she continued 'Now, I want you to recall the shape of those snowflakes. The way you could see every single crystal against – against something like a dark background…'

An image flashed across his mind of soft white snowflakes clinging to strands of dark red hair, green eyes gazing in wonder at him out of a small mirror…

He felt the familiar warmth of magic as it flowed from deep within him, and through his arm, tingling in his hand. Only this time it felt different – magnified a hundredfold by the warmth of the small hand encircling his own – a living force that was moving through him, and with him, as their hands moved smoothly in a circular motion. The tip of the ebony wand glowed intensely, giving off a blue light that was almost blinding.

'_Resumptum duco!' _they cried in unison, obeying the urge within.

The matches leapt together forming a circle that started to spin dizzyingly, then rose into the air and formed the intricate six-pointed shape of a snow crystal. More matches spun upwards before their stupefied eyes to form not one, but many, different snowflakes, their shapes starting to glow the same intense blue as the tip of the ebony wand and lighting up the dark dungeon classroom. They glowed intensely for one more brief second, then disappeared.

Severus thought they may have somehow burnt, but in the split second before the light completely faded, he saw a few real snowflakes float down towards the desk. He glanced at Lily and saw her looking at the drops of water on the desk where the snowflakes had vanished, her mouth half-open in surprise.

She saw him looking at her, and, realising she was still holding his hand, quickly took hers away.

'What – what just happened?' she asked.

'Dunno. Thought you were just going to show me how to make circles with matchsticks,' he replied, forcing himself to speak calmly, but very much aware that his heart was still beating very fast.

'I didn't – I never did _that_ before. What happened?' she repeated.

'I'm not sure,' he said slowly, 'but the spell seemed somehow enhanced because you were – you know … because we did the spell together.'

Lily looked at him in wonder.

'I never heard of that before.'

'Neither have I. Actually, I don't think many witches or wizards share wands like - like we just did. Borrow each other's wands, perhaps, but…' he shrugged.

'But why don't they? If it increases a spell's power, it could be very useful.'

'Yes. But I've never seen anyone rushing to cast spells together. It's not even mentioned in any of the Standard Book of Spells. It would've been, if it were such a good idea, don't you think?'

'So what we've done is wrong, somehow?' her tone of voice was unbelieving.

'No. Not wrong! Anything but wrong,' he answered vehemently.

He frowned lost in thoughts than a moment later he added quietly: 'I think that probably wand-sharing may have weaker, not stronger effects, usually – I'm sure it's been tried by before, but since no-one casts spells in exactly the same way, just as no two wands are exactly the same, then the end result of the simultaneous casting would be equivocal, unpredictable or even dangerous, perhaps, yes.' His voice grew stronger as he tried to find some logic in what happened. 'And that's why such a method is not even mentioned in books of basic spells'

'But then why did it work for us?'

Lily's question brought him back to earth.

'Perhaps it was a one-off. Perhaps it had to do with affinity for the wand. That's a complex field of study – Wand lore, I mean. Or perhaps, it was because…'

He stopped.

'Because what?'

'Well, because we happened to be thinking exactly the same shape or something…' he felt himself redden, and was glad the room was dimly lit once more. Glancing at Lily he saw that she had gone back to sitting on the desk next to his, and her face was in shadow.

'Yes. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps we were thinking the same thing,' she agreed quietly.

Severus noticed she carefully avoided looking at him when she said this. He wished he knew what she was thinking. They had never spoken much about their short trip into the forest, due to the subsequent events at the Whomping Willow, and also because of an unspoken something that made them shy away from the subject of the forest and the two-way mirror.

Until Lily had brought it up, that is, just now, while helping him with the charm…

'The power of the mind is very strong where magic is concerned. It is connected intimately with the power of the wand itself. You see, I've read some stuff on wand lore, but evidently I haven't read enough. And I certainly would want to learn more about the power of the mind. Do you remember that witch we met in Diagon Alley – the Legilimens?'

'Madeira? She was evil, Sev. Didn't you see what she did to Jenny?'

'She read her mind! All the information she wanted – she got it just like that!'

'Exactly! Besides whatever other evil plans she had in mind for us! How can you admire someone like _her_?'

Severus saw she was looking at him in disquiet.

'Not _her_. Just the ability to perform legilimency. Wish I knew how. There's nothing much in the Library. It's not something you can learn from books, apparently…'

'Thank goodness.'

'Why? Wouldn't you like to know what another person is thinking? To know if they're lying, or hiding something?'

Lily shook her head. 'I think everyone's entitled to their privacy. If – if someone's lying or whatever, then I'd want to find out in the old-fashioned way.'

Severus raised his eyebrow quizzically at her.

'You know – you look at their faces,' she explained, 'You can tell they're not being honest.'

'Perhaps. In some cases, but not in all. Legilimency's more accurate.'

'Well, I don't like the sound of it. Jenny still has nightmares about what that old witch did to her. I wouldn't like someone fiddling around with my mind, anyway.'

'There's Occlumancy for that.'

'Occlu- what?'

'Occlumancy. That's something I learnt about from books anyway. It's the power to stop someone from entering your thoughts.'

'Sounds like its pointless learning legilimency, if everyone are going to use Occlumency to stop you from reading their minds anyway,' Lily giggled.

Severus scowled.

'Not everyone. Few witches or wizards know about either, so one would be at an advantage knowing both Legilimency and Occlumency. Besides, it seems one has to have a natural affinity for this form of magical art.'

'And you think _you_ do?'

Severus looked at Lily, but she wasn't being sarcastic. She seemed slightly apprehensive, if anything. He remembered that Malfoy had said his Great-grandfather Prince had been a famous Legilimens.

'Well, it seems I won't be finding out any time soon, will I? No-one I've asked seems to know legilimency - even Lucius Malfoy says he cannot do it, though he said he knows of a great wizard who does. Maybe he'll introduce me one day.…' he shrugged.

'Let's hope no-one finds out in the meantime. It would be disastrous if students had to run around reading each other's minds, - imagine trying to do exams without cheating! Speaking of which, you know they'll be asking us to choose our third-year subjects next month.'

'Yeah. I have a pretty good idea of what I'll choose, but I'll wait for the paper first.'

'Right. So let's start off by getting this Charm done, right? Flitwick's lesson is in two days time and you don't want another detention.'

Severus smiled. 'I think I've got the hang of it now.' he said, rummaging around in the desk drawer for the spare box of matches.

'_Resumptum duco' _he said, and with a wave of his wand, the matches came together once more. This time they did not fly, glowing brightly, into the air. However, a perfect, six-pointed snowflake-shape appeared on the desk, in front of Lily's delighted face.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Third Year subjects.**

When Easter arrived, the wet weather of the previous month was succeeded by warmer days, and, as April approached, many of the students who were staying at Hogwarts spent their Easter Holidays walking near the lake on fine days, or, for those old enough to do so, visiting Hogsmeade village. Many of the second-years were still discussing their choice of third-year subjects, for the time had finally come for them to choose.

Lily had been rather confused about what to take on. She and Severus had spent all the previous week discussing the various options. Both had decided to discard Muggle Studies, since they came from muggle backgrounds.

Lily told Severus that some of the purebloods in Gryffindor, like Alice walker, had chosen Muggle Studies because they lived rather secluded lives within their magical family, so that they hardly even knew how a light bulb worked. Others, like Peter Pettigrew, who was a half-blood, chose Muggle Studies as a 'soft option;' or perhaps because James and Sirius, with whom he tagged along sometimes, had chosen it, too.

Severus was quite clear about what he wanted: Ancient Runes and Arithmancy were top of his list.

Lily liked the sound of Ancient Runes – she imagined she would be deciphering ancient lost languages, or finally discovering what some old Library manuscripts written in runic script were all about.

Arithmancy sounded more daunting, but Severus explained it was about deducing many things about a person by applying the rules of magical numbers. She did not quite understand, but chose it anyway, just because he did.

The last two subjects were Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Severus was more undecided between these two.

'I suppose I'll go for Magical Creatures,' he said ' 't would be more useful than Divination.'

'Sounds interesting,' Lily mused, frowning at the parchment in her hand with the list of third- year subjects. 'I guess we'll be looking after Unicorns and Phoenixes, and suchlike'

'Hmmm. Some of the rarest potion ingredients come from these animals. Yeah – I think that's what I'll choose.'

He marked the appropriate space on the parchment with his quill, using the Standard Book of Spells as a support. They were out in the courtyard, enjoying their break in the open air before they returned to their last classes before the Easter Holidays.

'What about Divination?' Lily asked, still looking doubtfully at her own parchment. 'Wouldn't you like to learn how to foretell the future? That's what it's all about, isn't it?'

'They say it's an imprecise branch of magic. Anyway, I don't think I want to be told my future …I'd rather make my own destiny, if you know what I mean…'

'It's funny, isn't it? If this divination stuff really works, then you shouldn't bother about controlling your future, because it'll just happen anyway!' Lily giggled.

'Maybe it doesn't. Maybe much of the stuff they foretell doesn't happen after all, and that's why it is so inaccurate. They say real prophecies are very rare, and the rest is just good guesswork.'

'Well, Thalia, Mary and Alice have chosen Divination, and you won't believe why they chose it! They want to learn how to foretell the future just so they'll find out who they're going to marry one day!' Lily rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. 'But I guess you're right, it would be pointless to know about your future, if you believe nothing you can do will change it! '

Severus looked at her thoughtfully for a second.

'Maybe you can. Maybe if you know early enough, you can change the course of events. That'd be useful!' he said. 'Tell you what – let's take it on, and then if it's a load of rubbish, or we can't keep up with the other lessons, we'll drop it. After all, most people have only chosen two or three subjects.'

Lily nodded and, using one of the stone columns in the courtyard as support, scratched out a mark next to 'Divination' with her quill.

'Done,' she said looking at her completed parchment. 'Now let's go in. After this, I only have double Herbology this afternoon and then … Holidays! What shall we do tomorrow?' she asked eagerly 'And don't say '_start our homework'_ –there's plenty of time for that!' she added with a pout.

'I wasn't going to,' Severus said, hiding a smile. 'We'll see when tomorrow comes, however.'

And with that they headed indoors.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

That night, Lily went up rather late to bed. Potter and Black were playing a raucous game of Gobstones with Jake Brodie and Remus Lupin, on a table in the corner of the Gryffindor common room. Chocolate wrappers and some huge half-eaten Easter eggs littered the table and floor around them, for Potter had received a huge hamper from home, and wasn't waiting till Easter Sunday to open them, but had shared them out immediately.

The noise from the corner got so loud that Sarah MacDougal, the prefect, had to get up and shush them, for some fifth-years were studying.

Lily had almost fallen asleep in front of the deserted fireplace in the ensuing quiet, before she finally decided to go to bed. She moved quietly, so as not to awaken Jenny Trimble, the only other girl remaining in the dormitory for Easter .But it seemed as though she had hardly put her head on the pillow, before someone was calling her name. Confusedly, she thought the voice was coming out of a whirling snowstorm, before she realised she had been dreaming.

The voice, however, was not a dream.

'Lily!' the voice said softly, from somewhere near her bed.

She recognised the voice and sat up suddenly. It was Severus. She fumbled around in the dark in the drawer of her bedside table, for what she now knew was the Two-way mirror calling.

She found it and held it up to her face.

'Severus?'

His face was reflected in the mirror, outlined faintly by dim candlelight. She glanced outside the window of the dormitory – it was still dark.

'What time is it? ' she whispered, hurriedly closing the curtains around her four-poster bed and lighting her wand.

'Half-past four in the morning. Listen - d'you want to come to the Forbidden Forest with me?'

'Now?'

'Well, yes, if you want to avoid being seen.'

'But if we're caught out of bed so late…'

'It's not late, it's early in the morning – there are no rules against rising early. Besides, I've been checking the corridors – no-one's around, not even Mrs Norris! _Now_'s the ideal time!'

'Alright, let's do it!'

'I'm waiting at the bottom of Gryffindor tower. Be here in ten minutes, and get your cloak.'

Lily got a glimpse of his face as he brought a small candle to his lips to blow it out. Then the mirror reflected nothing back but darkness.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, quickly threw on some clothes and wrapped the black cloak around her, making sure her wand was in her pocket. Moving quietly, she made her way through the deserted common-room and out of the portrait hole.

With a nervous look around her she set off down the corridor, not even daring to light her wand. She could hardly see, for the star-lit window at the end of the corridor provided the only light. However, she could hear gentle snores coming from some of the occupants of the portraits along the wall.

Suddenly, a few yards ahead, something moved. She froze. A thin, dark, shadow seemed to detach itself from the surrounding blackness and come towards her.

'Oh, Severus, it's you!' she breathed in relief, as his pale, solemn face came into view.

'Shh! Yes, follow me. I know a short cut down to the ground floor, but careful not to bump into anything. We don't want to wake up Filch.'

Silently, they made their way down several storeys to the ground floor. Lily tried to keep close to Severus, for whenever he moved too far ahead, with his dark hair and cloak, he seemed to merge as one with the shadows around him.

Finally, they crossed the Entrance Hall carefully and made their way down the dungeon steps.

'No-one's around this deep in the dungeon,' Severus said, lighting his wand, for they had already passed the torch-lit upper levels and now the passageways were in total darkness.

Lily followed suit, and their pale blue wand light lit up the way ahead.

'Are we going from the underground lake?' she asked.

He nodded. 'I've checked the lake too. Conditions are ideal – calm and misty. If we leave early enough, we'll have a whole day in the forest.'

'Oh good – a picnic! But I didn't get anything.'

Severus snorted in disdain. 'A _Picnic_? I thought of trying to find some of the so-called dark-creatures Professor Ironwood keeps telling us about. It's our only chance to learn anything about them since that old cow can teach us nothing but articles and sub-articles from her stupid regulations!'

'Oh, well. Let's hope we won't meet darker creatures than we can deal with! Alice said there's werewolves in there!' she said, apprehensively.

'Nah! We're not going that deep! Besides, I want to find some Griffonian Maggots and Knotgrass. It's supposed to be abundant there. Look - there's the lake!'

Before Lily could ask what he wanted the maggots for, he had hurried on to the water's edge and was already untying a boat from its moorings.

'Get in,' he said 'I've already put in everything we need.'

Lily noticed an old rucksack at the bottom of the boat as she got in and took her place beside an oar. Severus jumped in lightly, and pushed off from the small jetty. They rowed smoothly towards the hidden entrance at the mouth of the cave.

Remembering what had happened last time they were in the boat, Lily felt slightly edgy. But the water was calm at the mouth of the cavern, and the Giant Squid was nowhere in sight.

Once they had passed the narrow crevice, the lake was as smooth as glass outside, and a thick mist, palely lit by the starlight, hid the opposite shore.

They rowed in silence for a while- the only sound was the soft plop of the oars as they dipped in the water. Mist swirled around them as they aimed blindly for the opposite shore.

After a while, the darkness around them began lift slightly, and the light that precedes dawn started to turn the mist into a pale whiteness of diffused light.

Suddenly, the dark shapes of the trees of the forbidden forest loomed out of the mist ahead, and a minute later, their boat bumped gently on the opposite shore. They leapt out and dragged the boat ashore, hiding it in the undergrowth.

'How'll we find it again in this mist?' Lily asked, sounding worried.

'There's a big oak tree that stands out from all the rest. I've marked it days ago. You can see it from miles away once you get to the shore. That's a good place to start, I think. Let's go.'

And hitching the rucksack on his back, he set off in the direction of the oak tree.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes. With the dawn, the mist lifted a bit, so that they could see for some distance around them, and almost immediately they found themselves in a clearing overhung by the thick, heavy, branches of a very ancient oak tree. Wisps of mist still drifted around the gnarled trunk of the old tree. Lily found the sight eerily beautiful, but Severus was already kneeling down collecting something from the forest floor, rucksack by his side. She was about to wander off when she noticed something move about half-way up the oak tree. She went for a closer look.

She couldn't see anything at first, then she froze as she saw two tiny eyes glaring back at her. The eyes seemed to belong to a twig. Suddenly the twig slashed at her with sharp claw-like projections.

She gasped and jumped back in alarm.

'What is it?'

Severus was at her side, wand out. She shakily drew hers out too.

'I don't know. The tree attacked me! Look- there!'

It took several seconds for Severus to find the little twig-shaped figure, for it blended in well with the rough bark of the trunk.

'Is it a Forest Imp ?' asked Lily looking at the small stick figure still looking belligerently at them.

'No, I think it's a Bowtruckle. They're tree guardians! This oak must be wand quality!' Severus said excitedly.

'Yes. Now I remember. Professor Ironwood mentioned them. Is it another case of her harmless 'dangerous' creatures?'

'Think so. They're mentioned in books of Wand lore, but not as being dangerous in any way – only as indicators of wand-quality trees.'

'So they're harmless.'

Lily made as if to step closer to the tree, but Severus held her back.

'They can still take your eyes out – careful of their claws. There's a way of getting them out of your way, but I can't remember.'

'You'd think Artemesia Ironwood would've told us that, given that she teaches DADA, wouldn't you?' Lily said, irritated.

'When has she ever given us useful information? All she did was classify them as dangerous creatures under I don't know what sub-article, just because they've got claws!' Severus said derisively, eyeing the majestic Oak above their heads.

'Anyway', he continued 'This is why I wanted to come here. Next time we come, I'm going to be prepared for that Bowtruckle - I want some bark out of that tree!'

'We'll do it next time. Let's go somewhere else, now.' Lily was looking apprehensively at the stick-man, who had folded his legs under him as if preparing to jump at them.

Severus reluctantly picked up his rucksack and followed her out of the clearing.

They walked deeper into the forest, Severus stopping every now and then to turn over a moss-covered stone, or collect strange ferns and fungi. The trees were growing close together now, and were mostly the evergreen firs they had seen further down the lake when they had entered the Forbidden Forest from beyond the Gamekeeper's hut.

Most of the mist had lifted now, but under the thick canopy of trees only a dim, greenish light filtrated through. Lily noted that even the morning birdsong, so evident in the clearing where the oak tree grew, was inaudible here. She could only hear the faint rustling of their cloaks on the dead leaves and pine needles of the forest floor. Was it her impression, or was this part of the forest so deadly quiet that it was unnatural?

She looked back to see if Severus had noticed anything, but he was engrossed in trying to prise off a large gob of amber resin from the trunk of a large tree.

At that moment, while still looking backwards, she walked into something springy and soft. For a split second, she thought she had walked into a large fern, but then realised in horror that it was a spider's web – a really _huge_ spider's web! It was at least two meters high, thick and pearly white with droplets of condensation from the mist, stretching between two tall tree trunks.

'Sev - Sev, I'm stuck!' she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice, for this was no ordinary spider's web - it was very strong and extremely sticky, and she could not brush off what felt like some sort of unbreakable gum.

In a second Severus was at her side, his eyes widening at the sight of the enormous web.

Lily held out her hand and he tugged hard until she finally came free.

'What on earth made that web?' she asked, shaken, as she peeled bits of the sticky substance off her cloak.

'Dunno. But I'm guessing its no ordinary spider.'

He was peering anxiously around, trying to see through the gloomy half-light between the trees. His wand was in his hand.

Lily didn't need to be told. She took her wand out of her cloak.

'If – if it behaves like ordinary spiders do, then I guess my getting entangled in its web must've alerted it…'

The silence around them seemed to deepen. Not even a leaf moved. Lily shivered and moved closer to Severus.

'Perhaps it's not here.' She realised she was whispering.

It was then that they heard it: a clicking sound coming from a few feet above their heads. Looking up, Lily let out an audible gasp of horror – it was a huge spider, hairy, large, and close enough for them to see that its eight shiny, black, eyes were trained on them. It was at least a yard in diameter from one hairy tip of its legs to another. The clicking sound was coming from its lethal-looking black pincers.

'It's –it's a Tarantula!' gasped Lily.

But Severus shook his head. 'No Tarantula is _that _big or weaves _that_ web!' His wand was pointing unwaveringly at the creature. 'It …it must be something else…Perhaps…but no, it can't be!'

'Can't be what?'

Lily did not remove her eyes or her wand from the large spider. Perhaps it was her impression, but the creature seemed to be following the wavering tip of her wand with its many eyes.

'Well, I know that there are dark creatures that look like spiders called Acromantula, and they're extremely poisonous, but they're not found in Britain. Besides, they're much bigger than even these things.'

'Perhaps these are _babies_**! **Perhaps they found their way into Britain, somehow! Sev, I don't like the way that thing is looking at us, and if it's _poisonous_ ….!'

Her words were interrupted by more clicking sounds, but this time it was not coming from the creature above their heads, but from all around them! They watched in horror as more of the creatures appeared, some creeping along the forest floor, some from the trees above.

The clicking noise intensified as they drew nearer, and now they could distinguish another sound, like a sibilant whisper:-

'_Food!'_ the hissing voice said, and it was echoed here and there by many others.

'Sev, they're talking! The spiders are _talking_!' Lily knew the tone of her voice bordered on the hysterical now.

She felt Severus clasp her hand, in a steadying, cool, grip. She risked a quick glance at him and saw he was pale, but calm. She knew, somehow, that he was planning something. He moved suddenly, waving his wand in a curved line.

'_Serpensortia_!' he cried, and a huge, green, snake erupted from his wand and landed in front of them.

At the same time, his hand contracted around hers and pushed her backwards. She correctly interpreted this move and turned her back on the spiders, running in the opposite direction to the broken web, where there were yet no spiders. She saw from the corner of her eyes, before she turned, the green snake rearing up, hissing angrily, and the spiders moving surprisingly quickly, gathering around it.

They were running blindly now, whipping past low branches of trees and shrubs, their cloaks getting caught on thorns and twigs.

'Stop! Lily, stop! I think we've lost them!'

She slowed down and Severus came panting up behind her.

'Where did you learn to conjure a snake?' she asked, her breath coming in ragged bursts.

Severus did not answer her. She saw he was still carrying his rucksack despite their frenzied run. She shivered. 'Anyway, I hope it escaped too… Nothing should have to face such –such monsters!'

'It'll disappear eventually, when the magic wears off, unless they get it first' Severus said vaguely, apparently quite unconcerned about the fate of the serpent he had conjured. To her amazement, Lily saw he was looking at tree trunks again.

'We've just escaped Merlin knows what monsters a minute ago, and you're looking for potion ingredients?' she asked exasperatedly.

'No. I'm trying to find out which way is north,' he responded tightly. 'If you haven't noticed, I think we're completely lost!'

'Oh.'

She looked around her. She had been so eager to escape the spiders she hadn't thought about which direction she was running in. This part of the Forest seemed even darker, the trees more dense, than the one they had just left, and the mist was either re-forming or else it had never lifted from this part of the Forest.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: The Forbidden Forest.**

'I think that's north,' Severus said, pointing rather doubtfully in the direction where the trees grew thickest. 'I'm sure there's a charm or something that could help...'

Lily nodded. 'The Four-Point charm. A serious gap in our education, if we have to come here again, don't you think?' she grinned.

Severus didn't say anything. He seemed relieved that she was calm now, and even speaking about returning. She shook her head - it would take more than a couple of overgrown spiders to stop her. Though, she had to admit, it had been a tense moment, and she would treat the forest with more respect now that she knew what lurked there.

Something caught her attention then. In the opposite direction to where Severus had pointed, the trees appeared sharper, clearer, for the mist was not so dense. She moved slowly in that direction. It also appeared brighter there, and though she did not know why, exactly, she was drawn irresistibly towards the soft light.

Suddenly, a shaft of sunlight penetrated the surrounding gloom, and there, standing still in the dazzling light, was a beautiful doe.

Her large eyes were looking directly at her, and Lily held her breath. The beam of light glowed warmly on the doe's red back, and her beautiful head cast a sunlit shadow.

Lily felt as though she was in the presence of a forest spirit, and she knew the Doe was unafraid of her, just as surely as she knew that this was no ordinary forest creature. A deep happiness seemed to fill her as the large eyes, with their long lashes, continued to gaze serenely at her. The animal did not move, even when she felt Severus come up quietly behind her.

It seemed to Lily as though time stood still in those few seconds, but then the deer lifted up her delicate head, as though she had heard or smelt something, and turned towards the bright space behind her.

They followed her gaze – it seemed there was a clearing of some sort, beyond. The next second she had disappeared. They weren't quite sure how it happened, but one minute she was there, and the next she wasn't. Lily realised she had been holding her breath.

'Come on, let's go! She went that way!' she said, going towards the light.

Severus followed more reluctantly.

They emerged into a clearing roughly half the size of the Quidditch Pitch. It was a meadow, grass and flowers still wet with the early morning dew and the mist which was still heavy at the far end. They could not see any sign of the doe anywhere.

'Look – over there!'

Lily pointed at a movement in the grass, but it was only rabbits feeding in the middle of the sloping meadow. They were about to turn back when a slight movement caught Lily's eye. She turned her gaze to the far end of the meadow, hoping to see the doe again, but what she saw paralysed her with fear.

The heavy mist at the higher edge of the meadow was parting silently, swirling itself around large, spectral forms. She felt Severus stiffening beside her, and was aware that he, too, had seen – but what, exactly? Nothing but air, it seemed … there, but not there! However, she was sure that for a split second, huge bat-like wings had fanned their shape through the mist.

The hair on the back of her neck was prickling unpleasantly, and her heart was beating so fast, she was sure it could be heard in the eerie silence around them.

Her hand was still holding her wand, which now she pointed in the direction of the swirling mist, but she could see nothing there.

Then Severus grasped her hand and pulled her back. Glancing at him she was disconcerted to see how pale he was, eyes wide and fixed. With a look, he warned her to remain silent, and turned his eyes back towards the clearing. She followed his gaze and her heart almost stopped, for there, coming towards them from the misty edges of the meadow, were tracks – the tall grass was being parted swiftly by something invisible. Actually, about three or four such tracks had appeared, and whatever was making them was large and heavy, trampling the tall grass, though they could hear no sound.

'Back away, slowly,' Severus whispered in her ear.

She started moving backwards, but at that moment an unearthly shriek split the silence. Horrified, Lily watched as one of the rabbits that had been grazing made a strange convulsive leap into the air and then fell motionless in the tall grass.

A flurry of movement around the meadow revealed other rabbits scampering for cover. There was another shriek and another rabbit jerked convulsively through the air, as though being shaken by something invisible.

A strange, ugly sound drew their attention to where the first rabbit's corpse was being dismembered, flecks of blood spurting on the green grass, but they could not see who or what was doing it.

Lily felt ill and dizzy, and her feet seemed incapable of moving. She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her back. Hardly aware of what she was doing, her mind still full of the horrible sight of the invisible, stealthy killer, she stumbled after Severus, who was giving her anxious looks.

Once back in the dark shade of the trees however, she recovered slightly, and ran swiftly at his side, glancing every so often behind them, dreading to see the invisible tracks following _them_, now. They ran for what seemed like ages, eager to put as much distance as possible between them and the invisible killers, but finally Severus called a halt. Lily sat down panting on a fallen tree trunk.

'Now what in Merlin's name was that?' she asked, pulling her cloak around her, for she was still shaking, though not with cold. She could feel Severus's eyes on her.

'Whatever it was, was hunting rabbits, not us,' Severus said, in a voice of enforced calm. He was looking up, frowning and trying to determine which way was east, for the last remnants of mist had disappeared, and the sun was higher in the sky now.

'That's a comforting thought!' she retorted sarcastically 'Didn't you see those tracks? Whatever made them is _huge_! If it had to take a bite out of us, I think we'd be as badly off as that poor rabbit!'

'Gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Forbidden' Forest now, doesn't it?'

Lily knew he was trying to make light of what happened, to calm her down, for she was still shivering. It seemed to her as though as if something she had once thought so beautiful had suddenly grown fangs and claws, and turned savage.

'Well, at least we now know why it is 'Forbidden'. I think that is what must have spooked the doe…' she said, feeling slightly calmer as she remembered that beautiful creatures did, after all, exist alongside the monstrous ones they had just encountered in the forest.

'We definitely need to be better prepared for this Forest. We're even more completely lost now…'

He regretted his words the moment they were out of his mouth, for Lily's lips trembled, and she turned away from him, so he would not see her eyes filling with tears.

'What if we're expelled for this, Sev? I don't think a jaunt in the Forbidden Forest is going to earn us just a detention …especially if they have to come and rescue us. They're bound to find out we're missing.'

'No-one is going to find out, Lily. It's still early in the day, and we can find our way back.'

'Unless some invisible monster finds us first…' she mumbled, wiping her eyes on her cloak, still with her back to him. 'I wish we knew how to get out of here.'

She felt terrible, and knew that it was, perhaps, her fault in the first place that they were in such a predicament. She had badgered Severus often enough to go to the Forest, and that was probably why he had suggested going there, early that morning. If he was expelled, or, worse, if he got hurt, it would be all her fault!

Something made her look up at that moment. And there between the trees stood the doe again.

'Sev, look!' she whispered excitedly, her anguish forgotten.

But Severus had already glimpsed her.

The animal stood gazing at them boldly, only yards away. Then it turned and walked a few paces through the undergrowth, stopped, and turned back to look at them.

'I think it wants us to follow,' Lily said, in a hushed voice.

'What? Lily, it's just an animal…'

'No, look!'

The deer had once more made a few paces forward, stopped, and turned to look at them unblinkingly again. Lily stepped forward slowly towards the animal, but it did not flee.

'Come on, Sev. We've got to follow her – I know we do.'

Before he could ask her how she had come to that conclusion, Lily had set off after the doe, and he had no choice but to follow.

The graceful animal picked her way delicately through the undergrowth and between the tree trunks, pausing now and then to see if they were following, for all the world like some large, friendly dog.

They had been walking for about a quarter of an hour, when she gave a last look back at them, put on a burst of speed, and disappeared.

'Where'd she go?' asked Lily in dismay, looking around her.

'Lily, look!' the suppressed excitement in Severus's voice made her turn round. He was pointing at the forest floor, and she saw, clearly visible through the fallen leaves and pine needles, what was clearly a path.

'She led us to a path! We're saved!' Lily cried excitedly, jumping up and down, 'The Doe saved us!'

'I guess she did. We should go this way!'

She knew Severus was just as relieved as she was, though he tried to hide it. They started running pell-mell down the forest path, sure that it would take them to the water's edge or further on, where the lake ended near the castle lawns.

They were running so fast, that they did not see the vast, looming, shadow coming towards them round a bend in the path, until it was too late. They crashed right into the huge shape, and the speed of their momentum was such that they rebounded backwards, falling hard onto the forest floor.

Lily screamed, and Severus, sprawled on the ground, tried to struggle up to a sitting position, as he aimed his wand at the large shape. It was then that they realised it was Hagrid, the Gamekeeper.

Lily was too relieved to see someone from school to think about how bad it looked for them to be caught there.

'Oh, Hagrid! It's you!' she said, jumping back to her feet, 'I'm so happy to see you. We were lost, but we followed the deer and …and…' she faltered and stopped, realising that Hagrid was looking thunderous, and that they had just emerged from the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid lunged suddenly at Lily, making her jump, and picked up something from her cloak. He held up, between his thumb and forefinger, a piece of the spider's web that must have remained stuck to her cloak.

'Yeh've bin runnin' aroun' the Forest, haven't yeh?' he roared. 'Don't yeh know yeh're not allowed in there? Don't yeh know it could be dangerous, if yeh wander off the forest path? This could mean detention fer both of yeh!'

Lily looked down at her feet, trembling in front of Hagrid's wrath, but Severus spoke defiantly:

''S not her fault –'t was entirely my idea to come here!'

Lily's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Hagrid did something unexpected – he gave a loud guffaw.

'Made a bet with yeh, didn' he?' he said to Lily. 'See if yeh're brave enough to enter the forest, eh? Well, yer not the firs' nor the las' to play sich tricks, lemme tell you! 'sides, the forest ain't so bad, really. On'y, its forbidden', an' dangerous fer second-years to enter alone. 'Twouldn't do fer one o' yeh to lead t'other into trouble, now, would it?' He turned to Severus. 'Yeh're in Slytherin, aren't yeh?' he said, looking at him with displeasure.

Severus nodded, scowling.

'Hagrid, I – I came to the forest because I always loved it… Severus didn't-'

'Love the forest, eh? Hmmm. Did yeh say yeh followed a deer?'

Lily launched into an enthusiastic account of how the deer had led them on to the right path.

'Well, some 'o them deer are special – silent forest spirits, they be, yes.'

Hagrid looked up through the canopy of trees. ''s getting; late, now. I want yer ter follow me back ter the castle. How yer two got into 't forest withou' bein' seen, is beyond me!'

Lily exchanged a quick look with Severus and hoped Hagrid wouldn't insist on finding out just exactly how they had managed to get into the forest. The gamekeeper made them walk in front of him along the forest path.

' 'S lucky I found yeh – though I must say yeh were on the right track… This path leads up to me cabin, withou' too many side-tracks. Yeh'll want to remember it in the future.'

Lily looked back at Hagrid doubtfully, but noted there was a twinkle in his beetle-black eyes. It was as if he knew they'd both be back in the forest again. Severus was looking intently at the ground and trees, and she knew that he was memorising the twisting pathway.

'Some of yeh'll be comin' to the forest again wi' Professor Kettleburn…' Hagrid said, as though in explanation, but the twinkle in his eye remained. He did not appear so terrifying now he had stopped shouting. 'Yeh're in Gryffindor, right?'

'Yes. I'm Lily Evans, and this is...'

'Glad ter find someone tha' 'preciates the forest …' Hagrid interrupted 'Most yer age are scared.'

Lily, emboldened by this, asked him the crucial question.

'Are we – are we going to get detention?'

'Nah. I won't tell on yeh. But I don' want ter see yeh in there again alone, alrigh?'

The trees were growing sparsely now, and soon they came out of the forest near the vegetable patch behind the Gamekeeper's hut. There, tethered to a fence and grazing on the new spring grass, was a young unicorn, pale gold in colour. Lily gave a gasp of surprise:

'Oooh, he's so _beautiful!_'

'Foun' him yesterday. Grazed his flank on a Whipthorn plant, see? He'll be right as rain in a day or two.'

'I thought they were white?

'Foals are golden. This one's almost full-grown. Turn silvery-white then. Yeh can go closer 'n touch him if yeh want to … Yeh, boy, stay back!'

Lily was so fascinated by the beautiful creature before her, that she did not notice Severus backing away and slipping along the fence towards the forest once more.

She petted the young unicorn, listening happily as Hagrid explained all about these magical creatures, and many others. She did not want to tell him about the invisible killers, or about the huge spiders, for fear he might get angry again. However, when Hagrid invited her for tea in his cabin, she realised that Severus was no longer there. She looked beyond the vegetable patch, but there was no sign of him.

Hagrid seemed to have forgotten entirely about her friend, as he urged her inside his cabin, enthusiastically describing how he had just acquired a three-headed puppy. She thought Severus might have gone back for the boat, and decided not to alert Hagrid to that fact, so she sat down at his table, and quietly accepted the proffered tea in a mug as big as a pitcher.

Some distance away from the cabin, Severus was making his way along the edge of the forest. He slid in and out of the sparsely growing trees on the edge of the forest, keeping the lake in view. He was feeling rather bitter at the way the Gamekeeper had jumped to conclusions about how he might have enticed Lily into the forest on a bet.

It had been, of course, at his suggestion that Lily had accompanied him to the forest, but Hagrid seemed to think that being a Slytherin was explanation enough. He hadn't even wanted him there… Lucius Malfoy's words came back to him forcefully: "… _I certainly would not bother about any Gryffindor – they are very well taken care of…"_

__Severus growled in frustration. It was so unfair! He blasted a thorn bush out of his way in anger, then immediately regretted it. He must learn to control his anger or he'd have another bunch of whatever was lurking in the forest, after him!

Then his conscience gave a twinge – he had, after all, led Lily into a very dangerous place, and she could have been hurt. He privately resolved that before he would ever suggest such an excursion to Lily again, he must learn more about the Forest and its inhabitants, as well as some secure ways of finding the path that led to Hagrid's cabin.

It was more than an hour later that he finally found the boat in the undergrowth where they had hidden it earlier that morning. Thankfully, although the sun was high in the sky, there were still some patches of mist on the surface of the water, so when he took out the Fog Potion he had concocted recently – another helpful little potion he got from his Great-grandfather's book - he knew he would not be noticed, as with his wand he drew out the white vapour from the vial in his rucksack, and with a wave of his wand, sent it round to envelope the boat, before he glided over the water to the cavern's mouth.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Purebloods and Half Bloods**

'Oy, Snivillus, why're grubbing around in the earth like a hog?'

Severus looked up quickly from where he'd been digging up a Snargaluff pod just outside Greenhouse three. He had lingered there after double Herbology, waiting until all the Slytherins and Ravenclaws had gone for lunch, so that he could work unseen. Unfortunately, he had not counted on any students appearing so early for their Herbology lesson – especially _these_ particular students.

Sirius was leaning on the wooden framework of Greenhouse Two, hands in his pocket and a smirk on his face. James was twirling his wand like a baton in his hand.

'None of your business.' Severus answered, calmly putting the pulsating seed in his bag and standing up. 'Don't you have some mindless game or other to play?'

'Like Quidditch, perhaps, according to you? You missed the last game, Snivillus…'

'I wonder…Could it be because we absolutely _flattened_ Slytherin last match, James?'

'Yeah, and Snivilly here didn't even have the guts to watch, Sirius. Couldn't bear to see Gryffindor's new official Seeker catch the snitch in five minutes flat, now, could he? I wonder why?'

Severus scowled. Towards the beginning of May, James Potter had been taken on as Gryffindor's new Seeker, and he had not let anyone forget it, especially after his successful capture of the snitch early during his first game, when they were playing against Slytherin in the last match of the Quidditch season. Gryffindor had won a spectacular victory, and Potter had been carried triumphantly on his team-mates' shoulders after the match. The tousle-haired Gryffindor had spent the next few days being followed by admiring first- and second-years, and patted on the back by the older Gryffindors.

Quidditch had lost a lot of its appeal for Severus, since then.

'If you have nothing better to do than gloat over your brainless activities, get out of my way!' he snapped.

'Oh, jealous, aren't we?' James Potter said, smiling evilly.

'Cos what you're doing is so brainy!' scowled Sirius Black, 'digging up disgusting, dirty …whatever that thing is you've sneaked inside your bag! Look at your hands – you're worse than our old house elf!'

They laughed loudly. A Slytherin third-year poked his head out of Greenhouse three to see what was happening. Severus's face grew white with anger.

'You wouldn't even begin to understand what I'm doing, Black! You're too busy prancing around among Potter's fan club to know anything about …'

He paused.

'About what? Dark magic, Snape?' Potter had an angry look on his face to match his own now and Sirius Black was scowling.

This pleased Severus.

'About magic that has been handed down and perfected through hundreds of generations – nothing _you_ would understand, Potter,' he replied, snidely.

'Generations, eh? Fine Slytherin you are, to talk about _previous_ generations.'

'Yeah. Yours must be pretty ashamed of you. You tell him, James!'

'Tell me what?'

'Well, when all your Slytherin friends are advertising the purity of their Bloodlines and banging on about the true wizarding identity of Purebloods…' James Potter started.

'Yeah. We actually feel sorry for you, Snivellus,' continued Sirius, pouting sarcastically. 'Being two patented and warranted Purebloods ourselves, we wouldn't know what a half-blood like you might be feeling, locked away in such a Pureblood bastion as Slytherin House.'

Severus's arm twitched convulsively. If they didn't stop talking…

'Neither here nor there, see?' Potter grinned. 'But what makes us _really_ feel so sorry for you, Snivilly, is that your mother married a muggle whose rightful place is in the gutter, which is why you reminded us so much of your father just now, when you were groping around in the -'

The words were hardly out of his mouth when Severus's hand flew for his wand, but James Potter was prepared this time, and reacted even faster – he dropped his bag, pointed his wand straight at Severus and fired a hex that lifted him off his feet, so that he toppled over. However, he still managed to extricate his wand from his robes, and pointed it at the laughing pair, but Sirius was waiting for him now, and there was a flash of light from his wand. Severus managed to roll out of the way of the flying spell, which hit the Greenhouse and exploded the lower glass panes into a hundred pieces. Unfortunately, Severus couldn't entirely evade the shards of flying glass, and some of them cut into his face and hands. Feeling the sting and warm trickle of blood down his cheek, he whipped round to face his tormentors and cried:

'_Serpensortia_!'

A huge snake erupted once more from his wand – long, thick coils twisting heavily on the grass whilst the hooded head rose up, hissing angrily.

Potter and Black stopped laughing immediately, and for a split-second gazed, horror-struck, at the serpent. Then Potter bent down to snatch up his bag. The serpent, seeing the movement, uncoiled itself and slithered straight at him. The two boys panicked and ran off.

The serpent would have followed immediately, but at that moment the door of Green house three slammed shut. Before it did, Severus glimpsed the wide eyes and apprehensive face of Mulciber. The movement of the door distracted the snake momentarily from its pursuit, and Severus waved his wand, muttering the counter-curse, so that the serpent vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

He thought, overall, that it would be best not to have a dirty great snake wandering about near the greenhouses until the magic wore off. If it was found, or actually managed to bite those two Gryffindor gits, questions would be asked.

He staggered to his feet. At that moment, the door of the furthest Greenhouse opened and Professor Sprout came puffing up, a trowel in one hand and her wand in the other.

'What was that noise? Merlin's beard! Mr Snape, there's blood all over your face! What happened?'

'Tripped and fell,' he mumbled, trying to keep his soil-covered hands out of sight.

Professor Sprout looked at the shattered glass.

'_Reparo_.' she said, and the shattered glass rose together to form a whole pane. 'Well, I want you to go straight to the Hospital Wing, Mr Snape, and have those cuts seen to right away or you'll be left with some nasty scars. I'll speak to Professor Ironwood so that she'll know you won't be coming to her lesson. What were you doing here anyway? Lesson's been over for ages!'

He mumbled some excuse about having lost his quill, and made his way quickly towards the castle, before she could ask more questions He did not want her to find out he had nicked a left-over Snargalaff pod and hidden it in the soil outside the greenhouse, to collect later, when the soil had softened the shell.

In the Hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey cured his cuts in a thrice, tut-tutting about how clumsy growing boys were, how they did not seem to know the size of their own feet and were always tripping over themselves.

Severus kept a stony silence, answering her questions in monosyllables. He was still seething inside, as Potter's words came back to him:_ 'Being two patented and warranted Purebloods ourselves, we wouldn't know what a half-blood like you might be feeling...'_ they had said. And how had they known about his father? But then, being Purebloods, they probably knew who was who in the wizarding world, just as much as Malfoy and Rosier did. They would undoubtedly have pounced upon the fact of his mother's 'mistake' in malicious glee.

He left the hospital ward pressing a wad soaked in Dittany against his cheek, still fuming silently. He took the small two-way mirror from his bag and examined himself. There was a thin red mark where the glass had cut deepest, like a lash mark, but he knew that would soon disappear, and no one would notice anything. Just then he heard footsteps coming towards him, and he hastily stowed away his mirror in his bag.

It was Lily, and she was panting slightly.

'Sev, what's wrong? You didn't come to DADA and Professor Ironwood told me you were in the Hospital wing…'

' 'm alright. Just cut myself a bit.'

Lily looked anxiously at his face, but even the thin red line had almost gone from his face.

'Are you sure? Potter and Black were saying -'

'What?' he snapped, when she hesitated.

He looked thunderous.

'They were boasting they smashed you through Greenhouse Three. I didn't believe them, and they shut up about it when I jinxed their robes together with a Sticking Charm. Don't think they expected that,' she grinned. 'But when you didn't turn up for DADA, I knew something had happened.'

For a moment he looked at her crossly, and she thought he would not even answer her, but he seemed to relent when he heard what she'd done.

'They ambushed me behind the greenhouse,' he said eventually 'Wanted to know why I didn't come to the Quidditch match…'

'Huh. Potter is being totally obnoxious about that. If he was big-headed before, now his head is twice as big as Hagrid's largest pumpkin!' Lily said disdainfully, as they turned to walk towards the main staircase. 'Did they hurt you?'

'Black's spell exploded the glass on the greenhouse, and I got cut, but I think they got more than what they bargained in return,' he replied, smugly.

'What did you do?' Lily's eyebrows were raised.

'Remember that snake I set on the spiders when we went into the Forbidden Forest?'

'You set a snake on Potter and Black?' Lily sounded shocked.

'Yes, why? You thought it a good idea then.'

'But Sev, those were monster spiders. These are _students_! What've the snake bit them?'

'Are you taking _their_ side now?' he snapped, turning round to face her. 'Perhaps you think I should've just lain there and taken their insults quietly?'

'No, but …'

'They'd've deserved it, had the snake bit them! I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would've fixed them in a jiffy and given them the best treatment! They are, after all, _Purebloods!_'

'What are you on about? What does that have to do with anything?' Lily said, angrily.

.

'Never mind. I vanished the snake, soon as they ran for it. Happy now?' and with that he turned on his heel, and hurried down the corridor.

'You can do that? Vanish it?' Lily asked, hurrying after him.

''Course I can. Would go for me, if I didn't know how to get rid of it when I'm alone, wouldn't it?'

'Oh, right.'

They walked on in silence for some minutes.

'You know, Sev, Potter and Black looked really stupid coming in to DADA stuck together by their robes. They were too embarrassed to tell Professor Ironwood about it, so they had to sit close to each other until the charm wore off.'

Severus knew she was trying to make him feel better, but he was still disgruntled that she hadn't thought a snake bite good punishment for those two.

'Why, wasn't there any one of their fan club to set them free? Where was Lupin? He's their number one fan now, isn't he?

'Well, only those close by noticed. It was dark, for Ironwood had her stupid projector out again. Besides, Remus was absent again.'

'Really? Sick again? Well, let me tell you something about '_Remus',_' He placed an unpleasant emphasis on his first name. 'Remus Lupin was NOT in the Hospital Ward. I've just been there, and he was nowhere there. I think it's pretty fishy where he-'

'Oh, he's not sick this time. He's visiting his mother. He told me. _She's_ sick now, and he left yesterday.'

Severus had no answer to that, so he just made an impatient noise and started down the steps. 'I've got to go to Transfiguration,' he said abruptly. 'I'll see you later.'

Lily nodded. 'I'll fill you in on what you missed in DADA,' she called after him. 'And I've got the unicorn hair from Hagrid you asked me to get you. I'll see you in the Library.'

Severus did not answer. He had seen Rosier and Wilkes waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs as he and Lily went their opposite ways.

'Mulciber's just told us what you did, Severus,' Evan Rosier said, grinning, as soon as he had come down to their level. 'You're refining your technique, I see.'

Wilkes, who had been looking up to where Lily had stood a moment before, looked round.

'Yeah, he told us you set a bloody great snake on those two Blood traitors from Gryffindor!'

Severus tried to shrug it off. He didn't want Wilkes running after him, asking him how to conjure up snakes. Although actually Wilkes had eased off pestering him somewhat, since he had hexed him for it in the beginning of term.

'Blood traitors, eh?' he was intrigued by this term. Anything that insulted Potter or Black was a welcome sound to his ears.

'Of course. Blood-traitors. Black – for obvious reasons: what in Merlin's name is he doing in Gryffindor, when all his family were in Slytherin? And Potter – well, there are rumours that his family consorts in despicable ways with Muggles, giving away wizarding secrets…'

Severus stored this information away - he would find out all he could about Potter and Black. He would give anything to be able to return those insults with some of his own.

'And you know what, Severus?' Rosier was saying. 'Mulciber told us something else…He said he would speak to Rabastan about you, for he knows him well. He's in Third-year too. With any luck, he'll ask to see you.'

Rosier paused, as if for dramatic effect.

'And why should I be overjoyed that another third-year wants to speak to me?' Severus said sarcastically.

'Don't pretend you don't know who Rabastan is, Severus,' Rosier said, severely.

'Why, everybody knows.' Wilkes interjected, his eyes wide.

Severus looked at them calculatingly. He did, of course, know Rabastan Lestrange by reputation, but it would not do to appear eager. In reality, he was curious about Rabastan and his supposed link to this Lord Voldemort that many whispered about. In fact, in Slytherin, they whispered as much about Rabastan Lestrange, as they did about Lord Voldemort himself, but Severus had only seen him a few times in the common-room, or in the Dining Hall, and on most of these occasions he had always been in a huddle with other, usually older, Slytherins.

'And what makes you think I would want to speak to him?' he continued. Although he had to admit he was curious, he was not quite sure he liked the idea of being 'summoned' that way by any third-year student.

'Oh. I think you would like it.' Rosier said, with a shrewd smile, as they took their places in McGonagall's Transfiguration class.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was a couple of weeks later; in the beginning of June that Severus finally met Rabastan. Actually, he was waylaid on his way to his dungeon hideout by two students. Avery and Mulciber were waiting for him in the shadows of a door in one of the torch-lit subterranean passages, and he had already drawn his wand before he recognised the gangly form of Mulciber, and the short, skinny one of Philistus Avery.

'Quick, in here,' Avery said, looking up and down the corridor to make sure there wasn't anyone else.

They hustled him inside an old, disused, classroom. Severus, whose pockets were full of forbidden ingredients, thought it better to follow, since it would be useless to attempt to get to his hideout now.

The interior was dimly lit by a few stubs of candles placed on old, graffitied desks. Sitting at one of them, his feet resting on another desk, was a rather robust boy with thick, brown hair and a broad face. He was reading a folded piece of parchment that looked like one of those pamphlets he and Lily used to write to each other to, many summers ago. He stood up when Severus came in.

'So you're the one who set the snake on the blood traitors!' he said, by way of greeting.

Severus noticed that he was shorter than Mulciber, but broadly built, and his voice was rather gravelly.

'Mulciber here told me all that happened,' he continued, when Severus did not speak. 'He also said you usually sneak off to the lower dungeons, at around this time, so we waited for you…'

Severus scowled. He didn't like the idea that his movements were being noted. He mumbled something about wanting to study in peace in an empty classroom.

Rabastan Lestrange gave a loud guffaw.

'Of course. Of course. Wouldn't do to be disturbed, would it?' Smiling broadly, he held out his hand. 'I'm Rabastan Lestrange, and anyone who can set those two gits from Gryffindor running for their lives, is a friend of mine!'

Severus, just as surprised at the tone of sincere admiration in Rabastan's voice, as at the rather pompous introduction, shook his hand.

'Pity your serpent missed its mark, Snape. Would've loved to see 'em thrashing around after a poisoned bite!' Mulciber said, grinning maliciously.

'I noticed you ran back inside the greenhouse the moment the serpent looked at you.' Severus said, acerbically.

'What could I do, mate? I was on detention re-potting Mandrakes for Sprout- I had just finished when I heard you. Couldn't allow a dirty great snake in Green house three, could I? Would've looked bad.' Mulciber's rather full lips twisted in a grin. 'What happened to it anyway?'

'Vanished it.'

'Good thinking, overall,' Rabastan interrupted before Mulciber could protest. 'We wouldn't want to draw any attention to ourselves at this point…'

Severus had hardly registered the use of the word 'we' before Rabastan was proffering him the parchment he had been reading before he came in.

'Here, I want you to read this and tell me what you think,' he said, handing him the folded parchment.

He read the parchment in silence. It was in fact, a form of Flyer, entitled _'The Mismanagement and Errors of the Ministry for Magic from the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day.' _Inside was a series of articles taken from various sources, the most notable of which was _The Daily Prophet_, describing the misfortunes of wizards and witches at the hands of bungling Ministry Officials. Most of them depicted the wizards or witches as victims of brutal, stupid Muggles, distrusting and vindictive when confronted with the strange ways, or the aloofness, of their magic neighbours, and which Muggles were aided and abetted by the Ministry officials on the pretext of upholding the Statute of Secrecy.

'They're all true.' Rabastan nodded at the parchment in Severus's hand, his face serious. 'All those stories. They were taken out of the _Prophet,_ and everyone knows that rag parrots whatever the Ministry tells it to. '

'D'you see the one with that witch, Vanda Bletchley?' Avery said 'They threw her in Azkaban for hexing two blokes that were trying to rob her house. Said she was vicious and uncontrollable. All they need have done was wipe the robbers' memories and hand them to the Muggle police…'

Severus wondered if Vanda was related to Phil Avery, for he was uncharacteristically serious about it.

'Or the one with the wizard who foolish enough to marry a muggle girl? She ran off with his son, when she discovered he was a wizard. He tracked her down and used the Imperious Curse on her to get her to return his son,' Mulciber continued. 'The Wizengamot sentenced him to Azkaban for life for that!' he added quietly.

Rabastan nodded in agreement. 'You get a lot of those stories. Where I come from, one of our neighbours, a witch called Estrella, married a muggle. It was a big scandal, for she came from an old, rich, wizarding family – the Puceys, you know, but she married a piece of filth that was only after her money, and he turned quite nasty when her family disowned her and left her penniless,' Rabastan paused, frowning. 'Not clear what happened next – some say he tried to steal her wand and her magic, given he couldn't get her money. She said, at her trial, that he had tried to take her children, and she killed him in self-defence. She, too, got a life sentence in Azkaban, and her children are now in a Muggle orphanage!'

Severus squirmed uncomfortably, the story seeming far too familiar for his liking. 'Why're you showing me all this?' he asked.

'I'm showing you just the tip of the iceberg, Snape,' Rabastan answered 'It's much bigger than you think – the old order of wizarding supremacy has long been overturned; ancient, powerful, magic is labelled 'dark' and frowned upon; the Ministry and the muggle-loving fools who run it are giving more and more power to muggles. 'Peaceful co-existence' they call it.' He made a derisive noise. 'When in reality, it should be _us_ who are ruling, for we are born superior, whatever else any muggle-lover would have you believe!'

'If you have magic in you, you are different - with one wave of your wand you can substitute all those mechanical and electrical gadgets the muggles have invented to make up for their lack of magic! ' His eyes shone with a fanatical light. 'We're better, Severus Snape – we're _better,_ and you can't deny it!'

'I wasn't going to. Magic is everything for me,' Severus said simply.

'Well, then, there's your answer. That's why I'm showing you all this. Before the ancient order of magic dies, before it's too late, we'd like to make a _difference_!'

'Yeah. We got friends outside, who-' Mulciber broke in. But Rabastan cut him off with a dirty look:

'You just need to look around you here at school to see how unfair the whole system is. Dark magic is spoken of as though it were something shameful! And it isn't! Even Professors admit that the 'darkness' about it, is nothing more than the Wizard's intended use of that particular spell! Many know that Dark magic is ancient, powerful knowledge, and it is our _birthright_!' He spoke passionately, leaning so close to Severus that he could see the dancing candlelight reflected in his eyes.

Mulciber and Avery nodded in agreement.

'There is nothing 'dark' about Dark Magic, Snape, if it is used as it was meant to be! Do not believe all the lies you're told! For everything is not as it seems to be!' Rabastan paused, leaning back in his chair. Then he continued, more quietly but still vehemently: 'Look, Mulciber told me about what those two gits said: bragging about their pureblood status, when they're really Blood-traitors! Besides, don't Gryffindors always say they're all for muggle rights, and that blood doesn't matter? And yet it was _them_ that called you half-blood!'

Severus reddened, but Rabastan paid no attention. 'Seems to me that in Gryffindor they are just as aware as anyone else, who's who in the wizarding world, but we in Slytherin get all the bad press for it.' He folded his arm and nodded at the desk behind him. 'Are you interested in seeing more? You won't regret it – some of this stuff comes from … um… friends of mine outside school, and it's ... Well, let's say we like to keep it hidden.'

Severus nodded solemnly.

Avery opened the drawer of the desk, and took out empty parchments of different colour and length. Rabastan waved his wand over them and words appeared, some hand-written by different hands, others printed. They sat down on the rickety chairs around the desk and handed the pamphlets around.

It was hours later, in the depth of the night, that the four boys headed back stealthily to their dormitory. Severus's head was full of what he had just read and discussed.

It had been an exciting journey - he had seen stories of atrocities on magical people; some he could hardly believe (and privately thought he would check out independently), others reminded him disturbingly of home, for many witches and wizards, stupid enough to marry Muggles, had been betrayed by their Muggle spouse, and lived wretched lives; but what came to him most often where Rabastan's parting words before they broke up for the night:

'I know only one wizard who is clever enough, and brave enough, to change all this, Severus. And he will do so – he will restore us to our former glory, and give Dark Magic its proper dignity. It is time to stop skulking in the dark, as though ashamed of whom we truly are!'

He had closed the door to the third-year's dormitory then, without actually saying the name of the wizard who wanted to overthrow the current system, but Severus knew.

It was a long time before he could get to sleep that night. The idea that Dark magic could be considered by so many as powerful and dignified ancient knowledge, was new to him; that it could have its rightful place in the magical world, to impress, and not scare, witches and wizards, was an idea that took hold of him as much as the revelation that so many others were suffering, like him, because of doomed, unnatural marriages between magical and non-magical people. That the Ministry mishandled such cases, or was corrupt, or inefficient, was not news to him, but that things could be changed was certainly surprising and exciting. What little he previously knew about the Ministry made it seem all-powerful and unassailable.

Lord Voldemort, must, indeed, be a powerful wizard, as well as brave, he thought before falling asleep, to challenge and attempt to fight the Ministry for Magic.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: Helping Slytherins.**

With only a few weeks left until the end-of-term exams, Severus did not have much time to speak to Rabastan or the other third-years. Endless revision homework was piled on to them, and every evening the Slytherin common-room was relatively silent, as were all the other common-rooms at Hogwarts. Older students preparing for their OWLS or NEWTS were studying feverishly, and tended to lash out at whoever disturbed them.

Severus found himself inundated with pleas for help from second-year fellow Slytherins, especially in Potions, for which he had achieved quite a reputation. He refused to help anyone, concentrating only on his own homework and studies. He consented to share his work only with Lily when they studied together in the Library; otherwise he sought the quiet of his dungeon hideout whenever other Slytherins got too persistent.

Recently, however, he had to be more careful on his way down to the deepest parts of the dungeons, for he knew his movements had been followed by Rabastan and the other third years, and he didn't want any unwelcome visitors when down there.

Things changed when, one night, while he was trying to force himself to remember the list of articles of Professor Ironwood's regulations and what each of them dealt with, Rosier cornered him in his favourite alcove of the Slytherin common-room, the one which his great-grandfather had carved his initials on.

'There you are,' Rosier drawled, his arm resting on the marble column at the entrance to the alcove. 'Thought you'd disappeared again.'

'It's after curfew, Evan, where d'you want me to go?'

'Oh, I don't know… something as trivial as curfew isn't going to stop you, is it?'

'Stop me from what?' scowled Severus, yet dreading at the same time to hear the answer.

'Stop you from meeting up with Rabastan and his gang.' Rosier grinned suddenly. 'Heard it went well,' he continued.

Severus breathed a silent sigh of relief. He thought for a moment Rosier might have found out about his dungeon hideout.

'What d'you want, Evan? I'm a bit busy with that old cow's stupid subject here, as you can see.'

'Huh – who'd want to bother with Defence against the Dark Arts?' he said superciliously, 'especially you, Severus, you know tons more about Dark Arts than that stupid woman…'

Severus looked up. 'This isn't even Dark Arts, Evan, 'Defence against', or otherwise. However, we still have to pass it to move on.'

'Guess you're right,' Rosier conceded grudgingly. 'However, DADA is not what I wanted to talk to you about. Have you done your Herbology essay for tomorrow?'

Severus nodded, his eyebrows lifted in a frown.

'Well, I haven't finished mine, and what I wrote's pathetic. Second time I haven't finished Sprout's homework, and she's getting a tad unpleasant about it. So, can I have a look at yours?'

'No.'

Rosier straightened up, an angry look passing fleetingly across his haughty face. Severus remembered that Rosier was one of the few who had never asked him for help.

'I saw you today in the Library, Snape –' he said angrily 'you were with that Evans girl from Gryffindor! You share all your work with her, but refuse to help those from your own house!' his voice rose higher, so that some older students nearby looked round.

'Most of them have asked me to do all their homework from scratch!' he retorted angrily. ' They'll never learn that way!'

'Like you'd care about that, Snape!'

Severus looked at him for a moment before replying more calmly: 'You're right, I don't! Or perhaps I just know that that wouldn't work – it'd be too obvious, and we'd be caught out…' his voice rose '…Or perhaps I don't want idiots like Wilkes and Parkinson taking all the credit for the hard work _I've_ put in!'

'But you're ok with the muggle-born girl getting all the credit for your work!' Rosier spat.

Severus rose to his feet. 'It's not like that! I help Lily with Potions, and she helps me out in Charms, cos she's good at that. It's an exchange, that's all!'

Severus could see Rosier struggling to regain his composure.

'Well, there you go.' he said finally, his voice quite calm 'That's what I'm proposing - an exchange. I'll give you something in exchange for helping me finish my essay…'

Severus's attention was caught by one of the older students who had looked up when Rosier started shouting. He recognised the pale, porcelain face of Narcissa Black, her unwavering stare directed straight at him. She did not speak, but held his gaze steadily. He tore his eyes away from hers with difficulty.

'I don't want your money, Evan,' he said tightly. 'Just show me your damned essay, and I'll see what I can do!'

Suppressing a triumphant look, Rosier went to fetch his essay and soon Severus had written him a passable conclusion and re-written some of his weaker paragraphs. It was past midnight when the two boys went to bed, Rosier thanking Severus for saving him from what may have probably earned him a detention.

When Severus woke up the next morning, Rosier's bed was empty, but on his bedside table was a small book entitled '_Poisonous Fungi and their Magical Properties'_. Scribbled inside was 'Thanks!' in Rosier's handwriting.

Severus smiled slowly. He knew it was probably an unwanted Christmas gift or something – Rosier was not one to keep books on fungi. However, it was a handsome little book, and Severus liked it.

Neither he nor Rosier mentioned it when he went down to breakfast later on, but from that day on, he consented to help out when other Slytherins asked him to, usually in exchange for some small token like a spare quill, empty parchment, or bottles of ink. He found that this system suited him, for he had no other means of eking out what little pocket money he got from home for such necessities.

In fact, it was very rare that he got even a letter from home, and even less any money. In the few owls he got from his mother, she usually asked him for news about Hogwarts. Though she was never too explicit, he knew what she was after. He invariably told her 'everything was as before' and carefully omitted mentioning anything about the growing reputation of certain students like Rabastan or Lucius Malfoy.

With exams approaching, the requests for help with studying or essays grew accordingly, and he found himself accepting to help out in return for a few knuts, as well as other things. He never actually entirely wrote anyone's homework, insisting that that would be too obvious, but he usually re-wrote and improved whatever anyone presented him with, so that the general level of the finished work represented a fair but enhanced example of that particular student's capabilities. This also had the added advantage of never overshadowing his own work, for few Slytherin second-years could rival his own knowledge, especially in Potions. In fact, it had got to the point where he was helping Avery with his third-year work, in exchange for a considerably larger number of Knuts.

Thus, the last few days flew by and exam week finally arrived. Severus refused any further work at this point, preferring to spend the time by himself studying late into the night, or with Lily in the silence of the Library, looking up last-minute facts before an exam. Sometimes they sneaked off into disused classrooms to practice Charms or Transfiguration before the actual exams, or go over what ingredients were necessary for which potions.

The warm weather of June mocked them, begging them to leave their studies and enjoy lakeside walks or simply lie on the lush, green, grass. As usual, Lily found it harder to resist during this time than Severus, but his impatient voice recalled her down to earth quickly , whenever her mind wandered, and his ability to get her to focus, together with the adrenaline rush of going into an exam, made her get through that week fairly quickly.

They both thought that they had done rather badly in Professor Ironwood's exam, though possibly they had passed it. But other than that, overall, they thought they had done well. Severus liked to discuss his exam papers, so he spent his last week at Hogwarts in the company of Bertram Aubrey and some Ravenclaws who were of the same mind.

Lily, on the other hand, would not tolerate discussing any particular exam for longer than a few hours after she'd done it, so she spent her last, exam- free week flying the school brooms 'one last time' and generally revelling in the sunshine outdoors with Mary McDonald, or Jenny Trimble.

When not discussing exam papers, Severus would creep down to his dungeon hideout to pack away or hide his potion-making implements and books. He also made sure that he would leave no trace behind for anyone to realise that a student had been spending so much time down there. He thought of taking home some small phials of ready-brewed potion, but re-considered when he thought they might be found out by his mother.

The last day arrived, bright and sunny, and there was the usual high-spirited confusion as they boarded the Hogwarts express. Lily had saved a place for Severus, for the train was full, and he seemed even more reluctant than she was, to leave Hogwarts. He lingered on the platform, gazing one last time towards the distant mountains and lake, then he heaved his trunk inside and entered the compartment where Lily was sitting with Alice Walker and some Hufflepuffs.

The train rolled slowly out of the station and headed South through the wild countryside. Lily and Severus sat next to each other in silence, watching the lake disappearing from view. Next to Lily sat Alice, also silent, but with a frown on her face. She kept throwing dirty looks at Severus, who, absorbed by the scene outside the window, noticed nothing.

The Hufflepuff boy sitting in front of them, Frank Longbottom, offered Alice a Chocolate Frog, but she refused grumpily, her eyes still on Severus.

Just then the door to the compartment opened and Rabastan looked in. Alice's eyes widened, her expression aghast. Locating Severus in the corner by the window, he spoke directly to him, ignoring all the rest.

'I won't see be seeing you again this summer, Severus, so I thought of returning this…er… book you lent me.'

He held out his hand and in it was a small book. Severus's expression only flickered for the barest instant. With murmured thanks, he took it in his hand and pocketed it. He hadn't lent him any books – it was probably more of the anti-Ministry publications Rabastan had shown him a couple of weeks ago.

Rabastan's light-brown, tawny eyes held his for a meaningful second, then there was the merest suggestion of a wink and a grin as he nodded and left the compartment without another word.

He was followed almost immediately afterwards by Alice, who, grimacing pointedly at Severus, left the compartment with her nose in the air.

'I'm going to see how Jenny is,' she muttered.

Lily nodded. The Hufflepuffs hadn't noticed anything, but Lily knew what was bothering Alice, and, judging by his scowl, Severus, too, was aware.

'What's that book he gave you?' she asked quietly when the compartment door had closed behind Alice.

'Nothing. Just a book I lent him.'

'Are you – are you friends with Rabastan Lestrange, Sev?' she asked hesitantly.

'Not particularly. Why?'

'Because Alice told me his father is one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. She-'

'And what does that have to do with me?'

'Well, she said he's dangerous. He's got a brother who's out recruiting allies for Lord Voldemort.'

'So he spoke to me! So what? Does that give her the right to look at me like I'm a piece of shit, or something?'

'Severus!' Lily said, indignantly 'Don't say that! Only she thinks that-'

'She's right!' piped up the boy in front of them, who had been listening in. Frank Longbottom's round face was flushed. 'My mother knows the Lestranges. They're really dangerous. They plan to overthrow the Ministry for Magic, and they are acting on You-Know-Who's orders. If that's Rabastan Lestrange, then you should be careful of him!'

'Who asked _you_ to butt in? I'll speak to whoever I please!'

The boy flushed and said nothing else. Lily, who was about to argue with Severus about associating with Rabastan Lestrange stopped when she heard his last words:_"I'll speak to whoever I please_!" That is what she had said to Alice and the others, more than once when they had told her to stop speaking to Severus. She tried a different tactic.

'It's just that I wouldn't like to see you getting into trouble, Sev. If you don't know this Rabastan well, then perhaps- '

'For Merlin's sake, Lily, I just lent him a book!' he lied, 'I've been helping some Slytherins with their schoolwork that's all.'

'He's in Third-year!'

'So're Avery and Mulciber, but they're also Slytherins, and it was pointed out to me that I should help _them _too, not only Gryffindor!'

He instantly regretted his snide remark, and expected a sharp retort from Lily. However, she just bit her lip then said in a low voice: 'I know you help me more than I do you, Severus, but you know I would share my work with you whenever you asked me to…'

'It's not that! I ... Never mind,' he said, miserably. They sat in silence for a while, then Lily said:

'Are your parents coming for you at King's Cross?'

He shook his head. He had made enough money to afford a cab from Kings Cross Station to the Leaky Cauldron, where he could use the Floo network. He had exchanged the Knuts for muggle money from a muggleborn Hufflepuff girl a few days before, then owled his mother telling her there was no need for her to come for him, for he would be making his own way home alone.

'I'm catching a cab to the Leaky Cauldron,' he explained.

'Why don't you come with me then? My Mum and Dad are picking me up. We're going the same way, after all.'

Before he could answer, Bertram Aubrey peeked into their compartment.

'Hey, Severus, why don't you come and see what Rosier's doing – he's asking for you.'

More to avoid answering Lily's question, than anything else, Severus followed Bertram out of the compartment and further down the train, where he found Rosier, Wilkes, and Avery using the last few hours wherein they could do magic practicing a Shrinking Spell on some keys.

'Muggle Motorcycle keys,' explained Rosier with a grin 'They shrink when they're put in the keyhole, 'The engine won't start.'

There was appreciative sniggering from some of the onlookers.

'Who do they belong to?' Aubrey asked.

'A group of muggle motorcycle hooligans who stop by our gates and throw empty beer bottles and insults into our garden, before running off,' Rosier answered, his dark blue eyes glinting. 'They're going to see exactly how useless their bikes are, when they're left stranded by our gates!'

'And how do you propose to switch with the shrinking keys, if they take off right away? You're not supposed to use magic.' Severus said, sardonically.

'Oh, it's a very big garden, takes time to get down to the gates, so they linger. Anyway, Severus, I'm the only under-age wizards at home. _I_ have an all-magic family, you know, and that has many advantages. How d'you think I got duplicates of their keys?'

Severus tried to ignore the slight inflection in Rosier's words. He thought how lucky Rosier was to have adult members of his family ready to use magic on his behalf.

He knew his mother had done it once, when his father had tried to stop him going to Hogwarts, but she would never participate in muggle-baiting, probably deeming it dangerous and useless, even when said muggles clearly deserved what they got.

It was much later when he returned to his compartment, and he found Lily had gone off too. Probably listening to what Alice Walker, another Pureblood hypocrite like Potter and his gang, had to say against anyone who dared question her precious Ministry for Magic.

He threw himself down in his seat and reached for the book Rabastan had given him.

It was when they were nearing London that Lily came back. Severus hurriedly put away his book, for it was exactly what he suspected – very anti-ministry, and with proposals for certain changes that even he found quite drastic, though probably effective.

The train slowed down and rolled onto Platform 9 ¾, and everyone scrambled to get their belongings off the train and onto trolleys. Severus followed Lily in a queue of students waiting to be let through the hidden doorway by the conductor into the muggle station beyond.

In the general confusion and noise, Severus had entirely forgotten about Lily's offer, so when John and Rose Evans approached to greet their daughter, he found himself being urged by Lily's parents, as well as Lily herself, to accept a lift home. Rose Evans would not take no for an answer this time, and Severus reluctantly agreed. He had never told his mother what time he would be arriving anyway, he thought, as he helped Lily's father load their school trunks. He knew it would be a longer trip home, but anything that postponed his dreaded homecoming would be welcome.

Lily gave him a quick smile as he got in the back of the car beside her. He remembered that despite everything, he would have Lily all to himself again all summer. The heavy weight that seemed to have settled in his stomach since that morning lifted somewhat, and he smiled back as the Evan's car rolled out of the station area.


	40. Chapter 40 summer '73

**Chapter 40: Back Home.**

Most of the ride home to Castleforth was spent happily enough answering Mr and Mrs Evans many questions. Mostly, Lily did all the talking, for Severus spoke only when spoken to.

For some reason, he always felt a bit awkward around Lily's parents. He made a conscious effort at being polite, and reined in his natural impatience, that was apt to flare up easily when anyone took long to understand anything. And Lily's parents, being Muggles, were far from knowledgeable in all matters magic, although very enthusiastic about it.

However, the atmosphere in the car was jovial enough, as they explained how they had passed all their exams (including Ironwood's) and how Lily had come first in their year in Charms, and Severus in Potions. Severus squirmed uneasily in his seat at the Evans' praise, knowing that at home, no-one would probably even bother to ask about his results. Lily, sensing his discomfort, starting talking about flying broomsticks. She glossed over the 'supervised flying lessons' her mother asked her about, knowing how dangerous she deemed flying to be, and when asked what she did on weekends, she winked at Severus and told them 'organised excursions on the lake or in the forest'.

But as the sun set, and darkness fell, Severus grew quieter. He looked out of the window at the snaking yellow lights of cars speeding in the opposite direction. Besides the imminent arrival home, an already depressing thought, he was now also dreading that Lily would see exactly where he lived.

She knew he lived in Spinner's End, but he had carefully avoided letting her get anywhere near his house till now. She hadn't even asked him anymore. Perhaps she had guessed he was ashamed of it. He felt his face redden in the dark. He couldn't see how to prevent it happening now, however.

Worse still, what if Lily's parents decided to take his trunk right up to his door? He shuddered – that would NOT happen! He wouldn't allow it! He had already seen Rose Evan's eyes linger slightly on his shabby black T-shirt and worn-out jeans at King's Cross Station. It was the look in her eyes that he couldn't tolerate. He'd rather endure the contemptuous looks Petunia Evans often cast in his direction, than the mixture of kindness and pity with which her mother sometimes regarded him.

He caught Lily casting him furtive looks, but couldn't see her expression in the dark.

'We're entering Castleforth now,' she said.

He didn't answer. Nor did her father ask him for directions. Apparently, he knew where he lived, for after a few minutes, they came to the cobbled road that snaked its way along the riverside near his part of town.

Few people were around, but those that were stared in a pugnacious way at the Evan's gleaming Ford. He noticed Rose Evans sitting straighter in her seat, her hand clutching the dashboard. Lily was silent, but he did not want to look at her.

The streets and alleyways being very narrow, John Evans slowed down to a crawl and negotiated his way along until Severus moved forward in his seat and said:

'This – this is fine, Mr Evans, you can drop me off here…'

'Nonsense, lad. Spinner's End is another street up from here.'

And before he could protest, John Evans drove on until he slowed down in front of one of the dingiest streets of them all. Severus grabbed the opportunity and jumped out.

'Wait, Severus,' John Evans stuck his head out of the car window 'Which one is your house? I could take you right up -'

'Thanks, Mr Evans, but it's right there.'

He pointed vaguely towards the ill-lit street. 'I'll get my suitcase from the back. Thank you for the lift.'

Before Mr Evans could do anything else, he had opened the booth and dragged out his trunk.

Then he stood in a yellow pool of light from a streetlamp, and waited for them to leave.

Lily rolled down the window of the car.

'Bye, Sev, I'll see you in the-'

Just then, a door slammed loudly, followed by sounds of shouting, from one of the red brick houses at the far end of the street. Severus glanced nervously towards it. At that moment, a young woman in a skimpy dress and thigh-length boots came round the corner from the direction they had just come from. She gazed curiously at the elegant car and its occupants, but continued past Spinner's End towards the next street.

Rose Evans bade him a hurried goodbye and turned to her husband with an urgent gesture. John Evans drove forward without any further ado.

Only Lily waved goodbye, her pale face pressed against the car window. Severus watched miserably as the big car disappeared, swallowed up by the darkness and the mist coming from the river.

Then, with a sinking feeling, he turned towards the ill-lit street behind him and proceeded to drag his trunk the whole length of it towards the last house, whose door had slammed so loudly when Lily was bidding him goodbye.

He pushed open the creaking door and heaved his trunk inside.

Sitting at a small rickety table with a scowl on his face, was Tobias Snape. His mother was leaning against the door to the kitchen, her arms folded tightly. Both looked at him as he came through the door.

He knew at once that they had been waiting for him.

'What d'you mean, coming this late? You should've been here _hours_ ago!' began his mother.

'I never told you what time I'd be arriving…' he started, but his father cut across him.

'Don't you speak to your mother like that! And who were those people in the fancy car? What were you doing in there with them?'

Tobias rarely took his mother's side in an argument. However, this barely registered with Severus, as he realised that, as he had suspected, his father had seen him with the Evans.

'They just gave me a lift, that's all.'

'Are you taking lifts from strangers now?' his father growled, leaning forward in his seat.

'They're not strangers. They're the parents of a school friend,' he said shortly, bending down to pick up his trunk.

'They have a Muggle car? Are they _Muggles?_' His mother strode forward, blocking his path, her hands on her hips, and a note of anxiety underlying her anger.

'Yes. They have a muggle car! So?' Severus retorted angrily.

'It means you're making friends with Muggle-borns! After all I told you last year! After all my warnings! Are you daft, are do you just enjoy courting trouble?' Eileen was shouting now.

'I didn't tell you they were Muggles, just the car …'

But his father, who had been listening to the exchange, stood up suddenly.

'I know that car – seen it uptown, in the posh neighbourhood! What've you been doing -hobnobbing with those uptight, snooty, bastards that think us slime on their feet?' His voice rose belligerently.

A vein pulsed on his temple, and, as he brought his face closer, Severus could smell the sourness of his breath, and see his bloodshot eyes. Evidently, he had just returned from the pub. Instinctively, his hand inched closer to his wand.

'D'you mean to tell me that your Muggle-born school friend lives here _in this town_?' his mother was still standing in front of him, and she had gone pale at his father's words. Her eyes were narrowed with a mixture of fear and anger.

'Yes, she does!' he shouted, letting go of his trunk with a thud.

Severus was getting very angry himself now. He had expected a frosty welcome at best, and recriminations on his late arrival, at worst, but not this.

His father's next words shed some light as to why he had reacted so badly about his association with other Muggles.

'Keep a civil tongue in your head, or I'll wallop ya! Think it fine sport to suck up to those snobs and then come home looking down your nose at us, eh? Think those rich bastards can protect you, when them Death Eaters come looking for us, eh?'

For a moment, Severus thought he had misheard. But his father continued ranting, his face close to his.

'I came to live here because there was no-one else with the same unnaturalness as you and your mother! And now I find out there's more! What's worse, they're fucking, stuck-up, bastards, meddlin' wi' magic! They've stolen it from them Death Eaters sect and now they'll be after them, and, thanks to _you_, after _us_!' His words were rapidly deteriorating into the neighbourhood mixture of Lanky and Yorkshire dialects. Severus always wondered why this only happened when his father was in a drunken rage.

'Shut your face, Tobias! You don't know what you're talking about!' Eileen shouted.

He whirled round to face her.

'Oh, yes I do, you confounded _witch_!' Tobias spat out the word as if it was something indecent. 'I saw that newspaper, and you know it! There's a war among your kind, an' they're going to round up those as stole magic – _Mudbloods_, they call 'em! An' your son is consorting with them! An' don't you tell me he doesn't know! I can see you've bin talking about it behin' my back! Bin warning him, 'aven't you? Well, it 'asn't worked very well, 'as it? Prefers the rich neighbours, doan he?'

Eileen glared defiantly at her husband.

'You don't understand anything at all! You only saw part of that newspaper! I told you its people like _you_ that'll draw their attention. You tried for years to steal my wand, didn't you? This war is far more complex than a Muggle like you could understand. And as for preferring rich neighbours, whose fault is it, that we're living in this squalor?'

Severus knew all was lost then. When _that_ subject was broached, it always ended in an argument that escalated out of control.

He picked up his trunk and made his way through the narrow door and upstairs to his room. His parents did not notice. They were standing facing each other, shouting. He could hear their raised voices even when upstairs.

His mother was still on about how he wasted all his money on drink; how with his qualifications he could've had a well-paying job if he wanted to, his father retorting that it was she who drove him to drink, her and her unnatural, miserly family, who hadn't even given them a penny to help them; and her son, who seemed to be following in her footsteps, a useless freak...

It went on and on.

Severus felt the weight that had settled on his shoulders that morning congeal to a cold, heavy mass in his chest as he unpacked his trunk. He realised of course, that his father must have finally got hold of the '_Daily Prophet'_, and realised something unusual was happening in the magic world. Obviously, he had got a garbled version of events, and it seemed his mother hadn't bothered to explain much – or he didn't believe her, which was more likely.

The sound of a chair overturning and broken crockery came through the bare floorboards.

Then silence.

Severus listened apprehensively. It was always worse when Eileen decided to pick an argument after his father had been to the pub - especially _that _particular argument. It rendered him incandescent with a rage and frustration that inevitably found an outlet in the physicality of a hail of blows.

He heard slow, heavy, footsteps on the stairs. He stiffened, knowing what was coming, and considered whether he should threaten his father with magic. Did he know he was not supposed to use magic when out of Hogwarts? Probably. He put away his wand hurriedly under the loose floorboard in his room, so that he would not be tempted. He could not risk being expelled from Hogwarts, nor have his father wrest it away from him somehow.

However, he was not going to take it lying down either.

He stood back up just as the door of his room burst open. Tobias Snape's thin frame was silhouetted against the dim light of the corridor outside his room. He strode towards him.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Lily waited in vain for Severus the next day. Not that she was allowed out immediately. After a lazy breakfast she had to answer some more questions about school, but then she was finally allowed to go. She rushed out to the usual riverside haunt, but there was nobody there. She checked the playground and park on her way back, but still no sign of Severus. She couldn't stay long, for her mother had made her promise to be back by noon.

Lily knew that her mother hadn't been particularly impressed with the neighbourhood Severus lived in. She had overheard her tell her father that she hadn't expected it to be so bad, even at night. Her father had murmured something reassuring, but she was sure she had heard her name mentioned.

Lily had been rather irritated. She hadn't seen anything that was so bad, though the street was, indeed, rather narrow, and the redbrick houses small, and identical-looking. But there were normal _people _living in them, weren't there? Surely that was more important than the size of their houses? Besides, she mused, it was beyond where her parents usually allowed her to wander.

Not that she had ever heeded them. They didn't know she had wandered far and wide along the river with Severus. Maybe it was time to ask them to give her more licence…

Not having found her friend, she could do nothing but return home. She opened the front door to her house, and went inside the cool interior. She found Petunia attached to the telephone in the Hallway, speaking to friends. Her sister barely nodded in answer to her cheery greeting, but she was used to this by now.

Her father poked his head out of the living room when he heard the front door. Seeing Petunia on the telephone, he grimaced.

'Petunia, I'm expecting an important call this afternoon. You've been gossiping for hours! You've got five minutes to say goodbye!'

Lily smiled as she climbed upstairs to her room. She didn't think Petunia was going to lay down the phone quickly. She wondered if Severus had a phone. He never mentioned it, and she had never asked, but she doubted it as she remembered the old mailbox in Spencer Street, and how they used to communicate with notes using special ink, many summers ago when her parents had not yet known she was a witch.

She sighed - a telephone would have been very useful now. However, she was not left alone to her own resources for long, for her mother made her sort out her Hogwarts things, saying that it had to be done quickly. She did not want to tell her why, but furthermore insisted that both she and her sister help her with washing and ironing.

Lily, rather surprised at her mother's mysterious attitude, agreed reluctantly, and Petunia, having finally been dragged away from her telephone, was made to help. She objected vociferously at first, but Lily pointed out that the myriad brightly-coloured clothes she was ironing, were hers.

The reason for all the fuss and flutter became clear the following day at breakfast when her father announced that they would be leaving for a long caravan holiday along the coast of France in two day's time.

'I was waiting for Mr Roberts to confirm he had the caravan ready,' John Evans said, beaming at his two daughters. 'Your Mum and I didn't want to tell you anything, just in case he'd decided to keep it for another two weeks. But he phoned yesterday, and told me they're back, and we could have it.'

He stopped for a brief second, expecting to see joyful reactions, but was rather taken aback to see a less-than-lukewarm response.

'A caravan?' Petunia said wrinkling her nose, 'Why not a hotel? It'll be more comfortable, and there'd be a phone…'

'It's a rare opportunity. Besides, we're going to stay for over a month, and you're not lumping me with an extravagant phone bill …' her father started.

'Where'd you say we're going in France? Are we stopping in Paris?' Petunia interrupted hurriedly.

'Perhaps we can make a detour, yes,' her mother said soothingly. Petunia cheered up considerably. Everyone knew that it would be a shopping excursion for her.

'Lily, dear – aren't you glad?' her mother had noticed her youngest daughter's rather solemn look.

Lily forced a smile. 'Yes, of course, caravanning on the French coast line – sounds great! I only wish…'

'Well?' her father prodded gently.

'I wish I could tell Severus to come, that's all. He didn't want to, last year. A month is a long time.'

She saw her mother and father exchange looks.

'Perhaps it is better this way, Lily. You need to go out a bit more, make new friends, besides the ones from Hogwarts, I mean.'

'What are you saying?' Lily said, speaking more angrily than she intended.

Petunia looked up curiously.

'Nothing. Just that this holiday should give you a chance to meet new people; make new friends; practise your French…' her father said blandly.

'She doesn't want to stay so long away from that awful boy,' Petunia said, shrewdly. 'Birds of a feather, and all that,' she added, nastily.

'Shut up, Tuney. After all, you're always gossiping away with _your_ friends on the phone!'

'Well, at least _my_ friends are normal! And they don't come from Spinners End! I heard what -'

But her father interrupted them at this point, breaking up the argument and sending them off to their rooms to start their packing.

Lily started throwing things in her suitcase huffily. Her parents seemed to have changed their attitude slightly towards Severus, ever since they had been to Spinner's End. She couldn't understand why. They had always known the area was a bit run down, and it had never bothered them before.

But she would refuse any interference in her friendship with the one person in town who understood her, and who did not consider her a freak.

It was now more urgent than ever to let him know she was going abroad. For the umpteenth time, she wished she could phone him, when suddenly she remembered the two-way mirror.  
Why hadn't she thought of it before? She delved inside her half-empty school trunk and retrieved it from the robes she had wrapped it in for safekeeping. She called out Severus's name in a low voice, not wishing anyone to hear, but the mirror only reflected back her disappointed face. After a while she gave up, and put the mirror down on her desk, sadly.

She was kept busy for all that day and much of the next. Her mother seemed to find every sort of excuse not to let her out of the house. She was half-hoping that perhaps Severus would just turn up on her doorstep before they left for France, but somehow she didn't think so.

She remembered how there had been an odd, closed, expression on his face when she had waved goodbye to him that night in Spinner's End. She had come to recognise that expression now, though few others did.

The day before they left, she was toying with the idea of going down there herself, if she could manage to get away from the house, but then an owl came, carrying a letter from her friend Thalia.

She scribbled a hasty reply to Talia's long, rambling letter, and then added a separate note to Severus, asking him if he could come over before they left for a whole month, the following morning.

'Deliver this one right away,' she told the handsome Eagle Owl, showing her the small note.

Lily waited in vain all afternoon for a sign of Severus, jumping every time the doorbell or the phone rang. She even looked out of the window, hoping an owl would come back with an answer. But there was no sign that Severus had got her message. So, early next morning, Lily put her suitcase in the booth of her father's car, and took her place next to Petunia. They would be driving south to where her father's acquaintance, Mr Roberts, had their caravan waiting.

She gave one last look at the deserted street, as they rolled out of their driveway. There was a nagging worry at the back of her mind. She hoped Severus was ok, that his parents were not making things difficult for him at home. She knew that they rowed constantly, but last year she had suspected that things were worse than what Severus had let on.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: Severus at Spinner's End.**

Severus was lying on his stomach on a patch of yellowing grass at a bend in the river Aire, just outside town. He had got through the rusted, broken railings that marked the river's edge near Spinner's End, and followed the slow-moving river downstream, past the small houses, past a small junkyard, and ever closer to the single mill chimney that rose up towards the clear, blue skies.

The water was far dirtier downriver, than it was further up, where he and Lily usually met in the grove of trees. Even the river banks were strewn with rubbish here. However, he did not want to go anywhere near their old haunt. He knew Lily would probably be looking for him, and he did not want her to see him right now.

He felt his face gingerly. The livid bruises on his cheekbone were still tender, the cut on his lower lip hadn't healed yet, and he knew his eye was still swollen and probably turning a nasty shade of yellow, now.

He rolled over on his back, and instantly winced. He had forgotten he had welts, and a deep gash there, too. He rolled back on his stomach and hitched up his T-shirt. Perhaps the sun on his back would dry and heal the wounds better. He buried his head in his arms, wishing he had brought something to read with him, so he would stop thinking. Probably even _that _wouldn't work – his mind was restless - seething with anger mostly, as he remembered the beating he had got the night he returned.

His father had shouted at him at first, calling him a useless freak, but this time, he did not stand for it. He had retorted that it was _he_, Tobias, who was useless – even as a Muggle!

The rage in his father's eyes at those words, bordered on the insane. He had grabbed him by his hair and forced him into a kneeling position, then attempted to beat him with an old iron poker that he used to jam his window shut.

Severus smiled grimly. That had been a mistake, for he found he was fast becoming almost as tall as his father, and Tobias Snape found he could no longer hold him down and beat him across his back, as he had done in the past. In fact, he had managed to struggle up, and out of his grip. It was a thought that seemed to cross Tobias's mind at the same time, for his face became an even deeper shade of purple and he started to rain blows on his son's head. This reminded Severus that he was, after all, facing a grown man.

Tobias Snape was tall, and thin, but in his footballing days, he had been very fit, and had learnt to use his fists well. A skill he had never forgotten, Severus had thought grimly, as he tried to protect himself from his father's fists. The fact that he had been drinking, so his aim was poor, and the fact that Severus was more agile, saved him from the worst of the blows, but it had seemed as though Tobias was trying to prove he could still dominate his son, even if he _was_ getting older.

He had refused, as always, to cry out, and finally his father, after giving him one last angry look down his hooked nose, had staggered out of the room.

His mother, he noticed, had not come to his aid with magic, as she had done sometimes in the past. He knew she was still mad at him for having a Muggleborn as a friend, and now that she had found out she was from this town…

He had mopped up his bloody face on his nightshirt, and lay on his bed waiting until he heard his father's snores reverberating from the bedroom across the narrow corridor. Then he had tiptoed to the bathroom, hoping to find some healing potion his mother sometimes brewed, but there was nothing.

He had crept back to his room and lain awake for a long time, imagining what he would do if he was of age, and could use some of the curses he had read about on his book _The Dark Arts. _He knew who his target would be, if he could get away with it. Miserably, he wondered if his father hated him as much as _he _did.

The next morning was not any better. He had gone down early hoping to avoid his mother, but she had been waiting for him, sporting a livid bruise on her left cheek. She had not offered to brew any potion for his cuts and bruises, but had confronted him immediately, wanting to know the name of the Muggle-born girl.

He had run out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Which was why he was now lying on this dirty riverbank, watching the sluggish water move past. Lily would not come looking for him here. For the three days since he had come back, he avoided both his home and Lily. He did not want to see a look of pity in her eyes. He wanted to see admiration in her eyes, when she looked at him, - pride and admiration, yes. One day, perhaps even something else…

He shook his head to clear it. He didn't want to follow _that_ train of thought - Lily was too precious, too wildly beyond his reach now, for him to want to do anything that might jeopardise their friendship. She considered him her friend, and even that was already becoming more complicated at Hogwarts, than he had wanted to admit.

The sun felt too strong and he sat up, pulling his T-shirt down over his now-sunburnt back. He should really return home now and perhaps try and get a message to Lily somehow.

He wished they still had a telephone, but their line had been cut ages ago, since they had not paid the bill. And he had purposely hidden away the two-way mirror to avoid the temptation to use it - there was no way he'd let Lily see his battered face close up. Perhaps if he used it at night, she would not be able to see the cuts and bruises…

He was still musing on how best to send Lily a message when he arrived home. It was early afternoon, and his father would not be in yet. He had avoided him almost completely, since the night of his return.

When he opened the front door, an unexpected sight greeted him. His mother was standing at the rickety table in one corner, two open letters in her hand, and a handsome Eagle owl was perched on the fruit bowl. Both the owl's large amber eyes and his mother's dark ones turned in his direction as he came in. The latter were narrowed in anger.

'What's this? How d'you explain this?' she yelled immediately, waving the two papers before his eyes.

He snatched them out of her hand, realising immediately that they were written on normal muggle paper, not parchment. The first paper was nothing more than a brief note:

_Sev,_

_I've been trying for days to find you. You're not answering the mirror, either. So I burrowed Thalia's owl to send you this note, before it's too late._

_We're leaving tomorrow for France - for a whole month! I wondered if you could pop over to my house this evening. I can't, for Mum's keeping me busy packing._

_Lily_

'You've been seeing this Muggle – this Lily Evans, all this time, even going to her house, when I had expressly warned you-!'

'How d'you know her surname?' interrupted Severus, but a glance at the second letter told him why, for 'Lily Evans' was signed at the bottom of it. He realised that the second paper was a letter addressed to Thalia Swanson. He recalled she was a Gryffindor second-year, - a rather snooty one, if he recalled rightly.

'Why d'you open this? It's private!' he shouted, 'And this one isn't even addressed here!'

Deep scratches on his mother's hands revealed that the owl had probably contested her action too.

'I don't care! I want to find out what you've been up to! You didn't heed my warnings! Probably even last summer, though I spoke to you about it, you were already friends with this girl! You didn't tell me! How long have you known her? Who knows about your friendship at school?'

Severus was about to answer back that it was none of her business, but he was so angry, he thought it would be even better to tell her the truth.

'I've been friends with Lily for four years,' he snapped defiantly. 'And I still intend to be. Neither you, nor anyone else'll stop me!'

His mother's eyes widened at the news. He saw that she had been hoping, perhaps, that he had first met her at Hogwarts, that she had just offered him a lift because they had found out they were both from the same town. He saw her face darken, as the facts sunk in.

'Don't you care about what I've told you? Didn't I tell you to steer away from muggles? Look at me and your father! Wasn't your father's beating enough to convince you that there should be no association between Muggles and us? They're jealous of our magic!'

'Lily's a _witch_!'

'She's a Muggle-born! A _Mudblood_! That's as good as a Muggle, in many people's books! Worse, perhaps. If the Death Eaters have a notion that Muggle-borns have come by their magic in illicit ways, they'll come looking for them, and for us, whether it is true or not!'

'You told me last summer that it wasn't only _your _family that disapproved of your marrying Dad. You said many consider you a _traitor_!' Severus spat 'So if any of those Death Eater people come sniffing around, perhaps you should think what part _you _had in it, rather than pointing your finger at an innocent thirteen-year-old girl!'

They faced each other across the rickety table. His mother looked as if he had suddenly slapped her, but he was beyond caring. After all, it was because she had married Tobias, that both of them were now covered in bruises. It was a bit rich of her to blame Lily for any unwanted attention she might bring upon them. He glared at his mother. Slowly Eileen lowered her eyes, looking at her work-harshened hands. She still wore her wedding ring on her ring finger.

Severus had expected an angry outburst, but when she spoke it was in a low, sad voice.

'Perhaps you're still too young, and it's still too early to speak about such things, Severus, but I do not want you to repeat the same mistakes I did.'

Severus made a disparaging noise.

'I'm just a 'useless freak', remember? Besides Lily's too… I mean, we're just good friends, that's all!' He reddened slightly, then spoke angrily, to hide his confusion. 'Anyway, don't you go and compare her with Dad! She's a witch! And a good one too!'

His mother was looking at him closely, her brows furrowed.

'I'm taking it she wasn't sorted into your house, was she?' she said quietly.

'No. She's in Gryffindor,' he said reluctantly.

His mother nodded.

'Of course. Well, let me tell you this, Severus. She will be far better off there, whilst Dumbledore's pro-muggle policy is still firmly in place, than you could ever be in Slytherin, while _he_ is Headmaster. He was a Gryffindor himself, you know.'

Severus shifted uncomfortably. How much did she know?

'So you can forget about this girl. Stick to your own house, and prove to them you are worthy of the name of Prince, even though you are a half-blood…'

Severus scowled as his mother re-tied Thalia's letter to the still-waiting owl, and sent it off. There was no way he could use the owl now. And he still did not want to go to the Evans.

He was about to escape to his own room, when his mother spoke again.

'And what mirror is she referring to?'

He gave a non-committal shrug, and ran up the steps two at a time, eager to get to his room. The first thing he'd do was find a safe hiding place for his two-way mirror. It would not take much for his mother to guess what it really was, were she to find it.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

That month was very long for Severus. His one reason for wanting to stay home had been the opportunity to have Lily all to himself, and now even that was gone. The bruises on his back and face healed, but the weight that had settled on his chest the day he arrived, remained.

He wandered disconsolately along the riverbank besides his home. Sometimes he took his homework along, but he never got started on it. He had planned to do it with Lily, and now he had lost all enthusiasm for it.

He hated the glaring sun that reflected so brightly off the pavements and cobbled streets, preferring the dim shade of his room, when he was at home. He always kept the shutters and threadbare curtains of his window closed, shutting out the sun. It felt better in the semi-darkness, to lie back in bed and think about Hogwarts, or wonder where Lily was at the moment and what she was doing.

At first, he had hoped, rather foolishly, perhaps, that she might be missing him as much as he did her. The little note she had sent, which was now safely hidden together with the two-way mirror, seemed to imply that.

However, he had tried to contact her using the same mirror many times, both by day and by night, but she had not answered it. Finally, he had stowed it away in disgust.

Perhaps Lily was having too much fun in France to bother about him now. Perhaps she had forgotten all about him.

He growled angrily as he lay on his bed, looking up at patchy plaster on the ceiling of his room. A few sparks came out of the tip of his wand, which he was holding in his hand. He loved to feel the smooth ebony of the shaft of his wand, the embossed design of the handle. It was quite heavy for a wand, for it was made of a heavy, unbending wood. He had taken it out as a reminder of the good times past, of Hogwarts, and perhaps also as reminder of half-formed plans for a better future.

His hand itched to cast a spell. Right now, he felt a curse would be the most appropriate. Sometimes it took all his willpower to refrain, when he felt the tingle of magic deep within him, almost like a live creature. Perhaps the enforced ban on magic for underage wizards had been thought up in order to teach young wizards control and restraint, as part of their training to obey the Statute of Secrecy.

He frowned. He heartily wished the Statute of Secrecy didn't exist. He would never have to submit to the humiliations of his father then.

Carefully taking aim with his wand-tip, now glowing angrily red, he shot down the flies that were circling his room, watching them drop down dead, one by one, through the over-heated, stuffy air.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

'You've got another ruddy owl!' his father barked at him next morning. 'Second one this week. Flew in as I opened the door. 'Twas heading straight for your room, 'fore your mother caught it.'

His father was sitting at the small table with a mug of coffee, and a hipflask in front of him. A letter was lying open on the table, and what looked like a few pages of '_Quidditch today'_, a sporting magazine about Quidditch.

'Since when are you interested in sports?' Tobias sneered 'Even that weird one on brooms. You were no good at hitting a ball on the ground, let alone if you're airborne.'

'I like looking at the pictures,' he retorted sarcastically.

His father poured some amber liquid into his mug of coffee. His eyes were bloodshot, and his thick hair unkempt. Severus frowned. He did not remember his father drinking so early in the morning. It had always been in the evening, especially after pay day, when he spent his earnings on beer. But now, his newly-acquired hipflask often stood on the table while he was having breakfast.

The letter was from Rosier, and it was very short.

_Severus,_

_Our third-year friend sent me this feature. I know you would be particularly interested in the unfair play described on page 15._

_Evan Rosier_

Severus picked up the innocent-looking Quidditch paper. The article referred to, was a rather unimpressive account of how the Chudley Cannons had lost to the Falmouth Falcons in a recent Quidditch game. He knew however, that a simple Switching spell had been put on page 15, then wiped magically clean and double-switched with the original article. Rabastan had agreed with him about it before they left Hogwarts, so that they could circulate information that way. A special eraser, given to him before he left Hogwarts, would easily reveal the hidden print.

Severus had already received three such letters. He noticed that his father was looking at him through narrowed eyes. He pretended to read the _Quidditch Today_. The surprising thing was that, despite his increased drinking, Tobias Snape never lost complete control of his faculties, like some of the drunken men Severus had seen tottering about the neighbourhood.

'So, what does page 15 say?' his father asked.

'You shouldn't have opened that letter. It was for me!'

'None of your lip, boy! I'll do what I damn well please in my own house!' his father retorted, firing up at once.

Severus decided to say nothing. His father's temper, always very short, was getting worse than ever. Every little thing seemed to set him off. Perhaps it was the only (very noticeable) change, that his increased drinking had incurred.

'Besides, your mother opened it.' Tobias' voice had dropped to an irritated growl. 'Seems to think you're up to something. I've never seen so many of these bloody birds flappin' around our house!'

'There were only three!' Severus said coldly.

'I know how to count, you useless git! An' there were more 'n that! Your Mum's been getting her fair share of them magic newspapers, too.'

Just then, his mother came through the door that led to the kitchen. She saw the letter in her son's hand, but did not say anything. Severus knew she probably approved of Evan Rosier. Perhaps because, after all, they were distantly related, though she had never told him. He had decided to keep quiet about what he had found out.

It seemed his mother had a few more secrets than she cared to admit, and it would not do for her to find out he'd been ferreting around trying to uncover them, during his school year.

Eileen proceeded to the fireplace and started to pile logs in the grate.

'What're you doing? It's in the bloody middle of summer! Don't tell me you've been burning up money on - '

'I'm not lighting it!' Eileen shouted, drowning out her husband. 'It's just for…decoration.'

'What d'you take me for, Eileen? A fool?' his father jumped to his feet and waved a threatening finger at her. 'You use that fire for more than going to them magic places! I've seen you!'

'What are you talking about?'

'You used to do it! In the beginning, when we …when we came to live here. You used to stick your head in the fire, and … and speak to someone on t'other side!'

Severus looked at his mother. He thought she'd deny it at first, but after a moment's silence, she nodded.

'Yes. I used too. But that was a long time ago.'

'Yer still doing it now! That's how you keep me out of it! Getting up to things behind my back!'

'I keep you out of it because you're a danger to yourself, and us, even with the little you know!' she had got to her feet, hands balled into fists. Her pale face was contorted in anger, her fine dark hair coming lose from the bun at the nape of her neck.

'You just tell me what's going on, or I'll-!'

'There's a war! A wizarding war between a dark wizard and the Ministry of Magic!' Severus interrupted, before things escalated out of control again. He could not understand why his mother was so determined not to let him know anything. The garbled version of events Tobias had acquired was worse, in his opinion, then giving him the bare facts.

'Shut up, Severus!' Eileen hissed.

'No - you go on, boy.'

'There's nothing much else. War on this dark wizard, called Lord Voldemort, was declared by the Ministry for Magic, who says that the situation'll be under control as soon as possible. On the other hand, Lord Voldemort has declared the Ministry corrupt and inefficient and wants to make some changes.'

'Corrupt and inefficient, eh? Well, seems things can go a bit rotten in the magic world, too. Exactly what changes is he proposing?'

Eileen shook her head, looking at him silently, but Severus was not about to give his father details of the wizard-over-muggle supremacy he had been reading about.

'Nothing, if the Ministry catch him, like they said.'

'And what if they don't? Your mother tries to make me out as a fool, but I'm not stupid, Severus! From what I've found out, this Voldemort bloke's very much against non-magic people. It seems there's a bit of a class divide, too.' He scratched his unshaven face and looked at Severus thoughtfully. 'What are Muggle-borns?' he added.

'Those born with magic powers to non-magic parents.' Severus shifted uneasily. They were on dangerous grounds. 'Opposites of Squibs, who are non-magic offspring of magic parents. But muggle-borns are more common than squibs,' he added hastily.

'I see.'

Tobias said nothing for a minute, and seemed to be gazing unseeing at the mound of logs Eileen had placed behind the grate.

'This Voldemort seems to have made himself quite a following, although that newspaper of yours seemed almost reluctant to mention them Death Eaters. I wonder why? I smell your government's interference here. No wonder this Voldemort thinks there's corruption,' he said, shrewdly.

'They did right!' burst out Eileen. 'He doesn't need more publicity…' she bit her lip as though the words had escaped her.

'Probably they've ensured it, the way they're trying to repress it.' Tobias seemed to have calmed down somewhat, now that he was getting somewhere. 'And hates Muggle-borns, hmm? His Death Eaters call them 'mud-bloods', eh?' he looked at Severus as if seeing him for the first time. He scowled and pointed a finger in his face.

'You, boy, are going to steer clear of that uptown girl. Not only are her family snobs in _our_ world, but it seems many in _your _world don't think so highly of her kind too!'

'No, you've got it all wrong!' Severus protested angrily 'Besides, this Dark Lord isn't interested in this backwater place, I'm sure he has more important things-'

Eileen fumbled with something in her apron pocket. When she took it out, he saw it was a cutting from the '_Daily Prophet'_

'There!' she said, holding up the crumpled paper in front of him 'What do you say to this, then?'

His father leaned in closer to look at the paper too.

'_Three more disappearances this week!' _was the title of the article. '_Two old warlocks from London's East End, and a witch from Little Granston have disappeared without trace over the weekend. Sources close to the Ministry have said...'._

'Is Little Granston 'backwater' enough for you!' his mother hissed snatching the newspaper away, her usually pale face, blotchily red. 'There's almost always somebody, every week. Muggles, too! And Dementor attacks!'

She took a deep breath, then:

'You heard your father, Severus. From now on, I'd like you to sever all contacts with anyone who might bring either the Ministry, or that Dark Lord's followers, anywhere near this house. We're in a precarious enough position as it is! Stick to your own kind, only.'

'And who, exactly, are my own kind, here? I'm half-blood, remember? Neither here nor there!' he started furiously, but his father, who had been looking fixedly at the newspaper cutting, cut across him.

'You heard her! Keep your head down and your nose clean! I'm warning you!'

Severus was surprised to see the look in his father's eyes. More than apprehension, it looked like outright fear.

Without another word, he stuffed his letter and the pages of '_Quidditch Today_' in the pocket of his jeans and went out of the door into the brilliant morning sunshine.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: Lily at Spinner's end.**

Lily lay on her narrow bunk looking at the rain spattering the small window of their caravan. It was the last week of their caravan tour and she was heartily glad it was almost over. It would not have been so bad, had it not been for the forced close confinement with Petunia. She glanced over to where her sister sat at the small table, painting her nails with her latest acquisitions of nail polish.

For that was the problem with Petunia – the promised trip to Paris had been nothing but an endless succession of visits to large Department stores, until finally Lily rebelled and threatened to go off by herself to see something more interesting.

She had wanted to see the Louvre, where she knew that some of the artefacts belonging to the more famous of French wizards and witches were kept, though they were only considered of historical value by the unsuspecting Muggles. She had found out about all this during the impromptu lessons on history with Severus in the Hogwarts library.

Finally, her father had accompanied her, leaving Petunia to browse the shops with her mother. It had been a bit better then, but Petunia still scowled angrily whenever she described how the old French warlocks had built magical passageways under Notre Dame, how most of the old witch-burnings were really just theatrics, how enchantments had been placed on the underground lakes under the old Opera de Paris, giving their waters some very strange properties, as well as making them gateways to the French counterpart of the Ministry for Magic.

Rose and John Evans had been fascinated, perhaps sometimes a bit sceptical, but Petunia was downright surly, saying she wasn't interested in hearing about freaks and their unnatural goings-on in other countries too.

These sort of conversations usually always led to a squabble between the two sisters which their parents were finding increasingly difficult to break up. The close confinement did not help.

It was especially worse when they were travelling in the country. Unlike Lily, the natural beauty of the rugged coastline held no attractions for Petunia, especially if they stopped for any time in the middle of nowhere, as they had done today. She complained loudly to her parents on these occasions, saying she was bored of the country, for there was nothing to do.

Lily knew it was because there was no one to spy upon or gossip about. Petunia preferred well- attended caravan sites, for she found more scope for her talent for nosing around her fellow caravaners, even when they spoke in rapid French, and she always came back with news about the size of their caravan; what they were doing, and so on.

Lily sighed. Her parents had gone shopping, and until they returned she had no chance of escaping the close confines of their caravan. Speaking to Petunia was out of the question now, for the rift between them was growing wider.

It had started badly enough on the first night of their holiday, for Lily had found her Two-way Mirror missing. It turned out Petunia had borrowed it to check her make-up the previous night, before they left home, and left it in the bathroom. She had taken it from Lily's suitcase without asking, and so it got left behind. They had a huge argument about it, for Petunia could not see what all the fuss was about, and Lily did not want to tell her what the old-fashioned mirror really was.

But Lily was worried, as well as angry. Now she had lost all means of communicating with Severus. She wondered if he had tried to contact her after receiving her owl. Now, thanks to Petunia, the only thing he would see would be his own reflection.

She suddenly remembered the first time she had used the mirror, back at Hogwarts in the snow-bound Forbidden Forest. She remembered how Severus had looked at her through the mirror, with a shy half-smile upon his face. Suddenly, she realised she was missing him more than home; more than Hogwarts, and more than she would have thought possible. They had seen each other almost every day since they had started school, after all.

Perhaps this prolonged contact with Petunia made his companionship more precious to her. Not that Severus was the embodiment of sweetness, she thought, grinning. He had a rather short temper and did not suffer fools gladly. But at least, he did not constantly cast disdainful looks at her; or try and shut her up every time she spoke about magic, like her sister did.

She felt very lonely now and was looking forward to the day they went back home. She had received no owl from Severus (or from anybody else) and he had not come to look for her the night before they left. At first she had briefly wondered whether he had forgotten about her, perhaps he was enjoying his holidays, doing something interesting. But the look on his face the night they parted at Spinner's End, was anything but gleeful anticipation.

If he thought he could use the mirror to get in touch with her he must have given up by now. With a frustrated sigh, she got off her bunk, grabbed her raincoat and opened the door to the caravan, ignoring Petunia's inquiry as to where she was going. Perhaps a walk in the rain along the wave-battered cliff edge would stop her thinking about it.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The morning after their arrival back home was a Saturday. Petunia had attached herself to the phone as soon as they were back, and Lily, after a hurried breakfast, ran outside, intending to look for Severus.

Her parents did not object. Lily felt rather guilty when, the previous night, her father had declared there would only be short family holidays in future. She knew that the month of almost constant complaints from Petunia, as well as their frequent bickering, must have put her parents off inventing something like that again. Now they were just happy to let each daughter do whatever she pleased, before school started again.

Lily looked first in the park near their home, where Severus had waited for her last summer, but there was no sign of him. He wasn't in the playground either, so she went on to their spot by the river, where she was almost sure she would find him, for that was where they usually stayed, when together.

When she got there, the little grove was almost exactly as she remembered – the pond a little deeper perhaps, but it's calm, green waters under the shade of the trees was a welcome oasis for her. Of Severus, however, there was no sign.

She walked around the pond towards the slow-flowing river and looked there. She even called his name. But apart from the bird song and the whisper of the water, there was no other sound. She searched the area around the stretch of grass that led to the grove, but after a while gave up, and went to sit down on one of the logs at the pool's edge.

Somehow, she had been positive she'd find him. The elation she had felt that morning slowly dissipated. She left the grove and decided to have a look inside the abandoned, dilapidated houses further downriver, where she knew he sometimes sheltered in. With some trepidation, (for she did not like the musty smell and sad feeling of decay in these boarded-up brick houses), she went inside and looked around. However, all she unearthed were some scurrying mice and a great quantity of cobwebs.

It was now close to noon, and still no sign of Severus. Her sense of foreboding grew. She knew he usually kept away from his house as much as possible, but now it seemed to her that it was the only one place left to search.

At least, if he wasn't there, perhaps his parents would tell her where she could find him. She hoped she could find her way to Spinner's End again, for it had been night time when her father had driven them there, and the area was a rather labyrinthine collection of identical-looking brick houses.

She decided to follow the cobbled street by the riverbank, for she remembered that was where they had passed the night they arrived from Hogwarts. Many houses had boarded-up windows here, and seemed abandoned too. Loud music issued from the windows of one that was lived in, but there was no-one around except an old tramp who shuffled along the railings that separated the river from the street.

Lily took the first turning at the end of the riverside row of houses, but then saw that there were similar narrow streets, row upon row of them. She was confused. She knew they had taken another turning somewhere, but the narrow streets all looked the same. She should have used the Two-way Mirror! She was angry with herself for not thinking about it last night! She could have spoken to Severus last night!

She shook herself. Now she was here, she'd have to give it a go. She imagined Severus would be very surprised to find her on his doorstep. He had always seemed reluctant to talk about his home. Remembering his expression the night her parents had given him a lift to Spinner's End, and how he had refused help, she thought that he might feel a tad ashamed of the run-down neighbourhood he lived in.

As if that mattered to her! She'd show him that she didn't care which part of town he came from. She was not Petunia after all.

Just then she noticed a group of young men at a street corner. They wore hippy clothes (a month with Petunia had got her up-to-date on muggle fashion) and wore their hair very long. They were looking at her appraisingly. She found their staring hard to ignore, and was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, when she noticed some children playing hopscotch on the other side of the street.

She went up to them and asked them the way to Spinner's End. After a minute of silent staring, a dirty-haired girl, the eldest among them, said:

'Second turnin' on yer left, Miss.'

Lily, rather surprised at being addressed thus, thanked them and hurried on to the indicated street. Once there, she was faced with another dilemma, for the red brick houses were almost all identical. Small doors alternated with small windows, all the way down each row. It was now lunchtime, and there was no-one about.

The night they had given Severus a lift, she remembered a door slamming, and Severus glancing at the last house on the left-hand side of the street. Perhaps that was the one.

She walked down to the last house and debated what to do.

The non-descript door was of dark wood, or painted so, for it was patchy in places, and there was a single, lopsided doorknocker in the centre. The curtains in the window were also made of some dark heavy material, but they were drawn against the harsh light outside.

She decided to try this door anyway. If it was not where Mr and Mrs Snape lived, she could at least ask for directions.

She climbed up the couple of steps, and gave a few loud knocks on the door.

A minute later, the door opened a crack, and Lily saw the thin, pale, face of a woman peer at her through the crack. Her dark, deep-set eyes flickered at the street behind her, but seeing only a girl on the doorstep, the woman opened the door wider.

Lily knew she had seen this woman somewhere before. Her face, with its high cheekbones, straight nose, and fine, straight, dark hair pulled back in a bun were familiar. The woman's hand had been holding something inside her apron pocket. Now she withdrew her hand and rested it on the door jamb.

'What do you want?' she asked coldly.

'I – I'm looking for Severus Snape. I don't know if I've come to the right house. My name is Lily, Lily Evans. I'm a school friend…' Lily faltered and stopped.

The woman's face had become very pale, then her eyes darkened, as a slow flush of anger suffused her cheeks.

Lily suddenly remembered whose eyes darkened in exactly the same way, when angry.

'You're that Muggle-born my son is wasting his time with! After all I told him!' the woman leaned forward and hissed at her 'How _dare_ you come here?'

Then she was roughly pushed out of the way, and a man stood in the doorway. Tall, with thick, unkempt, brown hair, a hooked nose, and a day-old stubble. He stared down at her so belligerently, that she took a step backwards.

'So, you're the one causing all the trouble, hmm?' he said, looking her up and down. 'You're the one getting those Death Eaters to come sniffing round…'

'Shut up, you fool!' the woman said, giving a nervous look down the street.

Lily was confused, as well as apprehensive. It seemed she was at the right house, but she wasn't expecting such a reception.

'I'm – I'm sorry, Sir. But I think you must be making a mistake – I have nothing to do with Death Eaters…'

'You don't, eh? You mean to tell me you're just here to speak to Severus? ' he said sarcastically. 'And when did the likes of you ever come to this part of town? Sure there an't something more on yer agenda, Missy? D'you expect me to believe someone with _your_ looks, from _your_ posh neighbourhood, is interested in that useless, ugly git of a son of mine?'

His voice was getting louder in anger, but Lily's blood was boiling too. What on earth was he saying? And how could he speak about Severus that way!

'Yes.' she said defiantly. 'I don't care about that sort of thing, I just wanted to speak…'

'I'll tell you what you're here for!' Severus's father leaned out of the doorway, jabbing a finger in her direction. She caught a whiff of an unpleasant, sour sort of smell, as he leaned towards her, but she stood her ground. 'You and your family, with all your snooty-nosed ambition, have gotten involved in that war among them freaks as can do magic!'

'Tobias, shut up! You don't know…'

But she was ignored, for her husband continued to shout, his voice rising higher and higher.

'You've gone and stolen something from those Death Eater hooligans, and now you're trying to pass off whatever you did on our son! I know your kind! You don't care what happens to us as grovel in the slums! One more, one less, won't matter to you, s'long as _you_ get out of it clean! You go tell your father that - !'

'Shut up, you fool!' This time his wife managed to outshout him. 'You don't know who may be _listening_!'

'You don't tell me to shut up, you witch!' He rounded on his wife, his finger pointing threateningly in her face. Lily watched him, quite frightened now, wishing she had got her wand.

'It's because of you,' Mr Snape was shouting '… and that useless son of yours, that we're in this fix! After I warned him! I'm going to kill him!'

'It's ok! It's ok! I'm leaving!' Lily said, hastily.

She hadn't thought that her visit would get Severus into such trouble. But the man had already turned to go inside.

'Do not come here again! Your kind aren't welcome here!' the black-haired woman spat, as she closed the door in Lily's face.

However, in the few seconds before the door slammed shut, she caught a good view of the small room within, and she saw something which made her heart stop beating. Severus had just appeared at a door almost hidden by bookshelves, to one side of the room.

For a split second, his pale face looked straight at her with a look of undisguised terror. Then, the tall frame of his father, and the closing door, shut him from view.

Lily almost fell down the last doorstep. She heard some muffled shouting, but only for a split second – it went suddenly eerily silent in the Snape household, as though someone had cast a Silencing Charm, and Lily turned and ran.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: Learning Experience.**

She did not stop running until she came to the river. Then she followed the riverside road past the old dilapidated houses and further on until she came to the deserted playground where she had first met Severus, and sat down heavily on one of the old swings, for her legs would not carry her any further. She realised her face was wet with tears she hadn't realised she had shed.

It had gone so horribly wrong! She had meant to surprise Severus, tell him she was finally back! She had not expected his parents to attack her the way they did!

She recalled with horror their accusatory words, the anger and bitterness with which they had shouted at her. She had not even understood what they were accusing her of. That his father thought her a snob was evident, but what did Mrs Snape mean, when she said 'your kind aren't welcome here'? Was it because she was a Muggle-born? But Mrs Snape had _married a Muggle_ – how could she take that attitude? Was this the reason why Severus had not attempted to contact her for all this time?

Did he, like his parents, think her a snob, and somehow involved with those horrible Death Eaters? She was so confused, she didn't know what to think.

More tears leaked out of her eyes, and she wiped them off with the back of her hand, sniffing loudly. Leaning back against one of the chains of her swing, she pushed herself back and forth on it, as though rocking herself.

She had known, of course, that his parents argued, but she thought it was only between themselves, - she had not stopped to think that maybe her presence there could be unwelcome. She had almost entirely forgotten about the wizarding war during her month in France – she had been so cut off from the magical world. Which is why she had been so eager – over-eager, perhaps, to see Severus again.

After some time, she got off the swing and started off slowly in the direction of her own street. She remembered it was exactly a year ago, that Severus had told her about the war that had broken out in the wizarding world. He had explained about the wizard Voldemort, and how he wanted to overthrow a corrupt Ministry and give power to all-wizarding families.

She had accused him then, half-jokingly, half-seriously, that he might not want to speak to her again, if they were on 'opposite sides' of the two warring factions, for, as a Muggle-born, she knew she definitely could NOT be on Voldemort's side.

He had vehemently denied it then, saying he would never do that.

Lily sighed and slowed down. She felt she didn't want to go home. Probably her eyes were still red, and she didn't want to be asked any questions. She decided to go to the little grove by the river– at least she would be alone there.

It was now early afternoon, and as she half-shut her eyes against the sun's glare, one vision kept incessantly cropping up in her mind's eye. She could not get rid of the image of Severus's pale face, eyes wide in fear, as he stared at her for that split second, before the closing door obstructed him from view.

What had he been so scared of? She shook her head to clear it. A stiff breeze had come up, rustling the leaves of the trees in the grove she had now arrived at. She entered the cool shade gladly, and by the time her eyes had adjusted to the dimmer light, she was almost by the side of the deep pond near the river's edge. Something she saw there brought her up short.

Sitting across a fallen log was a lone boy, dark curtains of hair covering his face, as he toyed with a small twig in the water.

Lily recognised him immediately, but he had not heard her approach, though she stood only a couple of meters away from him. Her heart started beating faster – she had not expected to find Severus here, and did not know what to expect. Would he start shouting, like his parents? She was not going to stand for any more of that, she thought angrily. After all, what had she done to deserve it?

Unbidden, the image of his terrified face rose again in her mind. Now her heart was beating faster than ever, and she did not know why. This was _Severus_, her _friend_, for Merlin's sake! She shook her head, took a deep breath, and moved forward.

'Severus!'

He whirled round at the sound of her voice, dropping the twig he had been holding. She could finally see his face now, but what she saw almost made her heart stop beating.

His face was a bloody mess. One eye was swollen almost shut, he had several bruises, a cut lip, and a smear of congealed blood across his forehead.

'Oh, my… _Severus!_!' Her hands flew to her mouth in horror.

Severus's initial look of alarmed surprise was swiftly changing as she stared at him. His eyes darkened angrily.

'Why didn't you go home? What d'you come here for?'

He spoke in a low, vicious voice that seemed different, somehow, not like his usual voice. Lily took a step backwards.

Did he hate her now? It must be because of her, that he ended up this way. Last year she had suspected his home life was worse than he let on, but this was far, far, worse than she had ever imagined.

Severus had turned his face away from her again, bending his head so that his hair obscured his face again.

'I'm …I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come…'

'No, you shouldn't! He could've got _you_, instead!'

Severus lifted his head, squinting at her painfully from one eye. It took a moment for Lily to realise he was talking about his father, and that he had been scared for _her_.

She took a step closer.

'I came to your house because I wanted to tell you I'm back from France, that's all. I hadn't heard from you for so long…'

'You could've used the mirror, couldn't you? You never answered, when I did…' his voice cracked.

'Petunia burrowed it without telling me, then it got left behind. I tried to call you before I left - I even sent you an owl.'

Severus looked at her for a long moment in confusion, as if debating what to say. Lily observed the bruises on his cheek were getting darker, contrasting vividly with the pronounced paleness of his face. It seemed as if the sun had not even touched his skin this summer.

'Stop looking at me like that!' he said suddenly, in the same low voice.

'Like what?'

'I don't need your pity!' he growled, turning his face away once more.

'Sev, there's blood all over your face, and your eye's all swollen. It must be hurting like mad …'

'I said, forget it!' he snapped 'When you came to our house, I just cheeked him more than usual, so he got mad, that's all. Nothing I can't handle. It's not important.'

'Not_ important_?'

'Look, Lily, don't you have to be back at your house, or something?'

Lily stood stock-still watching him, as he bent his head again so that his face was hidden. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall at his abrupt dismissal. She couldn't understand why he was so angry with her, unless it was because she had earned him a beating. But the way he spoke about it, as if it was nothing unexpected, made her shudder involuntarily.

It seemed he was more touchy about being pitied. Slowly, the dawning of understanding came. Severus was too proud to want that – perhaps that is why he had always avoided letting her come near his house, or even talking about it. He always strove to be the best - even at Hogwarts, - he always strove to have something to be proud of. Having seen a glimpse of his home life, she understood, now, even better than before, his need to research his family tree, eager to find, no doubt, someone he could be proud of claiming as a relation.

She smiled slowly as she gazed upon the dejected figure before her. She would get to the bottom of this somehow. That's what friends were for, no? And whatever he might say, she was sure he still considered her a friend.

She took a clean hanky from the pocket of her dress and went round the log to the pond's edge, dipping it in the clear, cool water. Then she sat down on the log in front of Severus.

He looked up in surprise.

'What're you going to do?' he asked gruffly, looking warily out of one eye at the soggy handkerchief in her hand.

'I'm going to clean you up, of course,' she said brightly. She made a movement towards him, but he stiffened and leaned back.

'Oh, come on, Sev. You don't want to go around looking like a troll, do you?'

For a moment she thought he would retort angrily, but he just scowled and muttered something under his breath, that sounded like 'what's the difference?' Then he turned his face away from her, hiding once more behind the curtains of dark hair.

Her courage faltered, and she let her hand fall to her side, scrunching up the sodden handkerchief she was still holding. This would not do. She shook herself mentally and then she leaned sideways, towards Severus, striving to peer at his face.

'Don't you – don't you want to be my friend any more?'

She had meant to speak casually, or half-jokingly, but her voice was tremulous, in spite of herself.

He turned slowly to look at her, a fleeting look of wonder on his face.

'I will always be your friend, Lily,' he said quietly, in same low voice as before. He held her gaze steadily, his expression changing into one she could not quite fathom, but it made her feel a bit uncomfortable, somehow.

'Well, then. Let me clean you up,' she said, forcing herself to speak normally. 'Pity I can't use magic. But you really can't go about looking like you've been to a battle...'

She made a movement towards him, but he drew back, away from her, yet again.

'Don't worry, I'll be careful, I won't hurt you ...' she said, wilfully misinterpreting his reluctance.

He did not say anything, but his one undamaged eye widened in apprehension.

She ignored him, leaned forwards, and gently held his face with her left hand, while with her right she proceeded to wipe off the dried blood streaked across his forehead.

She felt him stiffen at first, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on her face.

She realised with some surprise that Severus's eyes were a dark brown, not exactly black. They were so close – like when she had first held the Two-way Mirror, to see him looking back at her out of it. There was the same, strange, expression in his face – she could only describe it as a sort of curbed intensity ... and something else...

It made her uncomfortable feeling grow.

'Close your eyes!' she murmured, not knowing how else to avoid his intense stare.

They obediently fluttered shut, and she ran the wet hanky across his brows and down the left side of his face, taking care to avoid the bruises that had formed on his cheek.

Her handkerchief was rapidly turning red.

She paused in her ministrations, observing her friend's features carefully, now his eyes were closed.

He seemed a bit different somehow. His face was thinner, longer, the cheekbones more pronounced, so that his cheeks appeared somewhat hollow. She observed he had very thick, long, eyelashes, their blackness accentuated by the pallor of his skin - skin that had been bruised and hurt by the brutal hand of someone who should love him. Did his father love him after all? Judging by what she saw in front of her, he did not.

How could he survive in such a place? She found it bad enough to deal with Petunia's dislike at home, and couldn't imagine what she'd do if she didn't have her parent's love and support.

She found a clean corner of her handkerchief and ran it gently down the other side of his face, careful to avoid the cut on his brow that was threatening to start bleeding again. She noticed there were dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept for a long time.

She bit her lip, blinking back the tears.

He shouldn't have to suffer like this, she thought angrily. How dare anyone treat their own son in this way? How many other times had this happened? Then she remembered with a wrench, that, on this occasion, at least, it had been her fault.

A tear slid down her cheek, and the hand that was still gently cupping his face, trembled.

She got up hastily and went to the water's edge again, pretending to rinse her handkerchief while surreptitiously drying her eyes.

When she came back, he was looking at her intently again.

'Soon done,' she said, forcing a smile.

This time he did not protest, but closed his eyes once more, submitting in silence to her ministrations.

'There. Ready,' she said.

Severus's eyes fluttered open, and she felt a warm breath on her hand, as if he had been holding his breath. She realised she was still holding his face, and she snatched her hand away quickly, reddening slightly.

'Thanks,' he mumbled, looking away.

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees above them, and some birds squabbled noisily in the distance. Lily sat observing her friend.

Now he seemed not to want to look at her, as much as before he couldn't stop staring. His hair was rather unkempt, she noticed, and he was dressed in a faded, torn jeans, and a T-Shirt that had definitely seen better days. There were also bruises on his arms that she hadn't noticed before.

She felt a sudden urge to protect him, to do something to help him. But what? Could she possibly persuade him to tell someone about it? She knew he would probably curse her into oblivion if she tried interfering. He seemed to know his own mind about that, anyway…

'What're you looking at?' he growled. She hadn't noticed she was staring at him.

'You. You look different.'

'Of course I look different!' he replied, with a trace of his old impatience, 'My eye's probably the size of a soup plate now!'

'No. I mean you look different, older…'

Severus raised his eyebrow quizzically, then winced as the cut on his brow started bleeding again. 'I'm about one month older than when you last saw me, Lily.'

'Don't do that. You'll make it bleed again,' Lily said, giving him her hanky. 'I mean you even sound different now.'

'Oh, _that_.'

He reddened slightly, and said nothing, but kept her handkerchief pressed to the cut on his brow, trying to stem the flow. Lily smiled. Perhaps she could tease him into a lighter mood. He certainly looked as though he needed it.

'Your voice has broken. That's what they call it, right? It's deeper, now. You're growing up fast, Sev.'

'So're you!'

There was that look again. It was more of a sweeping glance this time, and he quickly lowered his eyes once more to the log they were sitting on, where his hands were now fiddling with the bloody handkerchief.

Lily squirmed uncomfortably. She hadn't bargained for such an answer.

'Bet you've grown taller, too. Come on, let's see. Get up.'

She stood up, grabbed his hand and pulled him up off the log. This time he appeared quite willing to show her that he had, indeed, grown taller.

'My, Sev, you're way taller than me now.'

He smirked down his nose at her, standing as straight as he could, as she measured herself against him.

'I had almost caught up with you last year,' she said ruefully. 'Ah well, I guess it can't be helped…'

She stepped back towards the edge of the pool, wondering how she was going to tell him that she'd like to help him, to do something about his home life. She picked a few berries and started to throw them absent-mindedly into the pond.

'Listen, Sev, about today, why don't we go and speak to my Mum?'

'Don't you even think of it, Lily. Don't you even _dare _…!'

'But why? It's not right! You shouldn't be treated that way.'

'It's none of your business! I'll deal with it my own way!'

'By suffering in silence?'

'Yes! No! I mean… I can more than handle my Dad, magic or no magic!'

'But - !'

'No, Lily stay out of it! You don't understand _anything_ about my family!'

Lily gulped, blinking back tears. She didn't want Severus to get angry again. She had seen enough bitterness for one day. But she couldn't ignore what happened either, especially since she still deemed it her fault.

'Explain, then.'

She expected him to shut her up again, but he did not say anything. But after a while he spoke.

'Dad's got wind of the war from some copies of the _Daily Prophet_ my Mum did not manage to hide. He's making a big deal of it. He seems to think your family is mixed up with the 'opposing faction', as he calls the Dark Lord's followers.'

'And how did he come to that conclusion?'

'He got it all wrong. I tried explaining, but…' He shrugged.

'He accused me of stealing something from Death Eaters.'

Severus shifted uncomfortably. 'I guess he read about how some believe Muggleborns got magic by stealth, but got the whole thing jumbled up, so he fears retribution on Muggleborns and all those who associate with them.'

'I see.'

She felt an icy hand clutch her heart. It was that old story again.

Severus was looking at her anxiously, 'My father doesn't like magic, so I guess he's scared of what those wizards can do to him. Makes him very unreasonable. I told him I don't care about what he says.'

'You did?'

'Of course. What d'you think?'

'Oh.' She gave a feeble smile. 'I didn't know what to think, Sev. I hadn't heard from you for so long…. And then your parents started saying those things….Seems I'm considered a snob, too.'

Severus made a noise of disdain.

'He's always harping on about how life is unfair and 'power to the people' stuff, but it's really his fault that we're not… that he doesn't have a good job.'

'How come?'

'From what my Mum says, he had very good opportunities, and good Muggle qualifications, but when he discovered she was a witch, he thought he could learn magic and have it easy.'

Lily nodded and said: 'But of course, he couldn't learn magic. No Muggle can. I know that now. Petunia wanted to, remember?'

'I guess that's when he started hating magic as much as he had previously desired it. Blamed Mum for not showing him how. She blamed _him_ for trying to steal it. Then I came along, and …'

'And?'

He shrugged. 'Having a wizard as a son must've made it worse for Dad. Hated magic worse than ever. Don't remember if he ever had better jobs, but certainly not now. That's why he's always on about the oppression of the upper classes, the government and such rubbish. Could've been part of the upper classes himself, hadn't he been such a …a…'

'Perhaps he's bit jealous,' interrupted Lily, before Severus could find a harsh enough word to describe his father. 'It must be hard for him being the only one in the family not able to do magic.'

Severus looked at her incredulously, as if he hadn't thought about it from that point of view, or perhaps because she was defending his father.

'I'm not defending what he did,' she said hastily, 'But I guess some people can become rather bitter when jealous. Sometimes, downright unpleasant …' she added, remembering Petunia.

'Unpleasant is an understatement. Well, Mum's used magic on him, sometimes.' Severus gave a twisted smile. 'Wish _I_ could…' he added, with a dark look.

'That must've made him mad!'

'That's why he hates magic more than ever – he knows what magic can do to him, and I think it scares him. Makes him lash out at Mum whenever she mentions it.'

'Does he hit her?' the question escaped her before she could stop herself.

Severus didn't speak, but she knew the answer anyway.

'It's worse when he's been drinking…His temper's worse then.'

'Why doesn't she leave him?'

'I told you she's been disowned by her family. She has nowhere to go.'

'She could get a job and…'

He shook his head. 'Nothing will persuade her to take a Muggle job. And as for the wizarding community, I don't know why she won't …or can't, work there.'

They fell silent. Severus seemed sunk in his own thoughts.

'But your father hasn't abandoned you, in spite of everything,' She didn't know why she was saying this, why she was trying so hard to find something good about this violent, harsh-tempered man.

Severus looked up at her. 'I wish he would!' he said vehemently.

'Severus! You shouldn't say that! I'm sure he ... he… cares about you, really.' She ignored his disdainful expression and continued. 'Besides, your mother might think differently, in spite of -.'

'Wait till I'm of age! He's already had to back off now, let alone when I'm seventeen! He won't dare come near me!'

Lily interrupted his furious tirade. 'Listen, don't you think we had better tell someone who can put a stop to it? Seems to me this way you're going to be tempted to use magic on your father, and you know you could be expelled!'

'I already told you to drop it! And don't breathe a word of this to your parents. Have you told them about the war?'

'No. I was hoping it'd be over. That they'd catch that dark wizard. If they thought there was danger, they would not allow me to return to Hogwarts again, and I couldn't stand that.' Lily bent down to pick more fallen berries. 'They wouldn't understand that it's safer at Hogwarts with someone like Dumbledore in charge. They would want me to stay home…'

She started throwing the berries in the water.

'Exactly.' Severus nodded 'They might over-react, like my parents. Though nothing, and nobody, is going to prevent me from returning to Hogwarts.' He threw himself down on the fallen log. 'Don't tell them anything, Lily. About the war, or …or …anything else,' he said, looking at her pleadingly.

Lily sighed, gazing at him.

'Ok,' she said. 'But you must promise me that if things get really bad at home, you come over to my house, ok? Stay out of the way...'

Severus gave a wry smile, but did not answer.

She was still worried about keeping silent. Not so much about the war, although it seemed to her that the Dark wizard's followers were making themselves heard, or whispered about, much more than before at Hogwarts, but more about the sickening discoveries she had made today about Severus's home life.

He changed subject then, refusing to talk about his parents at all, with an 'out of sight, out of mind' attitude that did not fool Lily one bit.

He listened to her quietly as she recounted her adventures in France and all she had seen and done there, seeming especially interested in all the secret history of the Parisian magical community that she had seen there. In return, he told her the bare facts about the war that he had gleaned from his mother's _Daily Prophet,_ minimising even further the news of people disappearing and muggle-baiting incidents.

It was after sunset when she set off for home. Her fears for Severus's safety had come back again, and she dreaded him returning to Spinner's End. But he had shrugged them off, saying he was used to it. This alarmed her even more, but he wouldn't hear any more about it, and after exacting another promise from her not to say anything to her parents, she left for home.

It was almost dark by the time she arrived home, and some of her anxiety must have shown on her face.

'Is everything Ok, dear? You are rather late for tea.'

Lily merely nodded.

'Have you met Severus again?'

It was a deliberately casual question, but Lily was not fooled. She remembered how her parents had acted before she had left for France. She frowned, for she did not want to hear anything against her friend.

'Yes,' she answered curtly.

She felt her mother's eyes on her, so she sat down at the kitchen table and pretended to be interested in the _Yorkshire Post _that was lying on the table.

'Have you two quarrelled?'

'What?'

'You look a bit upset, dear. I just wondered…'

'Or _hoped_, perhaps!' Lily retorted, angrily.

'Lily what are you talking -?'

'Severus is my friend! I don't care what anyone thinks about where he comes from! It's not important!'

Rose Evans looked at Lily in silence for a moment.

'It is not Severus's fault that he's born to poor parents in the slum area, Lily. He seems a very intelligent and quiet boy, but he is growing up, and, well, that is a rough area he comes from, and one can easily pick up bad habits …'

Lily still looked mutinous. Her mother sighed.

'I just don't want you to get into trouble, Lily. It is not because Severus is poor – nothing like that. But, well, his father is a violent man, given to drink. Rumour has it that he has been known to hit his wife. I can't understand why she doesn't leave him- especially since she's a witch. I'd have thought she could do anything. But I myself saw Severus with some very bad injuries when he was much younger. Not the normal bruises children get when playing ...'

Rose Evans stopped. Lily's eyes were getting wider.

'Yes. Didn't you know? That is why your Dad and I would rather you made some more friends, rather than only Severus. For you see Lily, many times, when one is subjected to violence and neglect at home, one grows up thinking that that is the normal thing to do or be…'

'Are you saying that Severus is sure to become a violent drunkard?'

'Heavens, no! I am just trying to make you aware -'

'There is nothing that you have told me that surprises me, or that makes me want to turn my back on Severus Snape.' Lily took a deep breath, wondering what to say to allay her mother's fears. She was surprised that her mother already knew so much. But she didn't want to break the promise she had made Severus that afternoon.

'Listen Mum. Sev's life isn't a bed of roses. I have known that for years. But after all, _you_ were the one to teach me that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, weren't you? You told me that there's good in everyone, if you look hard enough! And Severus is intelligent enough not to follow his Dad's footsteps.'

Her mother's eyes, so much like her own, looked searchingly at her face.

'Look Mum, I promise I'll tell you if Severus shows any sign of turning into a violent drunk, ok?' she smiled. Her mother hesitated then smiled back, seeming reassured.

Her parents never told her to search for new friends after that. If they were still anxious, they hid it well, and, although not actually encouraging her friendship, neither did they discourage it, but asked her to bring Severus round to their house whenever she wanted. They greeted Severus warmly on the rare occasions he did come and gave no indication of what they knew and suspected of life at Spinner's End, or the niggling seeds of doubt that had now been firmly planted in their minds as they observed the ever-more evident signs that the two teenagers were growing up.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: The Warning Letter.**

It was relatively late in the morning and Severus hadn't yet left his room. He was usually out of the house before his father left for work, to avoid any confrontation. But he knew that his Hogwarts letter was due soon, and he wanted to be the first to read it.

He drew back the dingy curtain of his room, peering up at the brightening sky, but he could see no owl flying silently over the shabby rooftops. With a frustrated sigh, he let the curtain fall back in front of his window. With his mother rifling through every letter he got unless he was there to forestall her, it was not easy to receive any private mail.

Not that there was anything he wanted to hide in his Hogwarts letter, but he knew that this year he would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade, if his parents signed the Hogwarts Permission Form. And there was the glitch – he was afraid that his mother might tear it up outright, as punishment for his recent behaviour and his flouting of their injunction not to see 'that Muggle girl' anymore.

He would rather hide the Permission Form and let some time pass, after the events of last week, before broaching the subject of Hogsmeade visits.

He slipped his bare feet into his trainers and went downstairs. His father was having breakfast at a small table in the living room. He barely looked up from the newspaper he was reading.

He was not speaking to him much, but Severus preferred it this way. When Lily had appeared on their doorstep last week, and his father had attacked him, he had been recklessly defiant, whereas in previous years he used to just try and stay out of his father's way. This was the second time since he returned that he had defied his father so blatantly, and Tobias was not the man to take such things lightly.

Which was why he ended up going to the riverside grove to nurse his wounds that day.

He had never imagined that Lily would go there – he had assumed, after what he heard his parents call her (and he only heard part of it), she would go home and never speak to him again.

But she had come, and she _had_ spoken to him. She had been kind….more than kind. He absent-mindedly touched his face where her hand had rested, ever so gently…

Whereas he had been rude, ill-kempt, with a bloodied face and dirty clothes. He felt his cheek flush in shame, and snatched his hand away. Whenever he thought about that day, it made him grow hot and cold in turn, and feel very confused, so he tried not to think about it at all. Though, admittedly, he was finding it very difficult …

He went into the small kitchen at the back, where his mother was preparing his father's lunch.

'Where're you off to?' his mother asked, by way of greeting.

He shrugged, helping himself to some tea from an old, brown teapot.

'Dunno where I'll go.'

He was always purposely vague.

'If I catch you going uptown to see that Muggle girl - !'

'I'm not going there.' he scowled.

He had been having this sort of conversation almost every day. The strange thing was that they were both aware he was lying. He had decided it was better to tell her what she wanted to hear, especially if he needed her signature on the Hogwarts Permission form, and probably she knew that, whether he was lying or not, she could do nothing, short of locking him up in his room, to prevent him from meeting Lily. But he did not want to provoke her to the extent that she might _really_ magically lock him up in his room. He wouldn't put it past her, or his father, to do so…

His father's gruff silence was not unusual. He always acted that way for some time after a huge row that ended up with either his wife or son getting hurt. Severus wondered whether it was because he regretted his actions, but was more inclined to think that it was because he was afraid of what the neighbours would say, or that somebody might report him to the police.

He snatched an apple from the fruit bowl and hurried outside. He was meeting Lily down by the riverside, for they had finally started on their much–belated summer homework.

He was not surprised to find Lily already at the grove by the river, for he had been rather late, but he was surprised when she didn't turn round at his approach, but remained seated on one of the fallen logs, her head bowed.

She usually greeted him so cheerily, it was one of the things he secretly looked forward to every morning, for he loved the way her face lit up for him, and him alone, when she hailed him.

Not like this morning…

'Lily?'

She did not move, but her head seemed to sink slightly lower, her dark red hair sliding over her shoulders, obscuring her face. Severus felt immediately something was wrong.

An almost inaudible sob, quickly stifled, confirmed his suspicions that she was crying.

'Lily, what's… what's wrong?' he sat down near her, alarmed, and put his hand awkwardly on her shoulder.

She did not look at him, but wordlessly handed him a letter she had been holding in her hand, while with the other she tried to wipe her eyes. He took the letter in his hands, puzzled. It was from the Ministry of Magic:-

_Dear Ms Evans,_

_It has come to our knowledge that you have performed magic at 8.15 this morning at your place of residence, and in front of muggles. This is in breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Magic._

_The muggles concerned being your own family, we will waive the strictures we would have brought upon you for the breach of the Statute of Secrecy, but there was no justifiable reason for you to have used transfiguration magic this morning at the time and place stated above._

_Thus, you may consider this letter as fair warning that if you perform magic again with no reasonable explanation, we will have no choice but to expel you from Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Misuse of Magic Office_

Severus looked up at Lily. She wasn't crying any more, but her eyes were still red, and her face pale under the latest sprinkling of small freckles she had got as a result of her trip to France.

'It was Petunia,' she sniffed. 'She made me so mad this morning! We were having breakfast, and she started being horrible about…about…'

She stopped. Actually it started because their father had curtailed Petunia's time on the phone, and she had argued that she had lots of friends who had missed her when she was in France, not like Lily.

That had sparked off an argument of course, for though Lily tried to explain that her friends sent her letters with owls, Petunia had scoffed at this, calling owl mail unhygienic and weird, and anyway, she added, what was the point, if the only friend she had in town was that awful boy from the slums?

It was then it had happened.

' Petunia was being horrible and I turned her teacup into a rat!' Lily said, in a thick voice. 'I don't know how it happened…'

Severus suppressed an urge to smile.

'Bet she didn't take too kindly to that,' he said, trying to keep a straight face. He hated her sister, and would have loved to see the expression on her face.

'She ran screaming from the room saying I was trying to kill her with a plague-infested rat…' She looked at Severus then. 'It's not funny, Sev.' but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

'She'll lay off you now, though, won't she? Now she knows what you can do.'

'That's not the point. I don't care about what Petunia will do, I'm worried about the Ministry letter. What if I'm expelled?'

'It's only a warning.'

'I never meant to do it. I didn't even have my wand on me this morning. And how did they find out?'

'Dunno. Probably because you're from a Muggle home. They can detect magic somehow, and it could only have been you, there. But we used to do magic before we got our wands, remember?'

Lily nodded.

'We stopped doing it – wandless magic, I mean. You kind of get used to always using a wand,' he mused.

Lily nodded again.

'We should practice it at Hogwarts. Some great wizards are very good at wandless magic. The Dark Lord is, I heard.'

'So's Dumbledore,' retorted Lily. She did not like the faint note of admiration in his voice.

'It may come in useful if you ever get separated from your wand. And I mean _controlled_ magic, not the kind you unleashed on your sister this morning.'

'If this letter is the result of such magic, then you shouldn't be encouraging me to use it. Nor should _you_ for that matter. The way you were speaking about your father last week – I was afraid you'd go home and curse him or something….'

'It's easier to disguise the use of magic at my house. If I'm careful, they'll think it's my Mum. But that's not the point…' he said, hastily steering the conversation away from that subject.

'The point is, Sev,' Lily said, sitting up straighter and looking at him seriously. 'What do I do if I'm expelled?'

'Expelled? You're not going to be. I'm sure they won't expel you. I know many who've received such a letter'.

'You do?'

'Yes,' he lied. 'Mostly from Muggle families, because they can't hide it too well. But none of them have ever been expelled. Probably because everyone knows they must be at an unfair advantage.'

'Are you sure?'

'Positive.'

He wanted so much to reassure her. Actually he thought there was some truth in what he was telling her, for, as a warning letter, it was pretty mild. He made a mental note to find out exactly how the Ministry people detected underage magic.

She beamed at him. It was like sunshine coming out from behind clouds.

'Thanks, Sev. I don't feel so bad now. Thing is, I never got so much as a detention yet at Hogwarts, Yes, I know, going to the Forbidden Forest was a close shave,' She stood up, took the letter from his hand, folded it, and put it away in her pocket. '…so when I got threatened with expulsion, it just kind of brought home to me how much I stand to lose. I don't know what I would do if I were expelled.'

'You won't be.'

'But _what if_?'

'Well, I guess, if your wand isn't snapped in two, you could still-'

'What? Is your wand's snapped!'

'Yes, that happens sometimes when you get expelled, if you've done something really bad.'

'How- how d'you know?'

'I researched it. You know, after I found out about my Great-grandfather, how someone had spied on him when he wrote those books, and so he'd been invited to leave Hogwarts...'

'He was almost expelled!'

'But he wasn't, so he was allowed to keep his wand.'

'How would you control your magic, if you don't have a wand?'

'You probably become a bit dangerous…crazy, even. And such misfits in the wizarding world get carted off to Azkaban,' Severus replied, darkly.

'That's horrible!'

'I'm glad Headmaster Nigellus stuck up for my Great-grandfather then, or he might have ended up in Azkaban, instead of moving on to do whatever earned him a place in that book Rosier gave me.'

'Or he could have just bought himself a new wand….'

'I dunno if you'd be allowed to.'

Lily had considerably sobered up. Severus knew she was thinking about their forbidden excursion into the forest, and their night-time wandering along the Hogwarts corridors. He hoped this would not scare her into retiring permanently into the Gryffindor common room and never putting a toe out of line again.

'We have to be more careful in future, Sev,' she said, seriously, as though reading his mind.

'Don't worry, Lily. I promise I won't let you get so much as a detention.'

He was anxious to reassure her, for he did not want to give up the illicit wanderings they had started last year, for they were the few times he could get Lily all to himself at Hogwarts. He was rewarded with a radiant smile, as she came back to sit down near him.

'I'll keep that in mind next time we go to the forest and have to be rescued by Hagrid from the nameless horrors within.'

Severus scowled. 'He didn't _save_ us from anything.'

'No. The deer did. But he did not tell on us that day. We could've got into so much trouble had he told McGonagall, or one of the teachers…'

'The credit for that goes to you. If it were only me he would've dragged me off to Dumbledore. But you charmed him with your animal-loving, flower-power stuff….'

'Don't be nasty. I like Hagrid. He knows a lot about the forest. Probably would've told us what made those invisible tracks, but I didn't dare tell him where else we'd been.'

'I think he knew. Leastways, he noticed the cobwebs on your cloak – so he must've known we had run into those monstrous spiders.'

'Well, the credit for escaping _those_ particular beasts goes to you, Sev. I haven't forgotten…' She smiled, got up and patted him on the back as she went past him to get the bundle of books she had thrown under a small bush.

Severus, basking in the warmth of her smile, was surprised that she had remembered. He said nothing, unwilling to disrupt the moment. He was still feeling the faint pressure were her hand had rested a second ago.

'Well, let's get Slughorn's essay done,' she said, returning with some grass-stained parchment and a book. 'I'd rather do something interesting today. We'll do Ironwood's stuff tomorrow. I'm feeling too anti-Ministry right now, to want to do anything about her stupid Ministerial decrees!'

Severus, smirking at her words against the Ministry, got off the log and lay down by her side on the leaf-strewn ground, cautiously feeling that this summer was finally beginning to turn into all he had hoped for when school ended.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: Summer Interlude.**

It was only a few days later that Severus received his Hogwart's letter. He managed to intercept the owl before his mother did, and hid away the permission form.

His mother looked at him rather suspiciously before handing him the money she had scrounged throughout the year for him to get his school stuff. Some of the books he had already, for some of Eileen's old third-year books were still in use at Hogwarts, but he needed new robes, and certainly more potion ingredients.

Mumbling his thanks, he told her he'd be going alone to Diagon Alley, like last year.

'And where's your Permission form for Hogsmeade?' she asked him tartly.

He stared. Then he realised he had been stupid to think she wouldn't have known – probably she'd have had one herself when she was a student there.

'Forgot it upstairs.' he mumbled, angrily.

'_Accio!_'

His mother took her wand out of her pocket and the permission form came fluttering down the narrow stairs towards her. She caught it deftly and looked at Severus.

'Why didn't you show it to me? You were afraid I'd tear it up, weren't you?'

Severus scowled, disliking the fact that she had guessed rightly, but was unsure what to do now – he really needed her to sign it.

'Well, you were wrong. I _am_ going to sign it for you, but I hope you use the time spent there well, and in good company.'

Severus was so surprised, he ignored her last words. Eileen took an old quill from a small drawer and signed her name carefully at the bottom. Wordlessly, she handed it back to him, folded her arms, and gave him a penetrating look.

Avoiding her eyes, he mumbled his thanks once more, stuffed the parchment in his pocket, and headed out into the sunshine.

He was still wondering what made her change her mind – he had already been planning to tell her he'd be going to Hogsmeade with Rosier and other Slytherins of whom she approved, in order to persuade her. He hadn't expected this.

He half-wondered, grimly, whether she might know someone in Hogsmeade who'd spy on him. His father had said she'd been using the Floo network recently.

These thoughts were swiftly chased out of his mind by the sight of Lily, who was running towards him from the edge of the stretch of yellowing grass that led to the grove, her face shining and waving two letters with the Hogwarts crest.

She, of course, had had no difficulty in getting her permission signed, but the best thing was that this year her parents were allowing her to go to Diagon Alley by herself. Her father had business in London, and he would just be dropping her off in the morning and collecting her that same evening.

She had pestered her father long enough about it, and he had been forced to agree that she had proved herself capable of taking care of herself _and_ her money, when on tour in France.

There were only a couple of weeks left till term started, but today had been a surprisingly agreeable day for Severus. His signed Permission Form was safely in his pocket, and he would be going alone with Lily to Diagon Alley.

They arrived under the shady canopy of trees and he threw himself down on the ground, hands behind his head, observing the shafts of sunlight coming through the leafy canopy overhead.

Lily sat cross-legged at his side, happily reading the Hogwarts list of books. A shaft of sunlight lit up her red hair in coppery tones. Catching him looking at her, she smiled immediately - there was no need to say anything. This was swiftly turning into a very good summer, and they both knew it was what they needed right now.

Severus was aware that Lily was looking forward to her first taste of independence by going by herself to London, and as for him… well, he thought that the end of summer was quite making up for the bad beginning.

Things were relatively quiet at home. He had not been locked in his room as he had half-expected to be, nor had he been followed, to see if he was meeting Lily or not. (Though he always made sure he wasn't seen going off with his Hogwarts books, and had developed a habit of frequently looking over his shoulder, recently).

Either his parents had accepted that they couldn't control his movements, or else they didn't care any more. The latter was highly unlikely, but he didn't want to think about it -

not with Lily sitting there in the sun near him, and smiling at him. It was bliss.

He knew it would soon be over, for once at Hogwarts, she would be with her Gryffindor friends most of the time, except when they had lessons or library sessions together.

He was glad she had not mentioned his parents again, after that time when she had found him in such a bloody mess. He noticed, though, that she did look searchingly into his face every morning, as if trying to look for any signs of hurt, and he knew that when she asked 'how are things at home?' she probably expected more than his curt replies that everything was 'as usual'.

He felt very confused about that day – he hadn't ever wanted her to find out how bad things had become. He felt ashamed and angry that she had witnessed it first hand. Whenever he remembered her shocked face when she'd first seen him, and the compassion in her eyes…. He cringed inwardly, mentally cursing his father for always ruining everything.

He would show her. He _needed_ to show her that he could take care of himself. He was a _wizard _for Merlin's sake, not some stupid muggle, to be frightened into submission by flying fists.

He knew he had a power in him that would make everyone respect him – not only his stupid muggle father, but other witches and wizards. And Lily, of course.

He stole a quick look at her as she sat absorbed in her Hogwarts letters. She was playing with a strand of her hair, head bent over her booklists. He followed the twirling motion of her slim, pale, fingers as the dark red strand spiralled round them again and again. Her hand was rather small, and was covered with a sprinkling of small freckles.

That same hand had held his face ever so gently as she wiped the blood away, and her eyes … Her eyes had been swimming with tears, at his rudeness and his pitiful appearance, though she had tried to hide it.

He swore he would never again wilfully cause her to look at him that way again, for despite his own attitude, he knew she had had every damned right to pity him that day! He had been a proper sight!

He had tried to rectify it next time he saw her. Trying to lose the scruffy, dishevelled look with clean (or cleaner) clothes, and washing off all traces of blood from his hair and face. Without magic potions (he knew it was useless asking his mother, whose attitude now was, that he had deserved all he got) he could not hide or heal the bruises and cuts, but at least he had managed to look slightly more presentable. At least enough not to have Lily look at him in shocked silence again.

One day, he thought, she would look at him with respect and admiration. He would make her proud of him, and more, perhaps.

In the meantime …

She looked up at that instant, and catching him looking at her again, smiled once more, a bit more hesitantly, this time. Severus rolled over on his stomach and pretended to be absorbed in the dead leaves littering the ground.

He realised with a start that his confused feelings about what happened stemmed from the fact that part of him was glad she had found out.

Part of him was glad that he did not have to hide _that_ from her anymore. He would not have chosen for her to find out the way she did, but now there was no need for pretence, and that gave him a sense of relief.

He frowned. Perhaps part of him had been pleased that day, when she took his face in her hands and had cared for him so gently. He had precious little memory of anyone ever doing something like that for him.

He had told her long ago, about how his parents argued – soon after he had first spoken to her. He was surprised even then, that he had allowed himself to say that much.

He had wanted to protect her from the worst of the daily horrors that were part of his life. It had seemed to him, even then, that Lily was too precious, too beautiful, too sunny to be touched with the knowledge of those harsh realities.

In the meantime, he had to be careful to keep her away from Spinner's End. She did not have the thick skin he had acquired over the years, to be able to survive unscathed another encounter with the ugly truths of life at his house.

'Dad says he'll let me have a small account at Gringott's.'

'Wh - What?'

Severus had been so absorbed in his musings that he hadn't heard what Lily was saying.

'An account at Gringott's. A small one. Then, if I manage well, he said he'll transfer funds there at the beginning of each school year.'

'Oh. Right.'

He knew he would never have anything like that. It was as much as his mother could do to scrape enough money together to get his school things.

'Yes. Dad said it's a good investment, or something, to have an account in Gringott's.'

'Lucky you.'

He spoke in a flat voice, but he could tell Lily noted his tone, for she changed track.

'When shall we go? Tomorrow, you think?'

'As soon as possible, yes.'

'I'll ask Dad if he can take me to London tomorrow. I'll let you know tonight. I'll use the mirror.' She added, anticipating him before he could open his mouth.

'You'll be going via the floo network I suppose?' she said a minute later.

He nodded. 'Mum got a fresh supply of floo powder. So I'll be meeting you at the Leaky Cauldron.'

'Wish I could go by floo.' Lily said, wistfully, but Severus didn't see how she could, given that she would have to use their small fireplace at Spinner's End. And he wasn't going to allow _that_ to happen.

He sat up, brushing dead leaves from his clothes.

'Let's have a look at those books, then.' He said, reaching out for her Hogwarts letter.

His dark head and Lily's coppery gold one drew close together as they bent over the parchment, while the sun carved its way across the canopied summer sky above them.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46 : Gringott's Bank**

It was two days later that they finally left for London, for Lily's father could not drive her all the way there at such short notice.

'Take care of our Lily.' Mr Evans told Severus as he said goodbye to them outside the Leaky cauldron. 'And make sure she stays out of trouble.'

'Y- yes, Mr Evans.' stammered Severus, rather surprised at the injunction.

'Guess I'm your responsibility, now, Sev.' Lily said, her eyes twinkling with laughter, but the look on her father's face made her skip off into the Leaky Cauldron before he could lecture her for being so flippant. Severus followed.

Once in Diagon Alley, they headed straight to Gringotts at Severus's insistence, to get the money business out of the way.

They went up to the long counter and a wizened old goblin, who introduced himself as Gartak, asked them what they wanted.

'I'd like to change muggle money please.' Lily said, sounding slightly nervous.

The Goblin nodded.

'And then, if possible, I'd like to make a deposit…. I mean, I'd like to have my own vault!'

She sounded more nervous now.

At Gringotts, as Mr Evans had found out to his surprise last year, there were very few regulations regarding what age you had to be, in order to place gold or jewels in a vault. It seemed that Goblins did not care, as long as their vaults were kept full of wizarding gold. Which is why Lily had persuaded him to let her have the responsibility of an account.

'And how many galleons do you intend to place there?' said Gartak, with a gleam in his eyes he could hardly hide.

'Oh, just a small amount at first, but a bit more next year perhaps, if I manage well. This letter from my father will explain. He spoke to …I think, someone called Gornuk, last year.'

Gartak took the letter from her hand and perused it silently. Lily handed over a tightly rolled wad of pound notes. Then the goblin took out a huge register the size of a paving stone, a quill, and noted down something in it. From underneath the bench he drew out a small golden key.

'This is the key to your vault, Ms Evans. You will need it whenever you need to withdraw anything.'

Lily took the key in her hand, her eyes shining. She turned to Severus, holding up the little golden key.

'My first account, Sev! … or my own vault, for that's what they call it here! It feels so…' but her words trailed into silence as she looked at Severus. He forced a smile, but knew she had seen the look in his eyes.

For Severus knew he couldn't have a vault. He shook himself angrily. He couldn't have a vault _yet_! Perhaps he would one day. He was aware Lily was still watching him, but then the goblin, who had been fumbling with something under his bench, came out with a rather heavy bag of galleons that jingledas he placed it on the counter. This time Severus made sure he did not betray any sign of envy, but he noticed Lily put the bag of gold into her pockets rather quickly, as though ashamed of it.

He knew how small his bag of gold would be when he changed his money, and he felt his face redden as he went forward to take his turn at the counter, knowing that there would be an unavoidable comparison.

He had suspected something like this would happen, but Lily's bag of gold was even larger than he had expected. His lack of galleons had never bothered him that much before – he thought of gold as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, and although there had inevitably been some hardships and snide comments, yet overall, he had not let the situation bother him too much at Hogwarts – he had been distracted by more important things.

He had been to Gringott's with his mother before, but only now did he start viewing ownership of a vault in a different light.

He noticed that Lily had moved a bit further away. Was she trying to spare him further embarrassment, he thought, angrily?

'And what can I do for you, young sir?' the wizened old Goblin was asking.

'I'd like to change...'

'By Bogrod's Beard! Are you young Master Prince?!'

'I ….er , yes. I mean - no, not exac….' Severus stammered in surprise.

But Gartak had grabbed a pair of pince-nez from under the counter, put them on, and leaned forward, so that his face was within inches of Severus's.

Goblins were notoriously ugly at the best of times, and Gartak was no exception, being also very old and wrinkled. Severus took a step backwards. Lily had come closer now, looking on with interest.

'I thought perhaps he had come back …' the old goblin muttered.

'My mother's maiden name was Prince…' Severus said, recovering a bit.

'You look so like him, I thought … but it can't be, not after all these years… !'

'Looked like whom?' though Severus thought he knew the answer.

'Is your mother Eileen Prince?' something had shifted behind the Goblin's eyes, as he regained his seat, and his voice was controlled now.

Severus nodded.

'Mmm. Yes. She had come here a few times with her father.'

'Who did you say I resemble? My Grandfather?'

'Him? No. You look nothing like him.'

'Then who?'

Gartak looked as though he wanted to ignore the question now, and seemed as though he regretted his earlier outburst. He busied himself with the muggle money Severus had handed over.

'Was it my Great-grandfather, Severus Prince?' he insisted. The nun in the portrait had said so.

The goblin said nothing for a moment, then nodded slowly.

'You resemble him greatly. He used to come to Gringotts by himself too. Always alone. I used to take him down myself to the Prince family Vault in the lower levels. '

'The Prince Vault?'

'Very old wizarding family, but that old vault hasn't been opened in years … last time we used it, we had to transfer some gold to our counterparts near Durmstrang….'

'Durmstrang?'

'A foreign wizarding School. Your grandfather wanted his daughters to be educated there, as he had been himself. Your Aunt Maureen, and her children were educated there, so a good part of the gold in the vault here had to be transferred there.'

He looked rather displeased as he remembered.

'But she came back to Hogwarts…'

He remembered he had found Maureen Prince's name in Filch's records.

'Yes. She finished her last years at Hogwarts, with her sister, Eileen Prince.'

'Why did she come back?'

Gartak shrugged.

'There was a wizard war and a muggle war those days…perhaps the turmoil over there made your grandfather bring his eldest daughter back to Hogwarts. I don't know. All I know is that Gringott's had instructions to bring the gold back to London once more...'

'See, Sev? You have a vault too.' interjected Lily, who had been listening on.

'Only the true owners of the key may enter the vault.' Gartak said dourly.

'Oh.'

Lily looked at Severus apologetically, remembering his mother had been disowned by her family, but he was looking intently at the Goblin.

'Why hasn't the vault been opened in years? Why did you say that perhaps 'he had come back'?'

'Don't ask me! I don't know! Can't you see I'm very old? Even for a Goblin. I was confused – your resemblance to the youthful Severus Prince is remarkable, but now that I've seen you up close, there are differences, of course…Here, this is your bag of gold.'

He placed a small bag of gold on the counter and pushed it towards Severus.

'Your business here is done. Now, if you will excuse me…'

And he got off his stool slowly and hobbled off towards the dark interior.

'Did you get the impression he's hiding something?' Lily asked as she watched the bent back of the old goblin retiring in the shadow.

'Of course. He knows more than he's letting on. I wish I knew what, exactly…'

'You should've asked him who has the key to your vault.'

'What's the point? It's never going to be me, is it?'

He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. When he thought how he had struggled to get his books, his school robes… how some of the rich purebloods had looked in disdain at his second-hand stuff, when all along there had been what seemed to be an unused vault of gold deep beneath the heart of London.

'Come on, let's get out of here…' he told Lily, snatching his bag of gold and heading towards the door.

'Well, look who's here! If it isn't old Snivillus himself!' a sneering voice said, loudly.

James Potter had just been shown into Gringott's by a liveried Goblin at the door. He had almost collided with Severus, who was on his way out.

'Out of my way, Potter!'

'Tut-tut! No magic outside school, Snivellus! Anyway, what on earth could someone like _you_ be doing at Gringott's? Ha! Is that your moneybag?!'

He had caught sight of the small leather bag still clutched in Severus's hand, and gave a loud guffaw.

'What on earth are you going to buy with that? Peanuts?'

'He's got a very old family vault for your information, Potter, and I don't see what business it is of yours, what other people do with their money!'

Lily had come up to them and snapped angrily at James Potter.

'Ah, Evans… always defending the losers, aren't we?'

'Severus, no! It's not worth it!' Lily had put her hand on Severus's arm for he had reached for the wand in his pocket. The liveried Goblin at the door was looking at them closely, eyes narrowed.

'Good advice, Evans. You wouldn't want them to throw you out, would you? After all, they take care of their esteemed customers here. And our vault, you know, is on the lower levels, one of the best-guarded ones…' he smiled sneeringly ' As for old Snivelly's supposed vault – I know all about it, Evans. And, whatever he may have told you, he can't touch a sickle of it! Neither now nor ever!'

Severus scowled at him, wishing he could curse that hated face into a thousand pieces. Just then a man with thinning hair and very thick glasses came in through the door and placed his arm round James Potter's shoulders. He peered short-sightedly at Severus and Lily, gave them a vague smile and then steered James towards the counter.

'Shall we get going then, son?'

'Yes, Dad. I was just saying bye to some schoolfriends.' James Potter said, with a wicked grin. His father turned round, perhaps to speak to the 'school friends', but they had disappeared.

Severus was marching up Diagon Alley furiously, Lily trotting at his side to keep up.

'You shouldn't have interfered! I would've…' he was saying angrily.

'What – blown him to pieces in the middle of Gringotts?!' said Lily, furiously 'Lucky I was there to stop you…'

Severus glared at her, but marched on, hardly aware of where he was going. He had avoided Potter like the plague last year at Hogwarts, and had managed for the most part to keep out of his way, so it was a very unpleasant surprise to find himself face to face with him in Diagon Alley, especially with Lily in tow, for of course, Potter always managed to find ways to humiliate him.

'After all, Sev, you were the one to tell me what happens to expelled people. You wouldn't want _that_ to happen to you, would you?' Lily was saying, still trying to keep up.

He stopped suddenly, so that she almost collided with him.

'I wouldn't have done anything so _obvious,_ Lily' he said, acerbically 'There are more subtle ways of inflicting pain, than exploding people, you know.'

'Inflicting pain?' she said, raising an eyebrow.

'Oh, nothing that that dunderhead doesn't deserve!' he said airily, moving on again.

'I don't like this notion of 'inflicting pain', even assuming that you could get away with something like that in the middle of about a hundred witnesses, including his own father. Look, let's go to Flourish and Blott's. That'll cheer you up.'

With a look that made it clear he was _not _going to become cheerful on demand, he followed her into the Bookshop. There Lily met Mary MacDonald, who was laden with third-year books, and while they chatted, Severus skulked off to browse the shelves.

It was almost an hour later that Lily found him, engrossed in a large book in a corner of the shop, reading by the light infiltrating from the window. In spite of himself, he had calmed down considerably among the books.

Even though he had to go to a second-hand Bookshop to get some of his books, he did not mind, for both he and Lily loved that old bookshop with its dusty tomes and quaint nooks and crannies crammed with most interesting books.

Lily, although already laden with her new books from Flourish and Blotts, couldn't resist buying two small books on charms, and he had to resist spending the extra money he had made himself last term at Hogwarts, on books.

It was a different matter when he came to buy his school robes, for he could see that Lily hated the smell of re-washed clothes in the second-hand robe shop as much as he did. She had insisted on coming, much to his chagrin, but now stood near the door, while he went with the shopkeeper to try and find something that fitted him, that was half-way decent.

He had already snapped at the shopkeeper for trying to lump him with robes that had potion stains down the front. He had had enough of being a laughing stock with his odd muggle clothing when very young. He would not allow it at Hogwarts too.

So he took matters into his own hands and started searching the racks of robes himself. He took out and discarded many of them, but finally found a couple that seemed almost new.

They were a bit overlong, but other than that, fitted well. To his annoyance, Lily came over to inspect the result.

He looked in the tall, damp-spotted mirror in front of him, and could see her standing behind him looking at him appraisingly. He felt the heat slowly rise in his face.

His reflection, slightly distorted by the old mirror, was abnormally tall, for he was still standing on a stool that was partially hidden by his overlong robe.

All he could see was a thin, lanky figure swathed in a black robe. Only his thin, pale face protruding from curtains of black hair, and the green and silver of the Slytherin badge made any contrast to the encompassing blackness. Lily was grinning.

'A very handsome fit, Sev. You look like a fifth year!'

He saw a red flush add colour to his reflected face, and scowled.

Lily laughed. 'And now you look like a Prefect, with a scowl to match!'

Giving her a dirty look which made her laugh even more, he took off his robes, jumped off the stool and went to pay.

They were more expensive than the others, and he was glad he hadn't spent his extra money on books, for half of it had to be contributed to the school robes.

Bundling his new robes in his bag he slung it over his shoulder and followed Lily back out into the sunshine of Diagon Alley.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: Old Mother Madeira**

It was early afternoon when they finished getting all their school stuff. They had just come out of the Apothecary's when Lily spotted some of the Gryffindor girls sharing her dorm at Hogwarts. She ran forward to greet them, eager to hear their news. Severus followed more reluctantly.

An angry voice he thought he recognised suddenly caught his attention.

'Out of the way, fools, or I'll curse that smile right off your face!'

Severus saw a commotion further down Diagon Alley. An old witch in dirty robes pushed through a small group of young wizards, who all seemed to be laughing heartily at her, and hobbled off towards a narrow alleyway between the shops that lined the street. She was headed for Knockturn Alley. She had a hood pulled far down over her face, but as she passed close to him, Severus caught a glimpse of a ravaged face that confirmed his suspicions. It was Madeira, the strange old witch he and Lily had run into this time last year.

He glanced at Lily, but she had not noticed anything as she chattered away happily to Thalia Swanson, Mary MacDonald and some Ravenclaws from their year, who had joined them.

'Wait for me here. I'll be back soon.' he told her, but Lily was laughing heartily at something Xenia had said, and he wasn't sure she had heard him.

However, this time he would not let the opportunity pass him by. He had been thinking about Madeira all summer. She was a Legilimens, and he had seen her in action last summer. And he now knew how rare such witches or wizards were. Although he had tried to find out, it seemed only Dumbledore, and perhaps the mysterious Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, had any fame for legilimency.

He slipped quietly in the shady, narrow Knockturn Alley, his hand on his wand, for he had not forgotten his last encounter with her. Madeira was nowhere to be found. He hurried on, hoping to catch up with her and was rewarded by see her dirty, grey cloak disappear around a bend in the twisting alleyway.

He broke into a run, and was just in time to see her disappear into a deeply recessed doorway. He followed, intending to knock at the door and force her to speak to him, but when he got there, he found there was no door. It seemed to be an archway into a dark flag-stoned courtyard, like a small version of a London Mews.

There was something about the place that made him tighten his grip on his wand. He couldn't be sure what it was, for all was quiet, but his instinct told him that there was potential danger. Perhaps his senses were sharpened by years of near-survival conditions in and around his home; perhaps there was something in the very air that lay heavy and chill in the dim light…

He made a step forward, taking care not to make any noise on the worn flags. There seemed to be quite a few doors in the courtyard, some reached by short flights of steps, others leading directly off the grey, flag-stoned yard.

Suddenly he felt, rather than heard, a movement behind him. He whirled round, wand at the ready, but it was too late.

'_Expelliarmus!'_

His wand flew out of his hand and was deftly caught in the gnarled, claw-like hand of Madeira, who had materialised behind him in swirl of black, soot-like smoke.

She moved towards him with a fluid movement that belied her hobbling gait of a few minutes before.

'Why are you following me?' she spat, her wand at his throat, and her hooded face inches from his.

Severus had forgotten how ugly she was. The scar that ran all the way down her face, distorting the features in its path, made her twisted face seem mad, bordering on the insane. He involuntarily took a step backward, but spoke firmly.

'I wanted to speak to you.' he said.

'Really, now? Well, I remember you – you nearly made my heart stop when I first saw you last year. In fact, I've been wondering why you haven't come sooner… _Severus!'_'

She said his name in a strange, hesitant, sibilant whisper, and lowered her wand from his face.

Severus gazed at her in disbelief. He didn't remember having had that effect on her.

'Wh – What? Last year you attacked my friend, and you certainly didn't seem surprised, or scared …'

'Ah, but it is never wise to betray you are shocked, dearie.'

Her lips twisted into what was supposed to be a smile, but stretched her face into a grotesque mask. She had quickly adopted the unctuous tone he had heard her use with Malfoy last summer.

'How d'you know my name? And why were you expecting me to come looking for you?' Severus asked, feeling as if he was in a surreal dream.

'I believe young Master Malfoy called you by name that day. But that is not important…' she waved a hand disparagingly. 'I would have known anyway…'

'That is what I came to talk to you about.' Severus said. 'Legilmency! I heard that you....'

'Pah ! Legilimency! I didn't need Legilimency to know who _you_ were – you are so like your Great-grandfather, Merlin knows it took all my strength that day to cover my surprise - and that is saying a lot!' she paused, breathing heavily, ' I had to be sure. That is why I found a pretext to detain you, then. Your mudblood friend, Trimble, revealed more than even _she_ knew that day. She confirmed who you were. It was all I could do to keep it together, because for a moment I thought ….'

'Thought what?'

Severus wanted to know. It was the second time his Great-Grandfather was mentioned in the course of one day. It was getting a bit frustrating.

She had dropped her unctuous manner, and was looking at him calculatingly, as if weighing what she would tell him. Severus decided to push her.

'Today, a goblin called Gartak at Gringott's thought I was my Great-Grandfather, too. He said he knew him.'

She scowled, which puckered her features in a way that almost made Severus want to turn his face away.

'Gartak!! That doddery old fool of a goblin's as blind as a bat! Doesn't know what he's talking about…' She made a disparaging noise.

'But _you _do, don't you? You seem to know more…'

Severus thought a bit of flattery would help, though if she knew his Grandfather, that would make her as old as Gartak, which was quite possible, judging by the network of wrinkles on her sallow skin. He looked steadily at her, trying to look suitably complimentary.

She was silent for a while, then her resolve seemed to waiver, and her lips twisted into a smirk.

'Hmmm. Trying to charm the information out of me, eh? Well, I can tell you that I knew Severus Prince well. Certainly more than that Goblin, whatever he may think…'

She spat on the ground in disgust.

'He was my mentor. I was very young then. He was already a wizard of great importance, but having come from a faraway land, he was interested in studying aspects of magic as I knew it then. He offered me to be his assistant…'

Severus hung on to her words with bated breath. At last someone who claimed to have known his mysterious great-grandfather… He had already solved the mystery of why there was such a huge gap in years, since any member of the Prince family ever set foot at Hogwarts.

It seemed that after being forced to leave Hogwarts, his Great-grandfather had decided to educate his son at Durmstrang. A tradition obviously continued by his son, for even his Aunt had been there, at least for some time. He wondered if Severus Prince himself had continued his education at Durmstrang, or if he was brilliant enough not to need any more formal magical education.

Lost in thought, he had not realised that Madeira was looking at him strangely.

'_Severus_…'she said, in the same sibilant whisper '… a name I haven't heard in over 20 years. And together with that face … that look …'

She reached out and cupped his face in her gnarled hand, turning it towards the dim light of the courtyard. Severus froze, barely repressing a shudder as she bent her head forward, peering closely into his face.

'He was a very handsome man, Severus Prince. You are much younger, but even so, I can see there are differences, as well as similiarities, now that I see you up close. His nose was straight, whereas yours is…'

Severus twisted his face out of her hand, in disgust. He was getting annoyed with being told how alike he was to his dead relative, but to be told about different, and worse, aspects in him annoyed him even more. Besides, he hated to be touched by strangers…by anybody, really … with the exception of, perhaps…

He shook himself, forcing himself to the matter at hand, and the reason he was here in the first place.

'I was told my Great-grand-father was a great Legilimens.' He said 'But since he's dead, he can't teach me himself. Last summer I saw you know the art too, so I wondered…'

'If I could teach you?'

Severus nodded.

'I suspected you would come. I would have cursed anyone else who dared follow me here! But I have found out a lot about you since last summer, Severus Snape.'

He waited, hoping whatever she had managed to uncover would not make her turn him away.

'It seems that despite your muggle father, you have inherited some notable magical abilities. Quite a reputation you have at Hogwarts, I hear.' She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

'What has Lucius Malfoy been telling you?'

'Ah, but it is not only Malfoy. There are many who come to me and open their heart to old Mother Madeira.' She grinned evilly.

'When you say 'open their heart', you mean…'

'They confide in me, whether they know it, or not.' she leered.

Severus started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He knew it was a double-edged sword, learning Legilimency, but he knew no other way.

'How much d'you take for lessons?' he asked, mentally hoping he had enough for at least one lesson.

'How much I _take_?!' she shrieked, making Severus jump 'What d'you think I'm doing? Selling Cauldron Cakes?'

Angry sparks flew from the two wands she was still holding as she waved her arms in an angry gesture.

'Legilimency is an ancient magic art! Only a handful of wizards or witches are capable of practising it! Few are able to learn it! And fewer still deserve it!' she paused, breathing heavily 'It is not something that can be bought or sold, it cannot be learnt out of books … it is passed on from one great wizard or witch, to another.'

Severus thought it better to say nothing. He watched her as she paced back and forth angrily. He noticed there was no trace of the bent, hobbling walk he had seen in Diagon Alley.

Finally, she stopped her pacing, and came to a stand in front of him. She was slightly shorter than he was, but she drew herself to her full height and said, in a tone of voice that held a hint of sadness in it.

'I will teach you Legilimency because I will be passing on your Great-grandfather's gift. It was _he_ who taught me legilimency, in my youth.'

Severus, hardly believing his luck at this strange circumstance, started to stammer his thanks, but she cut across him:

'Let me warn you, Severus, that legilimency requires an innate ability to understand, to feel your way through the mind's inner recesses, to use your sensitivity, as well as your brain. Let us hope you have inherited this from your great-grandfather, along with his physical aspect, for, if you have not, then neither I, nor anyone else, can help you.'

Before he could say anything else, she was handing him his wand back.

'Go, now. I will let you know where to find me. You are, I assume, allowed to go to Hogsmeade.'

'Yes. This year.'

'Good. You will find me there, when it is time.'

Before he could ask anything else, she had twisted round on the spot, her dirty grey cloak whirling around her and turning smoothly into the black soot-like dust he had observed earlier. There was no loud noise that apparating or disapparating wizards made. It was all dim, grey silence around him, and Madeira was nowhere to be seen.

Holding his wand in his hand, he set off at a run towards Diagon Alley. He didn't know how long he'd been down there, for his head was still buzzing with all he had learnt, and his incredible luck at finding the one person who could help him. Perhaps he could uncover more about his Great-grandfather from Madeira.

When he emerged in Diagon alley, he found Lily still with Mary MacDonald. The others had left and Lily was looking rather anxiously around her. She caught sight of him emerging from Knockturn Alley and went up to him.

'Where've you been? I was looking in all the shops…'

'Have you been down Knockturn Alley?' Mary MacDonald asked, her eyes wide behind her rather thick glasses.

'Yes.' He said shortly, annoyed they had noticed.

'But Knockturn Alley is … is…bad! A really bad place! You should hear what my brother says about that place. And you went in there alone?' Mary MacDonald seemed in awe of him, as much as she was scandalised.

'We got lost in there last year, Mary, don't you remember I had told you? Jenny Trimble was with us too. And it's in every way as evil as your brother says.' She turned to look at Severus, with a frown. 'Which is why I can't believe you'd risk going there again, Sev!'

'Malfoy isn't the only one who can take care of himself!' he scowled.

'But what on earth for?! Why risk being caught by those young men again? They were speaking about you-know-who, and Merlin knows what they were up to! And that foul hag! Don't you remember what she did to Jenny? '

Severus suppressed a desire to tell her he had just been talking to that 'foul hag' and what more, had arranged to meet her again. But looking at the rather shocked and worried expression on Lily's face, he decided not to say anything.

'I didn't go all the way down Knockturn Alley, just the beginning. I wanted to see some shrunken heads...' he lied.

Lily looked doubtful.

'Look, I haven't bought anything, ok? I just had a quick look around. Shall we go back to the Leaky Cauldron? I want to be home by five, if possible.'

Lily hitched her bag on her shoulders and they all headed towards the Leaky Cauldron.


	48. Chapter 48:Third Year

**Chapter 48: A Slytherin Head boy**

Severus spent the last few days pleasantly enough discussing with Lily the new subjects they were taking in third year; wrapping up any unfinished summer homework, and packing his Hogwarts trunk.

However, his mind was firmly fixed on what he had discovered in Diagon alley. Two days before they were due to leave for Hogwarts he had sneaked downstairs in the early hours of the morning and helped himself to some of his mother's floo powder, taking some along with him just in case he needed to return quickly from the Leaky Cauldron.

Once he had stopped spinning and was disgorged onto the hearth of the Leaky Cauldron, he had seen Tom, the Bartender, sweeping the floor at the far end of the inn, a bewitched mop sloshing water over the floor in his wake. The bar was otherwise deserted.

Severus had been hoping to sneak out unobserved, for he doubted anyone would swallow any of the excuses he had dreamed up for such an eventuality.

Tom _had_ looked round as the green flames in the fireplace lighted the room in a greenish glow, but since most of the lamps and candles had been extinguished, Severus had quickly ducked out of sight behind a table and melted away in the gloom towards the courtyard at the back.

He had had to feel around with his hands to locate the right bricks but he had managed to open the hidden archway onto Diagon Alley.

The street had been vastly different from when he had last seen it, for it was deserted, and all the shop windows were closed. He had set off at a run towards Knockturn Alley, and, wand at the ready, he had entered it cautiously.

Unlike the main street, Severus could see glimmering lights from under the doors and shuttered windows of the tall, crooked, houses and shops. A few witches and wizards crept through the poorly-lit alley, heavily muffled in cloaks, and actively avoiding the pools of light cast by the few streetlamps.

Following their example, Severus had walked as silently as possible on the dark side of the street, wishing he had brought his black Hogwarts cloak. Some of the heavily muffled wizards had paused in their walk, their black, hooded gaze turned towards him curiously.

He grasped the handle of his wand more firmly. Probably it was not often they saw young teenage wizards in Knockturn alley at this time of night. He was attracting unwanted attention, and he knew it.

Thus when he found the recessed doorway leading to the inner courtyard Madeira had disappeared into, he did not stay long. None of the doors appeared lived in, and he thought it prudent not to knock at any of them. Probably he would be hexed to smithereens by the inhabitants, if any. After all, Madeira had never said she lived there.

Rather chagrined at not having discovered anything, he had made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. He would have to wait until Madeira contacted him somehow. He hoped she would not forget, and that she would keep her word.

Careful not to let the Bartender see him, he had flooed back to Spinner's End, very disappointed to have come back empty-handed, though he tried to convince himself a night time trip to Knoockturn Alley was a learning experience.

He had not told his mother either about all that had transpired the day he had gone to Diagon Alley. She probably knew something about the Prince Vault at Gringott's, but that was a sore subject with her. As for Madeira, he didn't know what, or if, his mother knew about her, about how this witch had been taught Legilimency by Eileen's grandfather.

And which form of magic she had now promised to teach her son…

He knew Legilimency was an obscure and rare magic art, but it was highly unlikely that the Ministry did not know about it. Probably it was frowned upon, or at least they would have some regulation or other governing and limiting its use… It certainly was not on any Hogwarts syllabus he had ever read!

He decided not to tell his mother anything about such potentially controversial Legilimency lessons. In reality, he hardly told his mother anything at all these days, for the tension in his house had started intensifying again as his departure date approached.

Eileen went about her work with a permanent, dour expression on her face, and, though he was careful to mention only his Slytherin friends to her, she snapped at him at the least provocation. As for Tobias, he was out of the house more than he was home - and now he carried his hipflask with him everywhere. The day he left for Hogwarts he had hardly acknowledged his presence, let alone bid him goodbye. After a brief angry look in his direction, he had stumped out of the front door to go to work.

Probably his leaving for Hogwarts was a stark reminder for Tobias of the world to which he did not belong, and that world, to his mind, was now posing a danger to him.

Eileen's farewell was nothing but a series of admonishments to stick to his own kind, which he endured with gritted teeth, until finally, having with some difficulty heaved his trunk into the cramped fireplace, the dingy sitting room of his house disappeared in the whirling , spinning sensation of Floo travel.

At the Leaky Cauldron he dragged his trunk to the muggle street outside and hailed a cab. He had enough muggle money to get himself and his trunk to King's Cross station where he had planned to meet up with Lily again.

'Seen better days this 'ere box, 'asn't it? Bit worn, innit?' the cab driver smirked, as he unloaded Severus' trunk at the station.

He was probably comparing the shabby, faded, elegance of his century-old trunk to the sleek metal-reinforced muggle suitcases he usually carried in his cab. Severus scowled and said nothing. Why couldn't the stupid muggle keep his opinions to himself? Little did he know the secrets that that trunk had yielded.

He counted out the muggle money, grabbed a trolley, and disappeared inside the station.

He did not have to wait long, for Lily and her parents arrived soon after and made their way towards him.

After Lily bade a fond farewell to her parents, with many promises to write often, Rose and John Evans wished them both luck with their new subjects and stepped back to let them pass through the barrier. Lily went first, followed by Severus.

He half-glanced backwards before he went through the barrier. Lily's parents were enthusiastically waving bye to him.

Remembering how he had left his own home that morning, he almost resented them for doing it!

The Hogwarts express was unbelievably crowded. All the compartments seemed to be full of over-excited, chattering students and their squeaking, croaking, mewling or hooting pets.

Lily had been saved a place by Thalia and Mary. She was about to refuse, but Severus insisted.

'You stay here. There doesn't seem to be anywhere else. I'll find a place and let you know where I am.'

Making his way towards the back of the train, avoiding those compartments full of shrill, excited first-years, Severus was hailed by Rosier as he passed by one of the last compartments on the train.

He heaved his trunk thankfully inside, and sat down near Evan Rosier. Marcus Wilkes was sitting opposite Evan, and in at the corner by the window, was Regulus Black.

'Glad to see you again, Severus! Did you arrive all in one piece in that muggle contraption, then?'

Something in his tone made Severus look up quickly.

'What're you on about?!'

'We saw who gave you a lift last summer, Snape. It was that Evans girl from Gryffindor, and her muggle parents.' Wilkes said, with his grunting laugh.

'She's from my hometown, and so they gave me a lift. It was convenient…' Severus said, shortly.

He saw Wilkes and Rosier exchange looks, an annoying smirk on their faces. Scowling, he reached inside his pocket and took out the last Quidditch magazine he had received. Taking the special eraser from his other pocket he passed it carefully over the page and started reading the re-arranged words that appeared there. He hadn't had time to read it in the flurry of activity of the past few days.

He noticed Regulus watching him intently. He hitched the paper up so that the article he was reading was definitely visible only to him.

Regulus, noting his movement, flushed slightly and looked away quickly.

'I see you've got our friend's news.' Rosier drawled, his dark blue eyes travelling over the Quidditch title of the paper.

'I think you should know I have, since _you_ sent it to me, Evan.' Severus said, curtly.

Rosier glanced at the small boy by the window, but Regulus seemed absorbed in the scene outside, for the train had started to roll out of the station.

'What d'you think of the latest?' he said, dropping his voice. 'Did you see the one about how MacNair….?'

'I'm reading it now.' Severus cut in.

Regulus turned his head at that point and resumed gazing at them curiously.

'Don't you have anywhere else to go? Why don't you go sit with the other second-years?' Rosier snapped at Regulus.

'Yeah – Or with your brother, and the other Gryffindors?' Wilkes said nastily.

Regulus flushed angrily, but remained seated.

'I was here first.' he said sullenly, 'Besides, I know what that is.'

He indicated the paper Severus still clutched in his hand.

'And what exactly is it, according to you?' Rosier asked with a sneer.

'It's an article about how some young wizard called McNair was framed by some Ministry blokes. They planted a phial of unicorn blood in his home in the Hebrides, so he was convicted of killing unicorns. Only it looks like the Quidditch News, because it's bewitched to look so.'

'How - ? Who has told you all this?' Rosier asked, aghast.

Severus could tell he had not expected that answer,

'This summer. I overheard my cousin Bella telling Cissa about it, and how she would disguise the thing. And Narcissa wanted to know who it was for…'

'Narcissa? Narcissa Black?'

Regulus nodded.

'Yes. My cousin. She'll be going up to sixth year now.'

'Narcissa Black is your cousin!?'

Severus could see that Rosier was mentally consulting the book on Wizarding Genealogy he had once given him.

'Ye – es.' He said slowly, after a while. 'She would be. I guess that's why she talks to you in the common room, sometimes. Dunno why I didn't think of it before. Through your Uncle Cygnus, right?'

Regulus nodded.

'I don't see why you should go around overhearing what your older cousins are saying, though. They can't have been too pleased…'

'They weren't trying to hide it!' Regulus snapped, seeming irked to have been accused of eavesdropping.

Rosier said nothing else, but his attitude towards Regulus eased up slightly, Severus noticed. He even shut Wilkes up when Marcus returned to the attack and tried to force Regulus to leave.

Either the boy's connection to the Blacks was considered very desirable, or else having Narcissa for a cousin was qualification enough. Severus had not missed the slight inflection of tone when Evan had spoken her name.

Severus had just decided to get up to go and find Lily, when a tall figure stopped near their compartment, and the door slid open.

Lucius Malfoy stood framed in the doorway, tall and handsome, his long, white-blond hair gleaming brightly in contrast to the black Hogwarts robes he was already wearing. Severus noticed a Badge pinned to his chest.

The others seemed to have noticed it too.

'Cor blimey! That's a Head Boy's Badge!' Wilkes exclaimed sitting straight in his seat, and eyeing the gleaming badge.

'A Slytherin Head boy! Congratulations Malfoy!' Rosier said.

'Thank you' purred Lucius Malfoy, smirking contentedly. 'But it has not been easy to get…'

Something in his tone made Severus ask:

'Not easy?'

'Well, Yes. My father had to get the school governors to intervene, for it seems Dumbledore had given both badges to Gryffindor students – as he has done last year and the year before that…'

'Yeah. You're right.' Wilkes said, indignantly. 'Last year's Head boy and Head Girl were Gryffindors. I never noticed.'

'Ah, Wilkes, but I did. You don't have to concern yourself with Headboyship until you're in seventh year. But I, on the other hand, have been following events closely, and when I found out, this summer, that that idiot, Fred Perkins and Sarah MacDougal from Gryffindor got the badges, I thought it was time to step in.'

Wilkes, Regulus and even Rosier were looking up at him in undisguised admiration, but Severus wanted to know how the Badge ended up on his chest now.

'I thought the Headmaster's decision in such matters was final. Did the Governors overturn his decision?'

'Oh, Dumbledore's word is final, but my father has a number of useful contacts among the Board of Governors, and the Governors can be quite influential, I found out. Anyway, they quoted his own words about house unity and whatnot, and he had to admit they were right, so he revoked his decision.'

'Thank Merlin for House Unity, then.' Severus said, but none seemed to pick up the note of sarcasm in his voice.

Marcus had stood up to get a closer look at the badge, and Regulus was congratulating the handsome teenager.

'Can you imagine the look on that idiot Perkins' face when he found out he had to give his badge to you?' Wilkes said, with his snorting laugh.

'He must have been a tad disappointed.' Lucius said smugly. 'Anyway, I just dropped in to see if you've all been busy this summer, brushing up your knowledge on Wizarding news … Ah, I see you have.' Lucius continued, noticing the paper Severus still held in his hand. 'Good. Good. Well, I'm off to the last compartment. I've got some …er…reading material for Narcissa.'

He turned and left, heading towards the last compartment on the train. Severus was sure that it was not only 'reading material' he wanted to show Narcissa, but the gleaming Headboy badge stuck prominently on his chest.

It was much later that he managed to find Lily, for she had moved from compartment to compartment, greeting her friends. He finally found her in a compartment at the front of the train, which was occupied by Melchior abbot and his sister Hortense, from Hufflepuff, and Xenia Lovegood of Raven claw. Lily was listening, with a rather bemused expression on her face, to Xenia, who was recounting her brother's adventures in the mountains of Prussia during summer. It seemed that he had come of age then, and, while off on a six-month journey in Northern and Eastern Europe had seen some fabulous beast which he had written home about.

Lily, looking up and seeing Severus, mumbled an excuse and got up to leave. Xenia waved vaguely in her direction, but the other two hardly noticed, as they listened, mouths open, to Xenia's tale.

'I swear, Sev' Lily said, when he had closed the compartment door behind her. 'The things Xenia comes up with! She idolises her brother, but if half the things her brother saw are true, I'll support Slytherin in the next match!'

Severus raised an amused eyebrow.

'That will be a first! Or House Unity taken to its inevitably ridiculous extreme!'

'Talking of house unity - did you hear that Dumbledore revoked his decision to put Fred Perkins Headboy? He nominated Lucius instead, so as to have a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, and promote house unity or something…'

'I know.'

'But I don't like Lucius, he looks at me strangely.' Lily said, as they negotiated their way along the overcrowded train corridor.

'Well, he shouldn't always choose Gryffindor students.'

'Does he? Well, I wish he'd 've chosen someone else, Malfoy seems such a snob. Probably more so, now…'

'Lucius Malfoy can afford to be a snob!' Severus said angrily, stopping suddenly in his tracks.

If Lucius had been forced to use his connections to gain his ends, it was Dumbledore's fault for putting him in such a position.

'I'm not saying only Gryffindors should be chosen' Lily said, stopping too, but standing her ground. 'But nothing gives Lucius Malfoy, or anyone else for that matter, the right to think they're a cut above everyone else, either. Anyway, where are you sitting? Pettigrew's in our compartment. I've had to fish out his rat from my bag twice already, and Mary had to lock away Shadow in his box. Can we go to your compartment?'

Before Severus could think up of an excuse to keep her away from the Slytherins in his compartment, a prefect came hurrying along down the aisle chivvying the first-years along and telling the few still in muggle clothes to put on their Hogwarts robes, for they would soon be coming to Hogsmeade Station.

They both hurried off in different directions to collect their stuff and although they sat together in the horseless carriages that drove the students to Hogwarts, when they arrived, they had to sit at their separate House tables in the Great Hall for the beginning-of-term feast.

When the sorting ceremony was over, Severus looked at the Gryffindor table, trying to determine who Fred Perkins, the boy who was almost headboy, was. The tall seventh year students were all sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, and a few of them were in a huddle, ignoring the food that had appeared in front of them, discussing something between themselves. Every so often, one of them would look up and throw a look of sheer animosity towards the Slytherin table. Severus was in no doubt that they were discussing the recent developments in the Headboy and Headgirl positions.

Glancing quickly at the end of the Slytherin table, towards which point most of the angry looks were directed, he could see Malfoy lounging at the far end of the bench, next to where Narcissa was sitting. They were both looking at a skinny, but clever-looking boy, called Nott, who seemed to be animatedly describing something and gesticulating wildly.

If Lucius had noticed the animosity from the Gryffindor table, he certainly was not bothered by it. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying himself, and had a smug half-smile on his face. Next to him, Narcissa, imperturbable as ever, toyed with her food as she listened with real or feigned interest (it was always difficult to tell, with her), at what the boy opposite had to say.

Severus could not help admiring the way Malfoy had stood for his rights. He had managed to get even the great Dumbledore to admit defeat by using his own arguments against him. There had to something said for that – more than his father's coercion of the school Governors, which action Severus had not particularly admired.

At that moment Dumbledore stood up and called everyone's attention. Severus had noticed the absence of Professor Ironwood among the teachers on the staff table, and he recognised Brocklehurst sitting near McGonagall. As if to confirm his suspicions, Dumbledore said:

'Welcome back to another year of Magical Learning at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry! I would like to first of all welcome back Professor Brocklehurst as Teacher for the Defence against the Dark Arts instead of Professor Ironwood…'

At this point he was interrupted by loud applause from all four house tables. Ironwood's teaching methods had not gone down well with any of the students.

'Professor Brocklehurst is with us again after a prolonged stay at St Mungo's due to injuries sustained while …er… on holiday last year.'

'That's not true. He was undercover working for the Ministry!' Mulciber, who was sitting next to Severus, whispered in his ear.

He was one of the few who had not applauded his return.

'How d'you know?'

'Rabastan told me, and he got the news from his Uncle, who ... well, anyway they know. Brocklehurst's an ex-auror, but it seems he was still up to some extra work.' He sniggered.

Severus looked at him sceptically.

'Only it didn't quite go as planned' Mulciber continued. 'Got caught, didn't he?'

Severus kept the look of polite disbelief firmly on his face. This, as he expected, goaded Mulciber to reveal what exactly happened.

'No-one spies on the Dark Lord and gets away with it – especially some old, has-been, ex-auror! I wish I could've been there when he drank the poisoned wine! Look what it did to his face!' he said with relish.

Severus looked closer, and saw what appeared to be vertical scars on one side of his face. Dumbledore was continuing with his speech however-

'Although many of you have spent a lazy summer carefully forgetting whatever you have been taught last year, and other similar, pleasant activities, I would like you all to remember at least one thing from last year – and that is, that the Dark wizard styling himself Lord Voldemort is still among us, and over the past months has been gathering followers from witches and wizards all over the country.'

He paused, gazing over the sea of faces all looking attentively at him.

'I know that many of you have been warned by your parents, or those who have your best interest at heart, to keep out of it, to ignore what is happening, for you are too young to be involved anyway…. Well, I am afraid that it is too late for that. Lord Voldemort, or He-who-must-not-be-named, as many witches and wizards, now refer to him, for they are afraid to call him by name, has already turned his attention to you, young witches and wizards here at Hogwarts.'

There were some gasps of surprise and fear from many of the students sitting at the house tables. Many of the first-years were looking around them with round eyes, as though expecting Lord Voldemort to jump out at them from the nearest curtained recess in the walls.

Severus and Mulciber exchanged a smirk at the young ones' gullibility. But Dumbledore's next words wiped the smiles of their faces.

'I know that many of you have been reading literature prepared and planted among you by Lord Voldemort and his followers.'

He looked keenly at the Slytherin table when he said this, but the older students there were studiously ignoring him. Rabastan Lestrange was gazing stonily at the silver goblet in front of him, but Severus knew that there was a barely suppressed rage there. He wondered how Dumbledore knew - maybe he had spies… or was in touch with the Ministry. He was a powerful wizard after all, and if what Mulciber had said was true, then even some of his staff members were involved in spying on the Dark Lord…

Finally Dumbledore tore his eyes away from the Slytherin table and continued:

'I must put you all on your guard against certain insidious information that has been passed on among you masquerading as the truth. Real truth is a wondrous thing, and must be treated with respect – it can be bent, twisted or partially revealed, so that it becomes a dangerous weapon in the hands of those who know how to manipulate truth to their own ends. Lord Voldemort is expert at using such a weapon, and he preys on young minds ….'

He paused.

'I know that it is pointless to ask you to hand over such literature, and neither do I want you to. Read them, by all means, if you must, but I must ask you to try not to take things at face value, for there is always another side to the story, another face to the coin…'

Severus was rather surprised. He had expected Dumbledore to threaten expulsion, or at least detention to those caught in possession of such things. However, he thought he saw Dumbledore look unusually worried, too.

'One last thing before we go... One last, sad, incontrovertible truth: the death of Richard and Annie Turpin, parents of one of our Ravenclaw students…' he nodded his head towards the Ravenclaw table, '…was announced last week on the _Daily Prophet_ and described as happening under mysterious circumstances. Well, I would like you to know that it was the '_Avada Kedavra'_ curse that killed them.'

There were several gasps of horror at this and people were turning their heads towards the Ravenclaw table.

'Richard and Annie were murdered by Lord Voldemort's followers.' Dumbledore continued. 'And I would like you to ponder this fact before any of you decide to yield your minds to Lord Voldemort's moulding.'

And on that sombre note he signalled for the students to leave their table. The beginning of term feast was over, and a new year begun.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49: Foretelling the Future.**

Most of Lily's friends had only taken on the obligatory two extra subjects, whereas she and Severus had four extra, so next morning, at breakfast, when the time tables were given out, she was rather alarmed at how full hers was.

She noticed that she was with Severus for most of the new classes, for they were grouped according to subject, rather than by their house. At least for Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes, they were together.

However, many had chosen Arithmancy, especially among the Ravenclaws, so for this particular subject, Gryffindor were grouped with Ravenclaw, and Slytherin with Hufflepuff.

As for Muggle Studies, Jenny Trimble told her, there had been many who chose this subject as a 'soft option' (including Jenny herself, who was Muggle-born). Thus each house was kept separate, with the exception of Slytherin, from whom almost no-one had opted to study this subject.

She saw that their first lesson was Divination. She looked over at the Slytherin table on the other side of the Great Hall, trying to find Severus, and was thinking of going over, when she finally located him.

He was looking down at his timetable, a frown on his face, and, standing behind him, one hand placed around his shoulders, was Lucius Malfoy. He was leaning forward whispering something to Severus and Evan Rosier, who was sitting next to Severus.

Then Malfoy straightened up, and seeing her looking at them, fixed her with a hard stare.

Severus, too, looked up at that minute, and she smiled and gave him a small wave, indicating her timetable. Severus did not return her smile, but went back to perusing his timetable, his brow still furrowed.

It was about half an hour later that she caught up with him. He was going up the spiralling staircase of the North Tower with another Slytherin girl, Cassiopeia Blackwater.

'Hey, Sev, wait up.'

Severus slowed down to wait for her, but the other girl gave her a cold look and continued on her way.

'What's up with _he_r?' Lily whispered.

Severus shrugged. He had stopped beneath a trapdoor from where a wide ladder was hanging down.

'Come on, this is it. Let's go in.' he said.

They entered through a trapdoor into a large, round room that was so gloomy, it took a while for their eyes to adjust to the dim light. When they finally could see a bit better, they saw that the gloom was not only due to the fact that all the windows were closed, but also because there were black drapes over everything – hanging from the walls , the windows, and thrown over the mismatched benches and chairs that littered the room. Any uncovered furniture was made of dark wood and even the rugs had a dark, blood-red pattern.

'This looks like a funeral parlour!' Lily whispered.

She noticed that everyone had remained huddled in a group, looking around themselves with some apprehension. The only light was a pale glow coming from a series of glass orbs on a narrow shelf that ran round the room. Lily assumed they must be crystal balls. They were mentioned in their book on divination.

'I think that's him. Professor Algor Magus.' Severus indicated a movement at the back of the room.

Something more densely dark than the rest of the room seemed to detach itself from the gloom at the back of the room. A short man made his way towards them. He was swathed in black robes, but his hair was so white, it gleamed eerily in the dark. He had sallow, wrinkled skin, and protuberant, watery, eyes. When he came closer, Lily noticed he was not really short, but appeared so because he had a pronounced stoop.

'Welcome, children, to Divination, a magic art like no other taught in this school.' He said in a solemn voice.

Lily saw some people exchange looks. Possibly because they did not like being addressed as 'children', or perhaps because of Professor Magus's sepulchral tone.

'Take your places, now, and listen to what I have to say…'

Everyone scrambled to find a place among the mismatched chairs and benches placed around little tables. Lily dragged Severus off towards a small table at the back. This man was giving her the creeps!

Professor Magus waited until there was absolute silence in the dark room, then he took the register, gazing rather sadly at each student in turn as he called out their names. People started to fidget uncomfortably. Then finally, he started explaining what they would be covering that year, and the list seemed to go on forever… Palmistry, bird entrails, crystal gazing, tea leaf-reading; prophecy making...

'Seems a lot of stuff to learn, when in the long run, after all that, you're not sure of anything at all…' Severus grumbled in a low voice.

'He never said he isn't sure of what the future holds. _You_ said that, remember?'

'That's what I read about divination –'

'Shh! He's looking this way.'

Magus's large pale eyes wondered over the class, hesitating for the briefest of moments at their table. Lily squirmed uncomfortably.

'We will start, ' he said ' …with the Cards.'

He waved his wand in a sweeping motion, and packs of strangely-illustrated cards appeared at each table in front of them.

'This will be your first foray beyond the misty veil of the future. If you listen carefully, the cards will speak to you… If you possess the gift of Sight, you will be able to foretell your fate, and prepare yourself for what is to befall you…'

Lily saw many exchange looks at this. Magus spoke as if there was impending doom waiting for everyone.

'If you do not possess the Gift of Sight , there is very little books can teach you ….However, the Tarot cards will vouchsafe much of what you should know, even if you are not a Gifted. It is not my intention to put you off the art of Divination, but I must warn you that if you do not read the signs, or you are not _able_ to…then you may be letting yourself in for great anguish …'

He leaned over the table next to him, resting his hands on its surface and stared at Thalia and Mary, who were sitting there, with his protuberant, sad eyes. Lily saw Mary nervously push her glasses further up on her nose, and Thalia was trying to look as cool and composed as usual. As the silence stretched uncomfortably, and Professor Magus kept staring, Thalia squirmed uncomfortably, trying to avoid his gaze.

Lily remembered that both Mary and Thalia had decided to take Divination in order to foretell who their future husband would be. She giggled. This probably was not what they had been expecting.

Her laugh sounded abnormally high in the silence. She stifled it quickly.

Professor Magus looked up at the sound, but his attention was caught by a larger table with four students. Alice Walker was sitting with Melchior Abbott and Frank Longbottom from Hufflepuff, and Cassiopeia from Slytherin.

'My dear girl,' he said, addressing Cassiopeia 'You have such an amazingly distinct, green aura. Did you know that?'

Cassiopeia shook her head in bewilderment, her dark curls bouncing, and looked about herself as though expecting to find light emanating from her body. Lily giggled again, eliciting a scowl from Severus. She didn't know whether having an aura was good or bad news, and it seemed neither did Cassiopeia, but she liked seeing that particular Slytherin girl look confused, for she didn't like her.

It was only too obvious what she thought of muggleborns, which was probably why she was sitting at a table with only purebloods.

'As I was saying,' Professor Magus continued 'You must learn to read the signs correctly. If you do not have the rare gift a true Seer possesses, do not worry, for there are many ways of foretelling the future, and perhaps you may be gifted in one particular form of divination more than another. I, myself, for one, am especially gifted in the interpretation of Omens, those harbingers of terrible truths…'

Lily thought his voice sounded tremulous as he spoke.

'Now, I want you all to take the cards I have provided you with and work in pairs. One of you will lay them out in a circle, and then crosswise, as indicated in your book "_A hundred ways of Foretelling the Future_.", page seven. The other will use the guidelines on the same page to interpret the card's significance. Commence. I will be coming round to help.'

Lily took her book and turned to page seven. She noticed that Severus had already found the page and was eagerly reading it. He held the pack of cards in his hands as he read. Lily smiled. For someone who had been so sceptical of Divination, he seemed quite eager to know his fortune.

'I can see you're just _dying_ to see what the future holds in store for you!' she said in a whispered imitation of Magus's sepulchral voice, 'So, let's deal, shall we?' she held out her hand for the cards, smiling mischievously.

Severus, scowling, muttered something about 'a load of rubbish', but he handed her the cards anyway.

She started dealing them out in the complex pattern indicated on their book, stopping every now and then to check the page. Professor Magus was going round the small tables, stopping every now and then to speak to whoever was dealing the cards. Lily noticed he kept looking over in their direction, every so often.

'Why does he keep looking at us?' she whispered, annoyed, to Severus.

'Maybe because you were laughing at him?'

'I wasn't laughing at him! It was Cassiopeia and her aura I was laughing at – that girl is too … perfect.'

'Perfect?' Severus raised a quizzical eyebrow and looked up from the cards on the table.

'Well, she seems to think too much of herself. She needed to be taken down a peg or two.'

'She's in Slytherin!'

'So what?! Potter and Black are in Gryffindor, but I don't defend _their_ behaviour!' she dropped her voice to an angry whisper 'Don't think I don't know why she hurried off, when I came up to you on the stairs!'

She felt herself flush in anger, and slapped down the cards with more force than necessary.

Severus did not answer her.

Perfect Cassiopeia Blackwater, always well-groomed, dark, wavy hair styled in perfect curls around her rather angular face; always showing off, and looking down her nose at anyone who wasn't as perfect, or who was a muggle-born. How could Severus tolerate her, even if she _was_ in Slytherin?

She stopped slamming cards down on the table, to check the book, only to find Severus looking at her with an odd look, almost amused.

'What?' she snapped .

'Nothing.' He looked back down at the cards again, his expression changing to an unreadable one. 'I think you should get on with the interpretation now.'

She tried to get her mind back on the task at hand. There was quite a lot more noise now, for everyone was trying to interpret their cards, consulting the book whenever they got stuck. Professor Magus was standing at the larger table where Cassiopeia was sitting. He was explaining something, and she saw Alice growing increasingly red and angry at his words, and Frank Longbottom, who, it seemed, had been dealing out the cards, looked pretty uncomfortable too, though not displeased.

'I think you've just predicted my imminent death, Lily.' said a sardonic voice at her side. 'Could you hurry up and get it over and done with, so I can die in peace.'

'Wh – What? Oh sorry –'

She saw Severus looking at the cards in front of them with a wry smile on his face. 'Let's see now…' She looked at the cards. 'This one here – the one with the knight…that's Death. Oh, right, …well…' She consulted her book. ' "_Depends on the position of the signalling card…. and the minor Arcana cards that lies across from…_." This is seriously complicated, Sev.'

Severus still did not say anything, the same unreadable expression on his face as he gazed down at the cards.

She looked at the book once more and then at the cards.

'Well, it seems that this card here,' she pointed to one lying across the middle ' means you are going to have, or find, some great passion, or… hang on …' she consulted the book again, and said , flushing slightly, '… or a great love in your life, but then this card here, means you're going to… er… die because of this passion ….' She giggled. 'Sorry, Sev. But it's all here in the cards…!'

He snorted. 'Go on. So I die for passion. What next?'

'Well, then there's this one here ….. Let's see – ah yes, you'll like this. Greatness. This card stands for greatness. In what though? In battle?' she mumbled to herself as she sought the right configuration on the book. She had to flip to another chapter, for it seemed no particular configuration had any set meaning, especially the one on the table in front of her.

'Ah, yes – Greatness at hiding. Hiding?! Wait, - perhaps I got that wrong. Hiding or -Protection!? What kind of greatness is that? '

She looked up, but Severus shook his head, clearly disappointed. She was beginning to think this divination stuff was just as hazy as he had told her it was.

'Then there's this one – _The Hanged Man_ – means Sacrifice, I think. Oh, I don't know – none of this seems to make any sense…' She looked disconsolately at the card with the upside-down hanged man on it, comparing it to the one in the book. She was completely at a loss now.

'Anyway, last card, Sev. Then it's your turn. Now choosing the seventh in this direction, and anticlockwise , across from the main one. The Lightning-Struck tower. Let's see.' She consulted the book briefly' 'Well, it seems you'll do all of this in a time of great crises and turmoil. So, there you go – you can't complain! I gave you a very interesting future! Now your turn.'

At that point, a shadow fell across their table. Professor Magus had come silently up to their table, and was now standing over it looking down at the cards. Lily thought his eyes widened at the display of cards on their table.

'Who dealt these cards?'

'Me, Sir.' Lily said, raising her hand.

She did not know why this man made her feel so apprehensive. She glanced at Severus, sensing his tenseness.

'Severus Snape, take, now, the cards in your hand, shuffle them, and lay them down again.'

Severus took the cards, shuffled them rather awkwardly due to their large size, and then proceeded to lay them down in the prescribed configuration. He was quicker than Lily, having watched her do it first.

This time however, it was not only Professor Magus's eyes that registered surprise. For both Severus and Lily noticed what apparently Magus already had – the cards as they left Severus' hand and were flipped face upwards on the table, formed exactly the same configuration that had sat on the same surface minutes before.

'Are you sure you have been the one to tell the cards before?!' he snapped suddenly at Lily, his sombre tone forgotten.

'Y – Yessir'

Some people looked round, surprised perhaps, at the change in tone in Magus's voice.

'Then do it again. Only this time ….' He waved his wand in a back and forth motion and the cards, lifted from the table and began to shuffle themselves in midair.

When they fell neatly back in a pile in front of her, she obediently set about laying them out in the required configuration. The now-familiar pattern of cards appeared again.

Had Lily not seen the evident confusion, - alarm even, on Professor Magus's face, she would've thought he had given them a pack of cards bewitched to fall always in the same order. When she finished, she gazed mutely at the cards, then at Severus. By a small gesture with his head, he intimated that he did not know what was going on, either. More people had stopped to look now.

'Professor, what does it mean? Why're we drawing the same…?'

'I – I don't know, Lily Evans. I don't know. I have never seen the like of it before. But they are not exactly the same…'

He made Severus and Lily deal the cards twice more before he answered.

'You, Ms Evans, draw the Hanged Man first and the Lovers card last, whereas you, Mr Snape, draw the Lovers Card first and the Hanged Man last. They both come together in this very unusual configuration, as an inverse circle, as you mirror each other across the table, the end result is only _seemingly_ the same….

'But what does it mean?'

Professor Magus turned slowly to face her. His sallow face looked almost haggard and his wide eyes looked almost frightened now. She was getting seriously alarmed.

'Does it mean we have the same future or something?' She insisted 'And what does the inverse circle thing …?'

'Ms Evans, what I overheard you say, is correct in essentials. The Lightening- Struck tower – crises and turmoil _– that_ has appeared in other students spread before. Hardly surprising, as the Omens have all been pointing in that direction for some time now, but perhaps for some students their involvement will be more than for others…'

Professor Magus had started to turn away from their table.

'But could you just tell us what the rest of the cards _really_ mean… Sir?' Severus asked, in what she thought was an unnecessarily sarcastic voice.

It was a while before Magus answered him and Lily thought that he was trying to choose his words with care. Many of the people in the class were curiously listening in now.

'Mr Snape, there are many different interpretations of the cards for those that have the gift of reading them. There are many subtly different nuances in their meaning, which one might miss, if not careful. I am more gifted in the reading of Omens, yes, and I have never before seen anyone draw the cards in the way that you two have just done before my very eyes. Thus, I want to be sure, I want to get to know you better, before I dare place a meaning on those cards... But not to worry, not to worry – both of you have unusually strong auras. That helps in survival situations, you know ….er…. yes, well, now for homework …'

And Professor Magus, his sombre tone back in place, left their table and melted away into the gloomy depths at back of the circular room.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50: Potions with Slughorn.**

'Did you get the impression he was trying to hide something from us?' Lily said as they made their way down the spiral staircase of the North Tower.

They had Potions next, and they had to go from the top of the North Tower right down to the dungeons deep below in the castle's subterranean levels. It was a long way, so most people had hurried on ahead, (some throwing them curious looks, after what had just happened).

'Hah! Of course he was trying to hide something from us – that he doesn't know anything about the future! Don't you go and believe what he says, Lily!'

'Don't worry. I'm not going to lose any sleep over some stupid pack of cards'

Lily knew he was only trying to dissipate the feeling of pending doom that Professor Magus had given her, and which probably showed on her face.

'Sarah, the Head girl,' she continued, 'told me he is always seeing bad omens everywhere. Even Death Omens – perhaps that is why he looks so gloomy. Perhaps he predicted his own death…'

She barely repressed a shudder.

'Well, then, he's a fool to believe in his own predictions. "…._the cards have many interpretations… many subtly different nuances….."_ ' Severus snorted in disgust. 'I had told you Divination was too hazy. Anyway, I'm not going to believe my fate is already pre-determined by some mouldy old cards. I'll make my _own _destiny!'

Lily did not wonder at Severus's dislike of their first Divination lesson. She had a good idea now of some of the unhappy circumstances of his life, and probably he did not appreciate more doom and gloom predicted. She knew he was working hard to make a difference, and would be adverse to anything that said the contrary.

'But you must admit it was strange the way the cards came out the same for both of us, Sev.'

'They must've been bewitched.'

'No, they weren't. And I know you don't believe that, either. You saw the look on Magus's face!'

Severus bent his head, conceding the point. They had slowed down because the way ahead was blocked by a group of lost-looking first years. Hearing a cackling laugh down the corridor, they knew Peeves was on his way, no doubt to harass the same first-years, so Severus grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her through a hidden corridor behind a tapestry.

'Let's go this way, or we'll be late.' he said.

They walked on in silence for a while. It was a longer route, but at least it was empty.

'You know, this is not the first time that magic did some unusual things for us.' Lily insisted.

'Of course, it is not the first time! Need I remind you what we saw when we went to the forbidden forest…?'

'No, no. Not like that. I mean, - particular magic that happened just to me and … and you. Us two, only. Remember last year..?'

He slowed down, turned his face towards her, and nodded slowly.

'The _Resumptum Duco _charm.' he said, with an odd look on his face.

She nodded and they moved on. She had been helping him with the spell, told him to picture the six-pointed pattern of the snowflake they had been trying to create, as she did herself. She remembered how she had placed her hand on his, and around his black ebony wand, and it was then that it had happened.

She had felt the magic flow through her arm, through them both, as they created something way beyond what the simple spell was designed to do. She had felt as though she was merged as one with Severus – one common will – combined, and yet distinct. It had both frightened and excited her then, though she did not know why.

She stole a look at Severus, but his face was in the shadows.

'I thought about that for a long time.' Severus was saying 'I don't know why that happened. There are a few books on Wand lore in the Library, but they are not detailed.'

'And we never asked any Teacher…'

'They wouldn't know, and probably would not approve, as I had told you. It just should NOT have happened…'

But there was wonderment in his voice, not disapproval.

'Well, perhaps we could try a spell like that again, someday.' Lily said, brightly.

'I'll cast a combined spell with you any time you want Lily, but I'm not going to touch those bloody cards again!'

Lily laughed right out loud then. She linked her arm with his, and hurried him on.

'Neither am I! Now, let's hurry up or we'll be late. After such a maudlin morning of doom and gloom, I could do with a dose of old Slughorn's jokes!'

They were almost late as they ran breathless through the dungeon class-room door. However, everyone was still taking out their books and finding their places by their own cauldrons. She realised she was still holding Severus's arm. She let go hurriedly, but Severus's head was turned towards the back of the class where Lupin, Potter and Black usually sat. They had been joined by Peter Pettigrew today, she noticed.

'What're you looking so smug for, Snivillus?' shouted Potter, who for some reason, looked annoyed.

'Peter here told us about that prediction old Magus made for you this morning, Snivillus!' Black interjected, grinning evilly.

Lily glared at Peter. She didn't know the news had travelled so far already. However, Peter seemed quite unabashed, and was smiling in anticipation.

'I think the '_Hanged Man'_ Card suits you just fine, Snivillus.' Potter said in a vicious whisper. 'As for the rest, I don't know who could have bewitched the cards so that the '_Lovers_' showed up. As if any girl in her right mind would ever ….'

At that moment, Slughorn went to the teacher's desk and started to call the class to attention. Lily felt her temper rising. They were such arses, Potter and Black! And Peter too, for telling them!

'I think you had better go and have your cards read, Potter!' she whispered back angrily 'Perhaps you will find that '_The Fool's'_ Card will be the one on top of _your_ spread! Come Severus!'

And with that, she purposely linked her arm once more through his, and marched them down to the front of the class where their cauldrons stood waiting near the table they shared. Slughorn was waiting there for them, a wide smile on his face. She hastily released Severus's arm, unwilling to cause him further embarrassment, for she knew Slughorn had a habit of gossiping about his pupils.

'Sorry I dragged you away like that.' She whispered as she bent down on his side of the desk, pretending to get her stuff from her bag. She hoped he would not be too angry with her for what she did. She knew Severus hated pulling attention to himself in that way, 'It's just that those idiots have a habit of picking on others for no reason whatsoever, and I hate it.'

He did not answer her. Looking up she saw that he was setting out the Brass Scales and ingredients. However, he did not look angry, but had the same odd look on his face as before. She thought he looked as if he was trying very hard not to appear pleased. She looked at him in askance.

'I've set your things.' he said quietly.

And with a small half-smile, he indicated her side of the table.

She saw that he had already prepared her potions ingredients and scales, while she had been rummaging about in her bag.

Slughorn set them to work immediately, making a potion to induce Dreamless Sleep. She had expected Severus to be uptight and angry, as he invariably always was after an encounter with Potter and Black, but he appeared calm, a small smile still on his face as he worked.

Sometimes she couldn't understand him, even considering they were best friends.

'Ah, I see you are way ahead of the rest of the class as usual, Mr Snape.' Slughorn had come round and was peering into his cauldron, which was already bubbling. 'Strange scent though… Are you sure you followed the correct steps?'

Slughorn indicated the board where the brewing instructions were written. Severus nodded, a slow flush diffusing his pale cheeks. Lily knew that he had probably been experimenting with something different again. Slughorn was looking doubtfully at the pale green, gently bubbling solution, then he turned slowly towards her. She distastefully chopped the last of the dead leeches in front of her, and hastily threw them into her cauldron, which had just started to give off a faint wisp of white vapour.

'And how is my star pupil doing?'

Lily blushed uncomfortably. He had been calling her that since the end of last year, and she couldn't understand why, for Severus usually produced much better results, though not always what Slughorn expected.

Sometimes she followed what Severus did, even if it was a departure from the approved method. The results were usually astoundingly good. Other times they just followed the approved method with no experimenting. But other times he would not allow her to copy him, saying he was not sure it would work. On these occasions, the results were either better than anyone else's, or else mishaps had occurred – the potion congealed, evaporated, was downright useless, and on one memorable occasion had even caused a minor explosion.

The latter happened quite often in Potions class, so it was an unremarkable occurrence, but since it happened to Severus, who most times produced excellent potions, there had been a certain amount of jeering laughter from some of the Gryffindor boys, namely Potter and Black.

Slughorn, who had ambled up to her side of the desk and peered into her cauldron, sniffed deeply. 'Correct consistency, slightly acrid odour, and yes, the right amber colour too.' He chuckled richly. She smiled up at him, glad to hear something as pleasant as a laugh, after Magus's lesson.

'Perfect first stage, of course. I should have known, Ms Evans, that you would not be one of those who seem to have swallowed a jugful of Forgetfulness Potion over summer!'

He shook his head ruefully at Evan Rosier, who was poking his wand at the bottom of his cauldron, which he had allowed to die down. Evan looked up, and, seeing her looking, scowled angrily. She bristled. It wasn't her fault she was treated like a Teacher's pet by Slughorn , but she wished he would stop calling her 'his star pupil'!

If anything, Severus deserved his praise more than she did, but then her best friend had repeatedly refused to claim any credit for any outstanding potion she produced through his help. She knew that it was probably to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he was deviating from the acceptable methods. However, judging by Slughorn's tone of voice when he had looked into his cauldron, Lily was quite sure their teacher knew about Severus's experimenting.

'Good work, Ms Evans', Slughorn was saying, 'I will be keeping an eye on you this year. I'm sure you will distinguish yourself by your excellent potion-making skills, as well as your penchant for…. well, let's say …..taking anyone down a peg or two, regardless of which house he belongs to… .'

Lily looked up at him, eyes wide. It seemed he had been paying close attention to what she had told Potter. He did not seem upset that she had bitten Potter's head off, though. This rather surprised her for Potter, like Rosier, and Sirius Black, were favourites with him too. Or at least, he seemed to know their families well.

'Thank you, Sir.' She mumbled, not knowing what to say.

She squirmed uncomfortably, and wished he would move on, for she didn't quite like the idea that he would be keeping a close eye on her this year.

But instead, he leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially:

'You're a wise judge of character, Ms Evans. I can see that. And so glad it had to be Mr Snape from Slytherin. You will have the best of both now!' he nodded, with a final glance at the back of the class where Potter was working in disgruntled silence, and finally moved off, unaware of the completely blank look on her face.

What on earth did he mean? How in Merlin's name had he interpreted what she'd said? She glanced at Severus, but he apparently he hadn't heard Slughorn. He was bent over a mortar, his hair covering his face, and was busy crushing seeds with a pestle. He didn't look up.

She shook her head in bewilderment, and started shredding Evening Primrose flowers, tearing the pretty heart-shaped petals with some regret – they were pink and it looked like she was tearing up little hearts.

Unbidden, the image of the Lover's card rose in her mind. Again and again, both she and Severus had dealt it out in the same sequence, in the same position in the spread, but as a mirror image of each other. She wondered what it meant. Perhaps they were both going to find a great love in their lives, like in the story-books …

She shook her head once more, flushing slightly. She didn't want to think about that somehow. She felt uncomfortable to know she was supposed to be destined to fall in love with a faceless stranger… She wasn't even fourtenn, for Merlin's sake! She had better concentrate on what she was doing, and forget that Divination nonsense. Severus was right! One should be able to make one's own destiny!

Gathering up all the torn heart-shaped petals, she threw them in her boiling cauldron.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51: Care of Magical Creatures**

The first week was very hectic. Both Severus and Lily had more new subjects than others in their year. Severus had just been to his first lesson in Arithmancy with other Slytherins. He had been rather sceptical at first, after his experience with Divination, but Professor Vector confirmed what he already suspected when previewing his Arithmancy books that summer – it had nothing to do with fortune-telling, like Divination, but was a rather complex numerological study that one could use to extract information about other people, places and events.

Severus liked it - it was precise and methodical, a bit like Potions, though not nearly as interesting.

Lily had not enjoyed it so much - she had preferred Ancient Runes, which was another new subject they shared. They both knew it was a key to understanding some of the more ancient books in Hogwarts library, which they knew were written in runic script and which books they had long wished to read.

For Severus, however, there was the added bonus of finally learning how to decipher some of the spells or potions written in this cryptic language by his Great-Grandfather in his book on Dark Arts, so he paid special attention to their teacher, an old white–haired wizard by the name of Professor Caradoc Clynderwen. He looked a bit like Dumbledore, but appeared even older, stooped with age, with features sunken into a much wrinkled skin. His nose was not crooked like Dumbledore's, but he had deep bags under his eyes, and round, gold-rimmed spectacles.

Ancient Runes did not seem very popular with the students- Xenia was there, as well as four other Ravenclaws, but only Severus was from Slytherin, and Lily from Gryffindor. Three boys from Hufflepuff, Frank Longbottom, and two others, whom they did not know very well, completed the class on Ancient Runes.

What surprised Severus was that Professor Clynderwen spoke the runic language fluently, as he demonstrated during their first lesson by greeting them in the ancient tongue, translating his words into English in the same breath. He had a rather tremulous voice, but when he spoke in Runic it sounded different – silken and light.

'I thought Runic was a dead language…' he had whispered to Lily then.

'He looks so ancient that he may well have been alive when the language was!' Lily had whispered back, her wondering eyes on the wizened old man 'But it sounds so nice, Sev, - way nicer than French! Wish I could speak it too…'

It was now the end of the first week, and today they had the last of their new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures. Severus hoped it would prove useful, if not interesting. He had already read about many of the creatures, of course, but he knew that actually handling the creatures would be another matter. Judging by Kettleburn's reputation, this lesson was going to be very 'hands-on'.

They had just come from Brocklehurst's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, which had been a welcome change from old Ironwood's boring lectures. It seemed that Brocklehurst had already been briefed about Ironwood's disastrous teaching method, for the first thing he told them was that this year they'd be 'revising' second-year subjects, especially Dark creatures, which they all took to mean that they would probably be actually studying proper Dark creatures now.

'And by the end of the second term,' Brocklehurst had told them, his maimed face thrown in painful relief by the sunbeams filtering in through the windows. 'We'll be starting Wizard Duels.'

There was an outbreak of excited whispering at this news. Severus sat up straighter. This was the stuff of legends! Lily was staring blankly at the hubbub around her. She was muggleborn, and Severus knew she was ignorant of how reputations were made, or broken, by duels. Duelling had been outlawed of course, unless in self-defence, and the Ministry were very strict about the whole business, but that did not prevent the fact that many famous witches and warlocks throughout history, had gained fame by emerging as the victorious party in duels. Dumbledore himself had gained his reputation that way.

Severus looked around him. Many of those from wizarding families were whispering excitedly together. Sirius Black, catching him looking, made a slicing and twirling gesture with his wand arm, accompanying the gesture with a malicious grin. Severus knew he was miming the signal for a challenge to a duel.

Unsmilingly, he grimly mimicked back the signal for acceptance of the challenge. He would love to wipe off that cocky grin off Black's face – he could hardly wait for the end of second term. He'd make damn sure he would be the best in class at duelling, and he'd make sure he was partnered with Black or Potter!

Lily, who had watched this mute exchange in silence, was about to ask him what on earth was he doing, when Brocklehurst, shouting to make himself heard over the hubbub, told them that they would be learning primarily _defensive_ duelling, and that they had to forego any idea of permanently disabling each other's Quidditch team members before the start of the Quidditch season, and that any excessive displays of duelling zealousy would be punished. Severus thought Brocklehurst's eyes travelled briefly in his direction when he said this.

After a hurried lunch he joined Lily as the Gryffindors and Slytherins made their way to the Gamekeeper's hut where the first lesson of Care for Magical Creatures was due to begin.

'I wonder what we'll be studying first.' Lily was looking about her with interest.

She gave a small wave to Hagrid, who waved back. They had arrived at the Pumpkin patch behind the Gamekeepers Hut. Hagrid was coiling some rope around his huge hands. 'Perhaps we could ask Hagrid…'

'There's Kettleburn now.' Severus indicated a figure in the distance.

Professor Kettleburn was hobbling across the lawns slowly. He had a pronounced limp, and his arm was still in a sling.

'They say he likes dangerous creatures, as well as magical ones.' Lily said, with a rather preoccupied air.

'I heard he takes unnecessary risks, yes. Explains why he ended up like that. Or else he doesn't know his subject very well…'

Professor Kettleburn came up to them then, and they saw that even his face and remaining arm (the other was in a sling) bore quite a few scars, some of which were rather nasty. He rested his wooden leg on a small stile, greeted Hagrid cheerfully, and took out a rather grubby register.

'Well now.' He said 'Let's see. Slytherin and Gryffindor today, eh?'

He ticked off their names quickly on the register, as though impatient with such unnecessary formalities, then looked up at them and said:

'I've got a real treat for you today – especially the Gryffindors among you.'

There was some mutinous muttering from some Slytherins. Rosier gave Severus a meaningful look.

'Now follow me, and don't you go jumping to conclusions.' Kettleburn continued, looking pointedly at the Slytherins. 'D'you have the rope ready, Hagrid?'

'Aye.'

The large man lifted his hand around which a huge rope was coiled.

Curious in spite of himself, he and Lily set off towards the forbidden forest, Lily almost jumping with glee when she realised where they were heading, but the rest of the students less so.

'Are we actually going _in there_, Lily?' Jenny had caught up with them, and was eyeing the dark, dense, trees at the edge of the forest with foreboding. 'I thought it was forbidden and all…'

'Don't worry Jenny. We're with a teacher. Nothing's going to happen. Besides, you know the senior students go there…'

'Yes, but I heard there are monsters in there! And anyway, look at him! Just look at Kettleburn! D'you think he's the kind of teacher who'd care if you were trampled by a Unicorn? Or bitten by some … some …?'

'Werewolf?'

Severus looked round. Sirius and Potter were behind them, and it was Sirius who spoke. He and Potter laughed loudly, as though at some private joke. Peter Pettigrew, who was tagging along, grinned appreciatively too. However, Remus, who usually completed the foursome, was nowhere to be seen.

'That's not funny, Sirius!' Jenny said, whirling around.

But at that moment they entered the first of the trees at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Kettleburn and Hagrid, who were leading the students, had stopped. They turned to face them and waited until they had all gathered round.

Jenny, her face still flushed angrily, ignored Potter, Black and Pettigrew, and moved on to stand next to Thalia.

'The creature you are about to see,' Kettleburn said. 'Is a rare and beautiful beast. I have had it brought here with great difficulty from the remote mountain passes of Italy. I can't tell you the amount of Ministry paperwork that was involved to get permission. Anyway, I have it penned close by, but I want you to approach it quietly, for it is a fierce creature that responds bravely and unequivocally to any perceived threats….'

Hagrid, standing behind Professor Kettleburn, nodded his huge head in agreement. He clearly approved of this creature.

'Is it a Dragon?' Cassiopeia Blackwater asked, with barely disguised fear in her voice.

'No. No – not a dragon. Though they, too, are quite brave and fierce creatures. But this one embodies all that the spirit of Gryffindor house stands for… Oh, come on, follow me! I don't want to ruin the surprise.'

He hobbled off at as fast a pace as his wooden leg would allow him, and everyone followed, though, Severus noticed, most students moved in a small groups right behind Hagrid's bulk, as they went deeper into the forest and even the light of the afternoon sun dimmed into a green half-light.

Potter and Black strode along separate from the rest of the group, talking loudly and acting as if they owned the forest, or perhaps just to show they were not scared of it.

With a sound of disgust Severus turned to Lily, meaning to tell her what creature they were about to see, for he had a good idea now. He noticed they, too, had drifted a bit behind the rest of the class.

'I think I know what old Kettleburn's got….'

'Isn't it great to be back in here, Sev?' Lily interrupted him, looking above her head at the leafy canopy overhead.

Severus was glad they were too far off for anyone to have overheard her. He didn't want anyone to ask about when else they'd been in there, since it had been a clandestine trip.

He was about to open his mouth and tell her to be careful what to say, when he found her staring straight at him, a little smile on her face. He swallowed, forgetting what he wanted to say. Her eyes were so green when they reflected the forest leaves. And that look – pleading, yet mischievous. He knew what she was going to say. And sure enough:-

'Why don't we come back here next weekend? While the weather's still fine?'

He tore his eyes away from hers with difficulty. He knew the forest fascinated her.

She misinterpreted his hesitation.

'Well, I can come by myself, if – if you've got other plans…'

'Don't be ridiculous, where d'you want me to go?'

'Well, it's not like we're back at Castleforth, now. You have your own house mates here too, not only me... I mean, if you want to do something else...'

'No, I don't!' he snapped.

'There's no need to be like that!' she said, getting angry in turn. 'We didn't go there again last year, when you started sticking around with that bunch!'

'Bunch?' he raised an eyebrow, though he knew, with a wrench, what she was going to say.

'Rabastan and those older Slytherins.'

'We were studying.' He said through tight lips.

It had only been in June that Rabastan first spoke to him. He hadn't thought she'd noticed. But after Dumbledore's speech about forbidden literature, he didn't want her to pry.

'Studying?!'

'Ok. I was helping them with their work, - coaching them, if you will. They returned the favour by giving me books and suchlike._ That_ is why we did not go anywhere – it was June, and we had exams, remember?'

After all, it was the truth – or half of it, anyway. He didn't think she believed him, and turned to assess her expression. It was a strange one. She didn't say anything, and he stopped.

'What?' he said, peevishly.

'Well, you've helped me far more than anyone else, even your own housemates, and yet…'

He frowned. Did she think that he expected anything in return from her? Couldn't she tell that the time he spent with her, was reward enough in itself? She dropped her gaze, as though regretting what she had just said.

'You've helped me enough when I was in trouble.' he said gruffly, remembering last summer. 'You taught me the _Resumptum duco_ charm, remember? And other stuff too…'

'Rubbish, Sev. Much as I hate to admit it as a Gryffindor, you've helped me more than I you. In schoolwork, I mean. But then, that's what best friends are for, I guess!'

And with a bright smile, which felt like sunshine after the rain, she grabbed his arm and hurried him forward, for they were lagging far behind the rest now.

'So will we be going then?' she whispered, when they had reached the rest of the class. 'If you have nothing better to do?'

'There is nothing better that I would like to do, than go to the forest with you, Lily.' He said quietly.

He saw her glance down at her feet shyly. He suddenly felt awkward himself, but he had to let her know that he'd go with her. Otherwise the Gryffindor in her would lead her to do something rash. And there were dangers in the forest– plenty of them.

'But I want you to promise not to go alone in the forest.' he continued 'We'll …we'll go together. If not this weekend, the next.'

'Great. I'd love to see that deer again. The 'spirit of the forest' Hagrid called her, remember?'

He nodded, but before he could say anything, they came out suddenly into a large clearing, roughly fenced with high wooden staves. The afternoon sun shone brightly here and illuminated the golden feathers and mane of a beautiful, but bizarre, beast.

'It's a Gryffin!' breathed Lily, in amazement.

The beast turned its head towards the swarm of students surrounding the fence, eying them regally out of one tawny eye. The head resembled that of an eagle, although it had strange, tufted, ears covered in golden feathers. But the rest of the body was that of lion, including a golden mane that merged with the feathers covering its neck. Large, feathered wings were folded over the rough, tawny fur of its flanks.

Most students were gasping in awe at the magnificent beast. It was about the size of a small elephant, and that, together with the sun sending golden beams glinting off its feathers, made it truly awe-inspiring.

Suddenly there was a whoop from somewhere at the front of the grouped students.

'It's a Gryffin! Hooray for Gryffindor!'

It was Sirius Black shouting. He was waving his arm about, making a victory sign and looking smugly at the small knot of Slytherins near him.

What happened next wiped the smile off his face in a second.

The griffon reared up suddenly, making an earth-shattering sound between a screech and a roar, and lunged towards the students, its taloned front feet scrabbling at the tall fence. An enormous pair of golden wings fanned out behind its back.

There were screams from some of the students who moved backwards as one, but the tall fence prevented the Griffon from actually clawing anyone. Severus found himself clutching his wand tightly, his heart beating fast. Trust Sirius Black to act the idiot!

'You stupid boy!' shouted Kettleburn 'Didn't I just tell you to make no sudden moves? The Gryffon is always ready to attack at the least provocation! You must gain its trust, and this is a foreign specimen – unused to us as yet!'

However, while he was speaking, Hagrid had managed to calm the beast, and had not even bothered to use the rope. It stood still as Hagrid stroked its mane, crooning deeply. The Gryffon turned its head, looking disdainfully at the students, first out of one eye, than the other.

'The Gryffin…' continued Kettleburn, as though nothing had happened, '…is an extremely powerful magical creature. Not only does it embody bravery and courage, virtues which, as some of you have pointed out, are prised by the House of Gryffindor,' he gazed fixedly at Sirius Black when he said this, who looked sheepish. 'It furthermore is a beast that is very loyal and faithful. There are several legends connecting Godric Gryffindor and these creatures, even though the House symbol for Gryffindor is actually a rampant lion. The Gryffon was used, centuries ago, to guard treasure, for if you win its loyalty, it will remain faithful to you for life. Its feathers and claws are extremely powerful magically, as you must already know from Professor Slughorn's classes. This specimen here is a male, and it came from…'

Severus listened intently. At least this lesson was not only interesting, but of some practical use as well, if you filtered out the part about Gryffindor. He already knew of the importance of Griffin claws in potions, but Kettleburn went into greater detail, explaining how the strange front talons, so very much like an eagle's but covered in fur instead of feathers, were more important for healing potions than the back claws of its lion's paws. He described how Gryffins were powerful flyers and could take a witch or wizard lucky enough to have gained its loyalty, far and wide. He also explained how to gain its trust, by giving an offering of food.

'You have to look a Gryffin in the eye when you do this' Kettleburn explained 'It does not like challenging behaviour, but neither does it accept cowardice. It distrusts someone who cringes, or looks away… So, now I need a volunteer. Hagrid, have you got the bag of food?'

'Oh aye. Profess'r Kettleburn.'

And the large Gamekeeper dug his hands in the pockets of his oversized coat and drew out what looked like a blood-stained sack. He opened it, revealing various small dead rodents, ferrets and voles.

'Who would like to feed the Gryffin and learn how to gain its trust?'

Most students moved backwards slightly, or guiltily tried to avoid Kettleburn's roving gaze. Only a few Gryffindors stood their ground, perhaps aware that they had to put on a good show with the creature that was so connected to their house. Kettleburn opened the gate to the enclosure.

Severus was wondering how one could look unchallenging enough to prevent the beast attacking, yet at the same time look brave enough to appear fearless, when suddenly Kettleburn was beckoning in his direction. At first he thought he was calling _him _forward, but then he realised he was looking at Lily, who stood beside him.

'Don't go! Let me…' he whispered urgently.

'Don't be silly! I'll be alright!' she whispered back, but he could see she was rather pale.

She went forward slowly, probably trying not to make sudden moves, and stood in front of Kettleburn.

'Well, Ms Evans' he said, smiling kindly at her, 'Hagrid here tells me you have a certain affinity for magical creatures.'

Severus glared at the gamekeeper. What had he told Kettleburn? And what if that stupid git was putting her in danger? It seemed to him that neither Hagrid nor Kettleburn knew, or cared, how dangerous that huge Gryffon could be.

But Lily was nodding her head calmly.

'Yes, Sir. He's beautiful! What's his name?'

Kettleburn gave a sudden laugh. 'I see what Hagrid means. Well, Ms Evans, he's been called Perusius Aurelianus by his keeper in Italy, but he has spent many years in the wild, so I doubt if he is used to his name yet.'

'I call 'im Percy, Profess'r' interrupted Hagrid 'Them foreign names is a bit hard on me tongue. He seems ter like it anyways.'

'Yes, well, Ms Evans. Now I would like you to select something from the bag and feed it to Perusius…er …Percy. Remember what I said, slowly and firmly, and look him in the eye, but without an excessively challenging stare. He will know if to trust you…'

Lily did as she was told, and approached the open gate holding a dead vole in her hand. The beast towered over her, regarding her imperiously out of its left eye. It's strange, long, tufted tail swished, sending some dead leaves flying. Hagrid shifted the rope slightly in his hand.

Lily stopped just underneath the griffin, and, looking up steadily at the golden head above her, raised both her hands, palm out towards it, as though in offering, the dead vole cupped in her hands.

She smiled.

The Griffin turned its head, bending it slightly to look at her outstretched hands with its other eye. The strange ears swivelled forwards, and Severus could feel everyone hold their breath. He clutched his wand tightly.

Then, slowly, the Griffin lowered its head until it was almost level with Lily's, and after a slight hesitation, picked the dead rodent out of her hand.

The vole disappeared in one quick swallow, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. He noticed that it had lowered its head once more, and Lily was stroking it! That silly Gryffindor girl was actually petting the beast! He gaped at her audacity, but then saw Perusius turn his head, so she could scratch the other side of his neck, for all the world like an overgrown budgie!

'Good work, Ms Evans! I never saw anyone gain a Gryffin's favour so quickly! Even Hagrid here spent a few hours giving it food, before it would allow him those liberties. Now, who else would like to try?'

A few Gryffindors tentatively raised their hands, Potter quite prominent among them. Sirius Black, he noticed, did not have his hand raised. He smirked. Probably he was afraid, now that he had offended the beast.

'Go on, Sev. _You_ try it now.'

Lily had slipped back at his side, to allow the others their turn. She was looking expectantly at him. He took a deep breath. He supposed he'd have to go through with it. He wouldn't like it, for he preferred something that he could bend to his will using his wand, rather than mollycoddling something so unpredictable, but just than Hagrid lifted up the empty blood-stained sack, indicating that all the dead rodents had finished.

'That'll be it, Professor.' he said.

'Well, those of you who haven't had a turn will have to wait till next lesson I'm afraid' Kettleburn said 'We don't want to overfeed it. Now, those of you who have a dead rat or vole come forward.'

Severus breathed a mental sigh of relief. Lily was looking at him with a smirk on her face.

'You didn't want to go, did you?' she said shrewdly.

He scowled. 'It seems I don't have a choice, do I? It'll be next time for sure. And no, I'm NOT looking forward to offering myself up as live bait, just so that I can scratch the neck of that overgrown turkey…cat…thing!'

He expected her to retort angrily, but she just laughed. His scowl deepened.

'Oh, I'm not laughing because you wouldn't do it, Sev.' She said, obviously trying to keep her face straight. 'I just imagined you hexing poor Percy to oblivion if he made so much as a false move. You really must put more effort into learning to be gentle and understanding…'

His expression at her words made her laugh out loud.

'Lily, did you see the size of his beak?' he said in a half-exasperated, half-amused voice 'He could have snapped your head off in a blink! Kettleburn and Hagrid should've known better than to call on a Gryffindor to take unnecessary risks! Just because you're good with animals …'

'D'you think so?' she asked trying not to appear too pleased he admitted she was better than him at something. 'Perhaps some animals, yes. Anyway, Severus, I was saying that you should try to make friends with Percy. There are compensations, see?'

And with a grin she held out the hand she had been holding behind her back. Clutched tightly in her hand was a large golden feather whose tip ended in a long yellow-gold hair. She held it close to his face, so that he nearly went cock-eyed to look at it.

'A Gryffin mane feather.' he whispered in awe.

'Thought you'd appreciate it.' Lily grinned as he took it from her and examined it carefully. 'More powerful, magically, than the neck feathers. _Now_ d'you want to put more effort into making friends with Percy?'

He looked up and found her grinning mischievously at him.

'Should I try for a Griffon claw next?' he said, sarcastically.

This was certainly turning into a more profitable lesson than he'd anticipated. However, like she pointed out, he'd have to make more effort into befriending monsters, and he'd follow her lead, if necessary….


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52: Stealth Potion.**

'_Lily!'_

She was warm, very warm, and extremely comfortable. Dappled sunlight played over her face, forcing her eyes half-shut. She loved lying on her back on the warm ground in the grove by the river, listening to the soft rustle of the trees. But a familiar voice was whispering her name…

'_Lily!'_

She smiled. Why was Severus whispering?

She turned her head towards his voice, and was startled to see his face only inches away. He was lying on his stomach near her, propped up on one elbow, and was looking at her with a strange half-smile on his face. His hair hung in dark, soft curtains around his face, but despite being thus cast into shade, she could still see his eyes glittering strangely beneath thick lashes as he looked down at her.

Her heart started beating faster. She remembered Severus looking at her like that – very fleetingly – an expression always gone before she had been sure it even existed. But now it was prolonged, intense. She could feel herself blush, and was about to tell him in no uncertain terms to stop staring, when he suddenly bent forwards. She froze, and for some strange reason closed her eyes. This couldn't be right! He couldn't be about to kiss her! This was _Sev_, for Merlin's sake!

But instead she shivered as she felt the soft brush of his hair against her cheek, and his warm breath, as he whispered in her ear:

'_Lily, wake up!'_

Wake up?!

She groggily opened her eyes, and the red hangings of the canopy of her bed came into focus. She had been dreaming! Or had she? She heard Severus's voice once more whisper in her ear:

'_Lily!_'

This time he sounded urgent. Suddenly her memories came flooding back and she sat up with a stifled gasp in bed, fumbled for a few seconds under her pillow, and drew out the two-way mirror, from whence the voice was issuing.

'Severus!'

A light glimmered briefly in her mirror and Severus's face appeared in the dancing shadows of a candle he was holding. She wondered fleetingly where he was, because it did not appear to be a dorm.

'It's time.' he said, appearing to squint into the mirror. It was pitch black and he probably couldn't see her. 'I thought you'd never wake up, or that someone else would hear me…'

'Sorry. Thalia and Mary kept talking late into the night, and I was tired. Hang on… _Lumos!_'

She lighted her wand and the bluish-white light flooded the small enclosed space created by the drawn curtains of her four-poster.

'If you're too tired, Lily…'

Severus's hesitant whisper came from the mirror in her hand. He was looking at her intently, with a rather concerned look on his face. She realised that her face was still flushed as it had been in her dream. That made her redden even more and she fervently hoped he would not notice in the bluish-white light of her wand.

'No. I'm not tired. Just a bit disoriented. Shall I meet you at the end of the corridor like you said?'

'Yes. I'll see you there in five minutes. I'm going now'

She just caught a fleeting sight of what looked like a large, dark cloak draped in a bunch over his shoulder before contact was broken, and he disappeared from the mirror, leaving her staring at her own face.

'_Nox!_' she murmured, and her staring eyes and tousled hair disappeared from the mirror, as she was plunged once more into darkness. She carefully opened the curtains of her four-poster, but the soft breathing of the girls in the other beds told her that they had not heard her whispered conversation.

How could she have forgotten? Severus had told her he planned to go to the Forbidden Forest again early on Saturday morning, and she had jumped at the opportunity, of course. It was several weeks into September now, and he wanted to go while the weather was still fine.

She dressed silently and quickly.

Severus had told her he'd call her on the two-way mirror when it was time to go, saying their trip would be 'safer' this time. He had not wanted to elaborate on that.

'You'll see tonight.' he had said, deflecting her eager questions.

That was why she had slept with the Mirror under her pillow, and probably that was the reason for her strange dream.

She dipped her handkerchief in the cold water of the pitcher by her bedside, feeling her cheeks cool down on contact with the wet, cold, cloth. She'd told Severus she was a light sleeper, and would wake up quickly when he called.

It was Thalia and Mary's fault, she decided. Them and the dratted '_Witches Weekly'_ magazine they were now buying. They had stayed up so late, chattering on and on about their latest crushes on the young wizards pictured therein, that they had kept her awake. She hadn't joined them, but had gone straight to bed, hoping they'd do the same. However, she couldn't avoid listening in to their conversations. Probably their fervid discussions on the romantic goings-on of their favourite lead singer had played a part in inducing her vivid dream.

She shook her head angrily, as she made her way down the staircase to the common room. She shouldn't have stayed listening to such rubbish. Even Severus had noticed she looked bewildered, to say the least. What would he have thought of her, for having such dreams? And about him!? He'd probably hex her into next week if he knew!

She smiled wryly. In her experience, only girls seemed romantically inclined, and even among the boys, Severus would probably be one of the most pragmatic and un-romantic of them all. She couldn't imagine him being otherwise…

But unbidden, the images of her dream rose in front of her eyes and she felt herself redden. What was wrong with her?! Severus was her friend! Her best friend, true, but just her _friend_! She realised that what was most upsetting was that in the dream, she had shivered in anticipation when, for a split-second, she thought he was going to kiss her, whereas she probably would have been horrified, if it had to happen in real life! Oh, but why should it ever happen in real life?! Drat Mary and Thalia and their damned magazines! They had filled her head with nonsense! That, and the fact that she had slept with the two-way mirror under her pillow must have brought on such a dream.

She stopped in front of the portrait hole and took a deep breath, trying to clear her head completely of the unwanted images, before she went out to meet Severus. He would probably run for miles if he knew!

She was aware that some of her classmates had crushes on other boys, usually in the senior years, and she thought they behaved rather foolishly as a consequence, for they were always dissolving into fits of giggles whenever the objects of their attention happened to glance in their direction.

She never behaved like that whenever she was with Severus – thank goodness, because it wouldn't have been half so much fun! Besides, that showed that he was just her friend. Just _Sev_!

Taking another deep breath she pushed open the portrait hole and climbed out into the silent, dark, corridor outside.

She made her way silently to the end of the corridor, where Severus was supposed to wait for her. She couldn't make out anything much in the dark, and felt her way along the walls using her hands to guide her. She could hear some snuffling snores from the portraits along the wall, especially behind her, from the direction of the Fat Lady's portrait. Otherwise all was still. Then she saw an even denser shade of dark that seemed to detach itself silently from a niche in the wall.

'Severus?' she whispered.

The shadow drew closer, and then with a sigh of relief, she saw a sliver of pale skin between curtains of black hair.

'Ready?'

'What's that you're carrying?'

She had just caught sight of the dark cloth she had seen earlier in the mirror. It was rolled up and slung over his shoulder.

'Curtain.'

'And why would you be …?'

'I'll show you. Come closer.'

She didn't move. But he took the dark, heavy, brocade-like material off his shoulder, and with a circling motion, he had opened it out. Then, seeing she hadn't budged, he took a step closer to her, and threw the thing bodily over both of them.

'Sev, what in Merlin's name are you doing?' she said, forgetting to lower her voice, as she was plunged into a deeper darkness. 'And what's that smell?!' she wrinkled her nose.

'Mould, dust, doxy droppings and ….'

'Eugh! Take this thing off me!' she grabbed the material and was about to fling it off when he grabbed her hand.

'Don't take it off! It's an Invisibility Cloak! Well, sort of.'

'A what?'

He was still holding her hand. She twisted it free.

'I was trying to tell you. What you're smelling is also the potion I dunked it in – it's a special disillusionment potion. A stealth potion!!'

'It's not so much the smell as…well, honestly, _doxy droppings_!! Couldn't you find something else that wasn't infested?!'

'Well, next time I'll just grab the big tapestry in the main hall! I'm sure that would go unnoticed!' he snapped sarcastically.

'A simple cloak would do'.

'No it wouldn't – it'll leave your head sticking out! This covers both of us completely. It was in a disused classroom. And it's all I could find that wouldn't be missed. Now, come on.'

'I feel a bit of an idiot running around with a curtain on my head!' she griped.

He did not even answer her.

Trying not to breathe in too deeply, she followed him closely down the deserted, but torch-lit corridors, trying to understand why she was being so peevish with Severus. He probably thought she was just grumpy from being woken up early. Judging by the scowl on his face, her mood had worn off on him too.

She tried to relax, but it felt strangely intimate being under the curtain with Severus. She suddenly realised that it was the close proximity with Severus that was upsetting her, and not the smell of the mouldy old curtain. It was as though she was blaming him for doing (or not doing?) what she saw in her dream.

She also realised that he had probably expected her to be impressed with his spellwork, for she had heard about disillusionment charms (and even _those_ were advanced magic), but she had never heard of a potion, doing the same job.

She also understood why he had said their excursion would be safer this time. Remembering how he had been caught by Filch once, she couldn't help but be glad they were covered, and, presumably, invisible.

She felt a twinge of remorse. He had gone out of his way to make sure they would not be caught, and she had done nothing but complain. She stole a look at him.

He was squinting through the rather thick material, trying to see the way ahead. They had slowed down, for they were approaching the grand staircase that led down to the main Entrance Hall. The landing was well-lit, and the bright torch-light filtered through the material, lighting up Severus's face with a dim orange glow. She followed his gaze and saw he was looking intently at a large ornate mirror. What she saw there almost made her cry out loud.

Reflected there in the mirror stood Severus, alone. The flickering red-orange glow from the torches fell on his still, black-cloaked figure, though rather more dimly than seemed natural, but otherwise the thin, solemn face staring back from the reflection was her friend's, only. She was nowhere to be seen. And yet she was standing just to his side, and slightly behind him. She could feel the warmth of his arm through her cloak, as her arm brushed his. And yet she wasn't there!

'What …?! Why...? I thought you said this was an invisibility cloak?!' she gasped.

Severus was still looking intently at his own reflection. She shifted her position, pushing the material of the cloth away from her.

There was a strange sort of distortion of the reflection around Severus, but nothing else denounced her presence.

'I told you it was _sort of_ an invisibility cloak. True invisibility cloaks are extremely rare, and the effects last longer than a potion…'

'But how come I'm the invisible one? Why not you?'

She saw his reflection in the mirror smirk at her words.

'Oh, this potion has a special ingredient – '_a drop of life's blood'_!'

'A what?!'

'Well, I guess if you intend to go sneaking around forbidden places, it would help if you take on the appearance of someone who has every right to go round these places. The potion I dunked this curtain in, makes you take on the appearance of someone else…'

'Oh. But then, why you? Why didn't you make it take on the appearance of one of the Teachers? Filch wouldn't say anything if he saw a teacher.'

'If you can figure out a means of obtaining a drop of their blood without them noticing, just let me know, ok? In the meantime, the easiest way was for me to do it.'

'But Sev, if somebody saw you, you'd get all the blame, and I….' she stopped as the implication hit her.

He tore his eyes away from the mirror for a second to look at her. A small smile drifted across his face.

'Yes, well. It doesn't last long. Half-an-hour, only. Look - .'

He pointed once more at the mirror and Lily saw what he had been expecting. His reflection was slowly disappearing. At first the outline of his cloak appeared less defined, then it faded slowly, until only the banisters and floor could be seen. Lily stood watching, entranced. She moved a bit to one side, eager to see the effect, but the only thing she could discern was a slight distortion of the reflected carpets and banisters. It was a weird sensation. She wanted to try it again. This must be what Vampires feel when they look in a mirror – she heard they had problems with reflections.

She giggled and moved towards the mirror, forgetting that Severus, too, was under the cloth, so that she almost pulled it off him. He had to move quickly behind her to prevent it falling off.

'Look, Lily, I'll lend it to you any day if you want to wear a curtain on your head and stay prancing around in front of a mirror,' he said acerbically, 'but right now we have to get out of here!'

'Oh, don't be such a pill, Severus! A girl has to admire herself in the mirror, you know!' she grinned.

A snort of derision followed, but his words made her stop dead.

'Be that as it may, you'd better hurry up, for Mrs Norris has almost reached the top step.'

'What?!'

She clamped her hands to her mouth, - she had been talking loudly, laughing…That dratted cat must have heard her.

Severus was calmly leaning over the banisters. She leaned over too, and sure enough, the dusty coloured cat was already half-way up the steps. She knew that this year, many a student's wrongdoings had been discovered by Filch with the aid of his now fully-grown cat.

'I was waiting for the first half-hour to pass, so that now we're completely invisible.' Severus was saying.

Why didn't he keep his voice down? He wasn't even bothering to whisper. She flapped her hand in a shushing motion, but he only smirked.

'It has other properties, you know…' he continued, in what she thought was an unnecessarily loud voice.

She tried to resist the temptation to clamp her hand over his mouth. She glanced down. Mrs Norris was slinking up the steps, but her large eyes were not looking in their direction. She apparently had not heard.

'Although the initial effect is so short, it has the ability to completely muffle the wearer's voice. Nothing we say can be heard outside this cloth!' Severus finished, smugly.

So that was it! She breathed a sigh of relief.

'Well, then it's a brilliant potion, Sev! Did you invent it?'

'No. But it is ridiculously simple to prepare, unless you count the bit about obtaining somebody else's blood. Certainly simpler and quicker than Polyjuice potion, which is the only other alternative …'

'What about a Disillusionment charm?'

'I'm working on that, but it's not that easy… I thought that the curtain would be a better idea, overall.' He seemed uncomfortable suddenly. 'In spite of the smell, I mean…' he added wryly.

'It's brilliant, Sev.' She grinned 'Until we become expert casters of the best Disillusionment charms, we'll use this curtain. Glad you've admitted to the smell though. After all, you're more sensitive to them than I am usually. It's the doxy droppings in my hair, that I have an objection to…'

She saw him raise an eyebrow. It was clear he hadn't thought about it. She laughed, but something caught her eye.

'Talking about smells,' she said 'Does the cloth muffle smells as well as sound, for it looks like Mrs Norris is getting suspicious…?'

Judging by his wide-eyed look, as he leaned over the Banister, he hadn't thought about this either. Mrs Norris was on the top step, and her head was pointed upwards, sniffing the air.

'Bloody hell! I didn't think she'd get suspicious over a mouldy smell!'

'Perhaps it's the Disillusionment potion. Or just a smell that shouldn't be here.'

'Let's get out of here before she walks right into us. Come on!'

And with that they slipped past her and down the staircase. Looking back, Lily could still see Mrs Norris sniffing the place they had just left, but the cloth truly muffled every sound, for the cat's ears did not even twitch at their rapidly retreating footsteps.

They hurried through the Hall and down the many passageways of the subterranean dungeon levels. Finally, when they reached the deeper levels, which were not even lit by torches, Severus decided it was safe enough to remove the cloth. It was too dark to see anyway, without lighting their wands. He whipped it off them, rolled it up, and slung it over his shoulders.

Lily breathed in the damp air. She was glad to be rid of the mouldy smell, but she felt slightly cold and exposed without it. Or was it without Severus's comforting presence? She pushed the thought out of her mind. It's true, she felt safer with Severus at her side, because he always seemed to know what he was doing, and unlike her, thought things out carefully, before doing anything. If she had dared to go into the Forbidden Forest by herself, she's probably end up in trouble faster than you could say 'Hogwarts'.

However, it was just _that_, nothing else, and she didn't want to follow her train of thoughts down the path that her unusual dream of that morning seemed to be leading her.

But Severus was saying something:

'… I'll modify it so nothing'll go through the cloth. Not even wandlight.'

'What about the smell?'

'That especially.'

Lily smiled. Severus was surprisingly even more fastidious than she was about certain things.

They had come to the big cavern where the boats were tied up. One was berthed at the small wooden jetty. Lily stepped in and took the oars, while Severus untied the rope.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53: The Doe.**

There was just a faint hint of the approaching dawn as they drifted silently across the misty lake. The water was calm and smooth, and Severus had brought along a potion, that when added to the water at the boat's prow, produced a thick mist that hid their boat completely, so that it blended in perfectly with the naturally-occurring mist on the lake's surface.

They rowed for some time, hugging the rough walls of the cliffs on which Hogwarts Castle stood. Finally they reached the point where an outcrop of land jutted out from the other side of the lake, making the crossing shorter and less easy to spot than from the castle grounds.

The only sound was the soft plop of their oars as they gently edged the boat alongside the springy clumps of reeds and grasses lining the edge of the lake. When they found a good spot, Lily jumped lightly out while Severus collected their things.

'Why didn't we just sneak out the main door under the Stealth Cloth, Sev?' Lily asked, as she and Severus heaved the boat up on the grassy bank. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Severus led the way towards the dark outline of the trees of the forest.

'Because the main door's probably locked magically. Besides, the Stealth Potion'll wear off before we'd even make it past Hagrid's hut. The invisible effect only lasts about an hour.'

'I think we could make it past Hagrid's in an hour.'

'And what about the various monstrosities that he and Kettleburn keep penned up beyond his hut?'

'Oh, come on. Its only Percy, he knows us now, he wouldn't hurt us…'

'Unless we sneak up on him under a Stealth cloth that suddenly loses both it's invisibility and silencing power. How d'you think a trigger-happy griffin'll react to that, hmm?'

'But…'

'Anyway, I wasn't talking about the Griffin only. Remember that Three-headed puppy you said Hagrid got last year?'

'Yes, but…'

'Well, Pavo Parkinson saw it. One of the heads almost ripped his finger off when he went sneaking round Hagrid's Hut during Kettleburn's last lesson. Amazing how fast a monster pup can grow in a few months!'

'Well, Pavo shouldn't have gone snooping! Perhaps Fluffy was just protecting his master's property!'

Severus snorted in derision, but did not answer her immediately, for they had arrived to the place where the majestic oak tree jutted above the rest of the forest.

'D'you want to go and get some of the bark from that tree? You wanted to last year, remember? But there was that Bowtruckle…'

'Perhaps not today.' Severus answered.

'It's Ok; I can find our way back here this time. I've mastered the Four-Point Charm, look-'

And with a muttered incantation, Lily held her wand on the flat of her palm, where it spun round once and then came to rest pointing due north.

'That's great. We can go further inland then, today. Now come on, this way first .There's some red moss which I need for the Stealth Potion which must be collected at dawn, and some dew off the Whipthorn plant too.'

He set off confidently in a northerly easterly direction, away from the Oak tree, leaving Lily to catch up. The mist was still quite thick, but there was a very faint, diffused light that warned of the approaching dawn.

'Are … are you sure we're going in the right direction? I mean, last year there were those horrific spiders. I wouldn't want to bump into _them_ again…' Lily said, looking with some trepidation at darkness between the thick trunks of the close-growing trees.

'You won't. Not where we're going.' Severus paused.

Lily was looking at him, puzzled. He sighed. She would find out anyway, so he decided to tell her.

'We're not going to see those spiders again, because they've moved away, further in.'

He saw her eyes widen in comprehension.

'Severus Snape, you've been in this forest again – without telling me!'

'I wanted to make sure it is safe or, well, safer…'

'But it isn't! Anything could have happened!'

He scowled. 'I can take care of myself. Don't fuss, Lily!'

He saw her draw herself to her full height and place one hand on her hip. He knew she was probably angry because she had missed the opportunity to visit the forest, and was probably thinking she should have gone by herself after all. But after last year's experience, he wasn't going to allow her in there, if he could help it, without at least familiarising himself with the place. It would avoid them getting lost, or wandering into some monster's lair.

'So you think that _I _am the one who can't take care of myself, eh?' she was saying.

The mist swirled around her black cloak, making her appear ghostly.

'Well, let me tell you something, Severus.' She took a step closer, and he could now see her face. As he expected, her eyes flashed angrily, but there was something else in her eyes, too…Could it be – tears? He froze, aghast, but she blinked rapidly and continued:-

'I don't care whether you think I can handle going into this forest or not! I don't care if you think _you_ can take care of yourself! I care about…about…what could have happened! You could've been hurt or something, and no-one would ever even know!' She dropped her gaze for a second, then looked up at him steadily. 'You are not going in there by yourself again, ok?'

Severus avoided her unwavering stare, glancing off to one side uncomfortably. He normally would have had a scathing reply for anyone who dared tell him what to do or what not to do, but this was different. He hadn't expected such a reaction from Lily – he thought she was just mad at an opportunity missed, but instead she seemed genuinely worried that he could have come to harm. He shifted uneasily. He was not used to this. No-one ever gave a damn where he went, or what happened to him. It felt vastly uncomfortably, but good, too, somehow. He forced himself to turn in her direction. Lily was still looking at him.

'Look, Lily, I didn't take any unnecessary risks, and I like wandering around on my own. I don't mind it.'

Her eyebrows went up at his words.

'I…I mean, I'm used to it, but of course, I would prefer it, if you are with me. That is to say…' To his mortification he felt himself reddening.

'Its ok, Sev. I understand.' Incomprehensibly, Lily was smiling now. Or perhaps she was smiling at his confusion. He scowled.

'I understand why you did it.' She went on 'I know you wanted to make it safer. I appreciated what you did to get us out of the castle with the Stealth Potion.'

She laughed as he raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

'Yes, really! Mouldy smell and all! It's much better than being caught out of bed by Filch! But seriously, Sev, the Forest is dangerous, you're still underage, and whatever you say, you cannot be sure that you'd get away. How often have you been?'

'About four times…. But only short trips.' he added hastily, as her eyebrows went up again. 'I just needed to be able to find my way around, so we'd be sure not to get lost. At least I know this area of the forest now.'

'But you could've got lost, or worse! Really! To think I was imagining you safe in bed, whilst you were actually out here facing Merlin knows what monstrosities! How will I ever rest easy, if you intend to keep sneaking off like that?'

'I already told you. I was very careful, and there weren't any spiders. Their webs are abandoned, so they must have moved deeper into the forest.'

'What about the invisible monsters that hunted those rabbits, hmm? Have you found out what _they_ are? How do you expect to escape _them? _And the spiders - you had guessed right, Severus. They _were_ Acramantula. Baby ones. Hagrid confirmed it, though he wouldn't tell me how they got to this forest.'

'I don't know what the invisible creatures were, though I've got some theories.' he retorted grumpily, 'Why don't you ask Hagrid about _them_, too?'

'He doesn't know we ran into _those_, and I don't plan to enlighten him. But he guessed about the spiders -I was covered in stuff from their web, remember?'

Severus shrugged. 'Well, anyway, I'm better prepared to face whatever this forest has to throw at us now.' he said, confidently 'I've been practising some basic defence spells which would come in very useful in such cases, and I want you to learn them too, Lily.'

'Why? In case I get the urge to come to the Forbidden Forest by myself, like you did?' she replied, severely.

'You'd get lost in the dungeon labyrinth before you even make it here.'

'Oh, there are other ways into the forest, I'm sure.'

Severus clenched his teeth. He didn't want to goad her into doing exactly what she had chided _him_ for. And with Lily, one never knew when her rash Gryffindor spirit might take over.

'Well, I just want you to learn them, ok? Now let's get a move on, or all the dew'll have gone.'

The mist was getting sparser now and the light stronger. They needed to get back before anyone at the castle was stirring.

'It's alright, Sev. I was just teasing. Of course I'll learn those defence spells. You'll teach me, won't you?' She smiled up at him.

He stumbled on a tree-root and swore under his breath. He determined to keep his eyes on the path between the trees from now on, as he led the way further into the forest where he knew some clumps of whipthorn bushes grew.

''Course I'll teach you, but we must get to the ingredients now, or we won't have any more Stealth Potion.'

They soon arrived at the strange, thorny plants. They were covered in moisture, and Severus got out some empty phials he had brought and let the dew drip into them from the long thorns. The colourless liquid had a pungent smell, having been imbued with essences from the thorns.

'I'll be modifying the Stealth Potion.' he told Lily, who was standing by, quietly observing him. 'If you gather some Red moss, Moonwort and Guelder berries, I think I'll also be able to get rid of the mould in the old curtain, and it'll smell better too.

He saw her grin and turn to do as she was told, but before she left he got up quickly from where he was kneeling near the Whipthorn bush, and grabbed her arm, stopping her.

'Lily, there's something else…' he said awkwardly, letting go her arm. 'There was another reason why I wanted to come to the forest. I needed ingredients, you see...'

'For the Stealth Potion, yes.'

'No. Not only. I …I've been brewing other stuff too…' he looked up to see her reaction.

'I know, Sev.' She nodded. 'You've been nicking leftover stuff from Slughorn's class since first year, besides whatever else you get from home. Of course I know.'

'Yes, well, I guess that was pretty obvious to _you,_ at least, but you don't know where and how I've been doing it.'

He could see that her curiosity was aroused.

'And where have you been brewing? In that disused classroom near Potions?'

' 'Course not. Everyone knows about _that_ classroom. No. I found a much better place. No-one seems to know about it, for it's off the beaten track. At least, it's quite far from the Slytherin common room.'

'You found it back in first-year didn't you? That's when you started brewing in secret.'

He remembered she had confronted him about it once in first year, but he had never wanted to tell her where he was going.

'Well, yes. I've been using it since first-year. It's deep in the dungeons and very convenient. Must've been an old Potions store room or classroom. I've found lots of stuff: old cauldrons, phials, some still with ingredients in them….'

'And why are you telling me this after two years?'

He couldn't be sure, but he seemed to detect the slightest hint of an injured tone in her voice.

'Because …because it's against the rules to brew ...'

'Rubbish Sev!' She cut across him huffily. 'You can't talk to me about rule-breaking while we're standing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest!'

'This is more serious. There was this Slytherin girl who was almost expelled for brewing illicit potions some years ago.'

He knew it was a weak excuse, but did not know what else to say. The truth was that he had been secretly trying out potions and spells from his Great-grandfather's book on Dark Arts, and he hadn't wanted her to join him, given her disapproval of the book. Besides, he had to make sure it was safe and well hidden first, and it was only now, after two years, that he felt convinced the place was truly abandoned.

'If you're talking about Narcissa Black's sister, save your breath, for I know all about it.' Lily was saying 'Thalia told me. It seems she was brewing a _poison_, so no wonder she was threatened with expulsion! But as for other potions…why, students brew them all the time. Mary and Thalia have already been looking up Love Potions. They gave up, of course, for they're really difficult to do, but...'

'The thing is, Lily, that some of the potions I've been brewing are not exactly…well, they're not exactly textbook stuff, and…'

'As long as you haven't been brewing batches of poison, I don't see why…'

'I don't have poisons. But I've experimented a bit, and, well, it hasn't always turned out exactly like I expected…'

'Severus Snape, you once promised me that you wouldn't brew anything that may blow

the school up!'

She had her arms crossed, but the corner of her mouth twitched upwards in what he thought was a suppressed smile.

He knelt down once more near the Whip thorn plant and unstoppered another bottle.

'I promise you there have been no major explosions, just some minor mishaps. You'll be quite safe.' He said, as he filled another bottle with the essence. 'Anyway, if you'd like to come, I'll show you where it is.'

He kept his eyes firmly on the dripping thorns as he said this. Perhaps she would not want to come now.

'Actually, I'd like to see for myself what kind of 'minor mishaps' you're talking about! You try out different brewing methods even under Slughorn's nose, so what you brew in secret must be radical. Really Sev! What if something went badly wrong? This is the same thing as wandering off into the forbidden Forest alone.' She sighed exasperatedly. 'At least _someone _should know where you are.'

'So you'll come then?'

He couldn't keep the hope out of his voice. He bit his lip - he must sound pathetic. But Lily was smiling.

'Of course I'll come. If you're so dead set on inventing new potions, someone's got to keep an eye on you, don't you think? Now I'm off to get that Moonwort before it s time to go back!' and with that she turned round and set off among the trees, leaving him staring at her.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her black-cloaked figure disappear behind a briar-entangled tree. He was relieved she'd agreed to come, for he wasn't so sure spending time in a cold, dark, dungeon held any appeal when compared to what, for her, were exciting jaunts into the forest.

What if she'd agreed to come just so that she'd 'keep an eye on him', as she said? He pushed that thought angrily out of his head. He'd been brewing potions, with or without his mother's knowledge, since before Lily even knew she was a witch. He could take care of himself on that matter, definitely.

Perhaps it had not been a good idea to tell Lily to come. He frowned. Lily had always seemed eager to brew potions, both during class and at home, whenever they could find the right ingredients down by the river, or in the old abandoned houses there. She, unlike most of the other third-years in Potions class, had a natural affinity for the subject which had made him glad on more than one occasion that it was _her_ sharing his desk during Potions, and not any dunderhead who did not seem to be able to light a cauldron without melting it.

On the other hand, she did not sneak off at odd hours of the day and night to purposely brew potions in secret. Perhaps she did not have that much dedication or interest in it, so he doubted she would find it anything but dull… And if so, or if she saw it as an opportunity to save him from the possible consequences of dangerous brewing, then he would not ask her to come again!

He closed the last phial of transparent liquid and stood up. He should have enough for at least three more batches of stealth potion, if he kept the bottles in the dark. As he packed the full bottles away in his bag he realised that it must have already dawned, for the light was as bright as it ever got under the thick shade of the forest trees, and the mist had disappeared.

Lily should have been back by now.

He set off to look for her, but the glass phials in his bag started chinking loudly with every step he took so, he had to stop and stuff moss and leaves around them to be sure they did not make any sound. During his past excursions into the forest, he had realised that stealth in the forbidden forest was even more important than during any night time wandering within the walls of Hogwarts itself.

He proceeded silently in the direction he had last seen her go, where he knew there were bushy Guelder trees which bore the berries they needed. But once there, he could see no sign of her. He searched the area, but found nothing. Someone had been picking berries, of that he was sure, because there were broken twigs and berries on the ground, but he could tell little else.

He felt something tauten inside of him and he pulled out his wand. Images of Lily, cornered by some hideous beast that should not even be in the forest, rose in his mind. He shouldn't have left her alone. It was his fault. Perhaps she wandered off just to show him that she, too, could take care of herself. As though risking one's life in the forbidden forest was some stupid bet! He would not be interested in the damned place, and would certainly never have come, if it wasn't for the fact that he needed ingredients! He preferred the familiar, still, quiet darkness of the tunnels of Hogwarts dungeons!

Suddenly he froze, hearing something. Hiding behind a large, gnarled trunk, he waited to hear it again. He decided that the sound had come from a few meters ahead, where, judging by a dim, golden light, there was a clearing.

Once more, the soft sound filtered through the trees. It was a voice! Lily's voice! He moved forward, breathing a sigh of relief at having found her. But who was she talking to?

He walked forward through the trees and came out into a small clearing lit by the rays of the dawning sun. What he saw made him stop dead in his track.

Lily was kneeling down on the grass, her hand held out, and, about a foot away from her, ears twitching nervously, was a small red doe. The same doe, unless he was mistaken, that had led them onto the right forest path when they had first got lost in the forbidden forest. Of course, Lily had claimed the deer had saved their lives on that occasion.

Neither Lily, nor the deer noticed him.

With bated breath, he saw the animal approach her. The morning light fell softly on the doe's red back as she placed one delicate foot forward, her large, liquid eyes fixed on Lily, who was saying something in a low, crooning voice.

Just as Lily's hand was about to touch the creature, it started, ears twitching in his direction, followed by the delicate head. Her liquid, brown eyes gazed at him for a split second as it prepared to flee. He cursed under his breath, thinking that he must have made a sound, or was standing upwind or something.

Lily, following the doe's gaze, noticed his dark figure standing there, almost blending in completely with the darkness of the forest behind him. She was saying something to the deer in a low whisper. He strained to hear.

'….my friend. You can trust him.' She was saying.

Why was she talking to a doe? Why was it there at all?

But the animal seemed to understand, for the pre-flight tenseness in her body vanished, and she gazed calmly at him. Lily took this opportunity to caress her. The animal did not run away, but turned her gaze to Lily once more.

Severus just stood there mesmerised by the sight of Lily, hair aflame in the early morning sun, smiling at the forest creature, who tolerated her soft strokes as he was sure no wild animal, deer especially, would ever allow.

Perhaps it was a tame deer. Perhaps it was that Lily had a way with this animal that he could never hope to understand. Whatever the case, he drank in the beautiful sight hungrily – it seemed to him as though Lily was some ethereal creature at that moment, and he was just someone allowed to watch from the fringes of the darkness of the forest beyond.

A sudden noise, like a hoarse bellow, shattered the silence of the forest, and this time the doe _did_ run away. With a quick look over its shoulder in the direction of the sound, it set off in a swift, silent, run in the opposite direction, until the trees had swallowed it up.

Lily got up regretfully from the ground, and Severus hurried to join her, looking in the direction from whence the strange roar had come.

'I heard that sound last time I came here.' he said, still holding his wand tightly.

But Lily seemed unphased.

'It's the stags.' she said matter-of-factly 'It's the beginning of the rutting season. Hagrid told me. So the stags are fighting each other, and it makes her nervous. That's what spooked her.'

'Oh.'

'Did you see how she glowed? It must be the aura Magus was trying to explain to us in Divination.'

'It was just the sun reflecting on …'

'No. It was different – like a glow from within!'

'You've been listening to Magus for too long.'

'I know what I've seen, Sev' she retorted, petulantly 'She - she had a golden aura, it wasn't just the sun.'

He didn't answer her, for, truth be told, he had been looking at _her_, rather than the deer.

'We'd better head back.' he said after a while 'It's already very late. People would be up now and we could be spotted crossing the lake, even with the magical mist.'

Lily's eyes were fixed on the spot where the doe had disappeared, but she did not object and silently followed him back to where they had left the boats.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54: Hogsmeade.**

'Well, that went smoothly, didn't it?' Lily said, with a sigh of relief. They had just come down from Magus's office at the top of the North Tower, after telling him they would not be continuing with his lessons anymore.

'If you mean he didn't object, then, yes, it went smoothly.' Severus climbed down the last rungs of the ladder that led to the trapdoor of the Divination classroom, and joined Lily as they went down the spiralling staircase of the North tower.

'But-?' Lily raised a quizzical eyebrow.

'But, of course, he treated us to the full blast of his doleful gaze. Don't tell me you didn't notice, for I could you were trying to avoid him looking at you!'

'Well, I hate it when he does that, Sev! It feels as if he's always on the point of telling us we're doomed to a tragic end, but isn't doing so on account of frightening us or something! It makes _me_ feel depressed and makes _you _irascible, so I'm glad we're rid of him!'

Severus frowned on hearing himself being described as 'irascible,' but he did not contradict her.

Lily was glad she had coerced him to give up Divination. He hadn't wanted to at first, saying it was still the beginning of October. Severus resisted old Magus's doom and gloom approach much better than Lily, on whom the old wizard's morose atmosphere weighed heavier. But then, she now knew that Severus's background was more depressing than a vague prediction or omen, so he was naturally more immune.

However, she would invariably have to listen to his tirades against Magus after every lesson, so she persuaded him he was wasting time with lessons he did not _want_ to believe in.

'D'you think he believed us when we said we had to drop Divination because of our work load?' she said, after a while. 'I mean, d'you think he was offended when…?'

Severus made an impatient noise. 'Lily, first you pester me to drop that stupid subject, and now you're feeling sorry for old Magus? What d'you care about _him_ for? He was making you miserable! Anyway, now we can master our own destinies…'

'They say he saw his own death omen. It must be pretty hard to live with that!'

'Only because he believes in his own stupid omens! He deserves to be miserable for thinking there is no other truth.'

Lily still looked perturbed, so he tried a different track.

'Besides, work is really piling on. I don't think we'd have time for … you know… anything else, if we continue at this rate.'

She looked at him and nodded slowly. 'I guess you're right. Took me and Mary till midnight to finish McGonagall's essay, and I haven't even started Kettleburn's stuff about how to feed Gryffins. Besides, there's somewhere else I'd like to go now … besides the forest, I mean.'

'Hogsmeade?'

'Yes. Everyone's wild to go. They said the shops there are packed with wonderful stuff! Magical stuff!'

She felt instantly cheered at the prospect of exploring somewhere new, and determinedly pushed Professor Magus out of her mind. Without his oppressive presence in her Hogwarts timetable, she felt she had more to look forward to.

When the day for their first trip to Hogsmeade came, it was a rather blustery Saturday in mid-October. Severus made his way to the great oaken front doors where Lily was eagerly waiting for him. A long line of students had already formed near the doors, and Filch was collecting permission forms.

'Aren't you excited?' Lily asked, her eyes shining, and seeming as though she could barely resist the urge to bounce up and down.

Severus raised his eyebrows at Lily's exuberance, but could not suppress a slight smile. There was a lot of excitement, especially among the waiting third-years, but Lily's high spirits outstripped them all. Severus was as eager as any to visit Hogsmeade, but there was a reason why.

There always had to be a reason for Severus Snape. He did nothing just for the sheer pleasure of it. That was something he was unused to, and against his nature to do. The closest he had ever come to doing something that did not produce a calculated result, or a desired effect, was when Lily had persuaded him to join the Flying club. The euphoric feeling that came with riding a broomstick at high speed was the nearest he could ascribe to what Lily called 'having fun'.

That was until he had discovered Potter had been taken on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Then, suddenly, flying held no more 'fun' for him, and he had backed out of the Flying club.

He looked around, trying to spot Potter amongst the crowd of students. He saw Sirius Black first, for Filch was collecting his permission form, but sure enough, Potter was right behind him, as were Pettigrew and Remus. He glared darkly as Filch allowed them through the doors. He hoped they would not run into him in Hogsmeade.

He wanted to visit Scrivenshafts, and there was an old bookshop that Rosier had mentioned, but the main reason he wanted to go was that he hoped to see Madeira again. He had not forgotten the old witch and her mysterious connection to his great-grandfather. Neither had he forgotten that she had promised him she'd teach him Legilimency, that strange branch of magic that he found so alluring. From what he understood at the time, she would somehow contact him while he was in Hogsmeade.

They had arrived up to Filch, and Lily eagerly shoved her permission form at the caretaker, who took it grudgingly, scowling at her. Severus had his snatched from his hand with an accompanying dark glare. Perhaps Filch still hadn't forgotten his one-time intrusion into the restricted section of the Library, but then, Filch always glared at students. Both Lily and Severus ignored him as they stepped out into the blustery wind.

Lily chattered nineteen to the dozen as they passed under the tall Gates of Hogwart's boundary wall. Severus craned his neck to see the two winged boars at the top of each pillar, their ancient and weather-beaten, tusked heads gazing belligerently down on them from their great height.

'Wonder who put them there? The founders, maybe.' Lily had followed his gaze and was looking back at the winged creatures guarding the gates of Hogwarts.

'Mmm. Probably. In _Hogwarts: a History_ it says they guard the gates with ancient magic. It seems they seal the gates, if there is threat of invasion. Only the Headmaster can unlock them then. Even Binns said that during the Goblin riots…'

'How d'you manage to listen to Binns? Last lesson I was practically asleep even before Bodrod The Bearded had cut off Ugric the Hunched's head!'

'I know. I presumed that is why you wanted all my notes on the seventeenth century goblin uprising last Monday.'

Lily made a wry face. 'It's just that this year Gryffindor have History of Magic as last lesson in the afternoon, and it makes worse. Anyway, where shall we go first?'

Severus shrugged.

This suited Lily just fine, and by the time they had walked far enough to see the village of Hogsmeade in the distance, Lily had already planned an itinerary of the shops they should visit, and what they should buy.

Severus walked beside her in silence, a slightly bemused expression on his face. Although he had visited very few wizarding places before Hogwarts, yet he had some idea of wizarding homes. But for Lily, coming from a muggle home, it was all new.

'…like seeing Diagon Alley for the first time and…' she was telling him, but the wind, having grown stronger, whipped the words out of her mouth.

Ahead of them, small knots of students had already disappeared between the thatched cottages on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Lily wordlessly urged him on, as she held her cloak tightly around her.

White clouds were scudding across the sky as they reached the first houses of Hogsmeade village, but the sun was shining determinedly through, as though unwilling to have their first visit to Hogsmeade ruined by showers of rain.

There was only one main street in the wizarding village, but many narrow side streets led off it and meandered in varying directions, the houses huddled together as if to protect themselves from the howling north-easterly storms that sometimes blew in from the mountains.

Lily wanted to go to Honeyduke's, the sweetshop, first. The place was crammed with students and full of wonderful sweets. Lily had to examine everything and then dithered for half an hour on whether she would get Chocolate frogs or Jelly slugs.

Severus found the cloyingly sweet and warm smell, pleasant at first, but the sight of so many confections in one place was overwhelming. He didn't want to buy anything, and was glad when Lily finally paid for the sweets and they returned to the bracingly cold, clean air outside.

The Apothecary's was far less crowded, and Severus replenished his store of those ingredients he could not obtain in large enough quantities from Slughorn's class. He could see Lily watching him intently as he pocketed his purchased ingredients, some of which they had never even used in class. Severus thought she might start warning him again about brewing illicit potions, but she said nothing, though he knew she had taken note of all that he had bought.

Scrivenshaft's was quite full of people, especially curious third-years buying colour-changing ink and spell-checking quills, but Lily managed to get some parchment and black ink in a relatively short time, and they were about to push their way out of the crowded shop, when they were hailed by somebody behind them.

'Hello, Lily, Severus!' Thalia accosted them cheerfully 'Have you been buying parchment, too?' She had Mary MacDonald in tow, for the two were always together now. 'Listen, its murder in here,' she continued. 'D'you want to go to The Three Broomsticks with us? They say the butterbeer there is quite decent, actually.'

'The what? Where?' Lily looked uncomprehending, but Severus knew that she would, of course, want to go.

'It's a really nice drink, Lily.' Mary answered, before Severus could say anything 'You'll see. You'll love it! Alice is already there with Jenny. She never tasted it either.'

'Sounds great!' Lily answered 'How about it, Sev? Sev?'

But Severus had already pushed his way out of the shop. He hated being in crowded places, and the jostling, noisy, students around him gave him an irrational desire to escape or hex them out of his way.

To his chagrin, once Lily and the other students joined him, other excited third-years saw them and came over, so by the time they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, they were a sizeable group.

'My brother's in there.' Bertram Aubrey was saying. 'He'll save us a place.'

Bertram was a Slytherin third-year, but Severus knew his older brother was in Ravenclaw, and a regular visitor to Hogsmeade.

'At this rate, he'll need to save us a couple of tables.' Melchior Abbott said, looking about him doubtfully. He was accompanied by his elder sister, Hortense, who was apparently showing him the sights.

'Let's go in – there'll be enough space, you'll see.' Hortense said, as she pushed past her brother and opened the pub door.

They crowded behind her, following her through.

'Coming, Sev? What are you waiting for?'

Lily had paused at the door and was looking back at him.

He had been peering up and down the cobbled street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the wizened old witch, Madeira, who had promised to contact him in Hogsmeade. She had never said _when_, though. And now that he was surrounded by half the school population, he thought it highly unlikely that she would come up to him and speak to him. Why didn't the old hag just send an owl, like everybody else, after all?

At that moment a cold gust of wind whipped his hair around his face, and he clutched his cloak as it billowed about him. With a frustrated sigh, he followed Lily into the warmth of The Three Broomsticks.

Once inside he understood what Hortense meant. The pub was far larger inside than it appeared on the outside, either because it had been magically extended, or because it had numerous quirky little low-ceilinged rooms extending from the back of the bar.

They found a large table and Severus sat down next to Lily, looking about him with interest, and a vague sense of disquiet.

As a young boy he had been sent, on occasions, to fetch his father from the muggle pubs he frequented in Castleforth. Such missions had almost always ended in grief, for his father never took kindly to being summoned away from the pub. Either his mother eventually noticed his bruises, or else she had got a taste of his father's displeasure herself, for the occasions he was sent to the pub became very rare and only when absolutely necessary.

But the smell of stale air and rancid drink of those muggle pubs, as well as the blank, dead expressions of the dishevelled men perpetually slumped against the bar, had remained impressed on his young mind, so that he recognised even the faint and barely perceptible whiff of it in The Three broomsticks.

A pretty and rather brightly-dressed young woman was serving a group of seventh-year boys in one corner. She noticed their arrival and made as though to come to their table, but the senior boys there appeared reluctant to let her go, and kept calling her back in overloud voices.

'I'm Madam Rosmerta, the Innkeeper's daughter' she said, when she finally managed to extricate herself from the seventh-year's table. 'What would you like to order?'

Severus was glad he still had some silver leftover from summer. It was still early in the year, and he still hadn't made that much money from helping others do their schoolwork. He vowed he would have to step up his efforts, for he would be damned if he let anyone say he didn't have enough money to buy a butterbeer!

The stuff, when it came, was pleasant tasting, and vaguely familiar. Probably his mother might have procured some on occasions.

Lily was in raptures. 'This is really good – it tastes nothing like beer…'

'Beer?' interjected Hortense.

'Muggle beer. My father let me taste it once, and I didn't like it. This, however, is really good.'

Sudden loud, raucous, laughter from behind him made him look around. To his displeasure, he saw Potter, Black, Pettigrew and Remus on a table close by, and they seemed to be entertaining the Barman's daughter with some of their usual tall tales.

' ….he is now the fastest Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.' Black was saying. 'Reflexes faster than lightning - he can catch the quaffle and score before you can say 'Gryffindor wins'!'

Potter pretended to take a bow to imaginary applause.

Severus felt someone kick him under the table. He turned to face Lily, who leaned towards him and said in a low voice:

'Ignore them, Sev. They've been like that ever since Potter was made Chaser, and McGonagall told him he's the best the team's ever had. It went to his head a bit!'

'A bit?' He made a sound of disgust, but forced himself to look away from the table behind him, from whence Madam Rosmerta's tinkling laughter was now mingling with the boys' raucous shouts.

' …It's at the outskirts of the village and its haunted. We should go and see it.' Aubrey was saying.

'Why should I want to see a haunted house? I can see any old ghost I want just by taking a stroll down one of Hogwart's corridors.' Thalia answered, contemptuously.

'But this is different. There are some really evil spirits there. They scream in agony all night, they say!' Melchior interjected, his eyes wide in his freckly face.

His older sister nodded. 'That house was rebuilt recently, before you lot came to Hogwarts. It was always nothing more than a shack before, but they were patching it up and fixing it a couple of years ago. It seems that the works disturbed some pretty evil spirits!'

'Sounds like they're in pain, if they're screaming in agony.' Lily said, sounding concerned.

'And what do you propose, Lily? To go and comfort the ghosts?' Severus said, raising an eyebrow.

'Well, no, I suppose not. But if they sound distressed, don't you wonder why? I mean, even at Hogwarts, there's this ghost of a young lady, and she looks so sad…'

'That's the Grey Lady, Ravenclaw's ghost, and she doesn't answer questions about her past life, my brother told me.' Bertram Aubrey explained.

'Unlike nearly-headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. He's always ready to give you a blow-by-blow account of his botched beheading' Mary McDonald said, with an expression of distaste. 'Demonstrates it, even…'

'Ghosts exist because they have unfinished business on this earth …' Melchior volunteered.

'Or regrets, it seems.' added Lily, softly.

'Anyway, shall we go and have a look?' Aubrey repeated.

By general consent, they put on their cloaks and walked out of The Three Broomsticks. Outside, the wind tore at their cloaks and hair, and grey clouds loomed over the horizon, threatening rain, but they made their way along the High street towards the edge of the village. Hortense, having been there before, led the way.

'What are you looking for Sev?'

Severus gave a guilty start. He was still hoping that Madeira would somehow turn up, and had been looking down all the little alley ways and side streets, where he assumed she would be lurking, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Lily had followed his gaze and was looking down one small side street, trying to see what he had been looking at.

'Nothing.' he lied, and was about to move on, when he saw her eyes widen in fear.

Turning quickly, he was just in time to see two young wizards disappear inside an Inn with a rusty sign over it, creaking in the wind. 'The Hogshead Inn' was written over a crude picture of a severed boar's head leaking blood over a white tablecloth. They were rather far off, but Severus recognised them immediately.

'Those were… Those were…' Lily stammered.

'Yes, Selwynn, and Rodolphus Lestrange.' Severus confirmed. 'The ones that had chased us down Knockturn Alley once. I don't think they've seen us, but perhaps we shouldn't stand here, Lily.'

Lily seemed unwilling, or unable, to move on, so he grabbed her elbow and stirred her towards the larger group of students who had drawn ahead.

'What if they see us, Sev? I never thought I'd meet them again! What if they're still after us, because of what we heard that day?'

'What we heard that day is becoming more of an open secret. They were talking of the Dark Lord, but many whisper his name with approval nowadays. I don't think they will bother us. Still….'

'In case you've forgotten, they wanted to wipe our memories clean on that occasion! And I don't care if some people approve of him, and what he's doing, - Dumbledore said he's _murdered_ people, and many witches and wizards are becoming scared. Some daren't even mention his name!'

'That's perhaps because they have good reason to be afraid! Perhaps they've got a guilty conscience! Perhaps they aren't as innocent as you like to think they are!' Severus spat.

'What d'you mean? What are they supposed to have done?' Lily stopped short, turning to look at him indignantly. 'Besides, Alice told me there have been unwarranted attacks even on muggle families! They don't even know of our existence, so how can they deserve to be attacked?'

'And _you_, of course, believe all that Alice tells you!' he sneered, stopping too.

'Well, why not? She said it was even on the muggle newspapers….'

'Muggle newspapers?' he made a sound of disgust. 'If there's something that prints more rubbish than the _Daily Prophet_, it's got to be the muggle newspapers!'

'Why? Then where do you get _your _news from, Severus? Rabastan and his gang? That stuck-up Head boy, Malfoy?' she confronted him, green eyes flashing. 'How do you know _their_ information is more reliable than what Alice or Mary have told me? And after all, what, exactly, have they been telling you?'

Severus glared at her angrily. He was torn between wanting to tell her about the injustices

he knew about, the corruption in the Ministry, the false accusations, and the mistaken incarcerations he had been reading about all summer. He wanted to open her eyes to the fact that there were wizards plotting to give muggles the right to enter their world of magic, and have powers of decision; witches and wizards who were fool enough to think that muggles would not want to control their magic powers, once they had that right, once they had some dunderhead wizards working for them. Muggles like his father….

But he couldn't tell her. Rabastan had wanted the meetings and their subject matter to be kept secret, especially this year, when the teachers were on the lookout for them. He had slipped him a note about their proposed first meeting just that morning.

Lily was still looking at him expectantly, but defiantly.

'Never mind.' he said, tightly. 'Never you mind what they say. You wouldn't believe it, anyway!'

'Try me!' Lily challenged.

But Severus noticed there was a tone of fear in her voice. Probably she was shocked to hear him openly say he was discussing those things Dumbledore had expressly warned them against.

Severus looked at her for a minute through the black strands of hair whipping across his face, as she confronted him – determined, but scared… scared of what she would hear.

Lily was not used to hearing about life's crudities. He remembered how unpleasantly surprised she was, when, as children, he had shown her his recently-discovered Book on Dark Arts. That had been the first and last time he had shown it to her. More recently, in summer, he couldn't forget the look of shocked horror as she saw his bruised face after his father's beating, and worse still, the pity in her voice as she urged him to get help about his home life. No, Lily was not ready to hear about the ugly hidden world within a hidden world.

'Look, Lily, you go ahead and join the others.' he said numbly 'I – I've forgotten something in the Three Broomsticks. I'll catch up with you later.'

And he turned abruptly round and started to retrace his steps towards the High Street, not bothering to look back.

To his relief, she did not call him back, so he hurried on, for another idea had taken hold of him. If he could not contact Madeira, he would at least try and see what the two young wizards were up to in the Hogshead.

What he had overheard two summers ago made him suspect that one of them, at least, was well known to the Dark Lord. What if they were actually meeting him now, at this very moment, in the Hogshead? Severus felt increasingly curious about this famed wizard – his magical prowess, his vast knowledge of the dark arts, and, if what Malfoy had once implied was correct, his expert skill at Legilimency.

Making sure nobody in the High Street was looking; he slipped into the side street where the Hogshead Inn sign creaked in the distance.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55: Lucius Malfoy's Disappointment.**

Severus hurried along the cobbled side street towards the Hogshead Inn, which was at its far end. This street was almost deserted, for most of the students were in the high street, by the more colourful shops there. Only one old warlock with a pronounced limp, and a heavy, hooded, cloak was making his way laboriously towards the Hogshead, his walking stick clipping the cobbles with a sharp clicking noise.

Severus stole along silently in his wake, hoping he wouldn't turn round and see him. But the old, stooped wizard clicked his way steadily towards the door of the Hogshead, opened it, and disappeared inside.

Severus went up to the bay windows of the inn. He hesitated a moment, not wanting to be caught looking in, but the thick glass panes were so grimy he could barely make out anything in the gloomy, candlelit interior, so he assumed it would be almost as difficult to see anybody on the outside.

He moved to the edge of the bay window, where his shadow would be half-hidden by the rough stone wall of the inn, and surreptitiously cleaned a small area of the thick glass pane with his cloak, so that he could peek inside. He was debating whether to risk going in, when what he saw stopped him dead.

Hunched over a wooden table closest to the window he was looking through, was a group of three wizards, one of whom was dressed in a Hogwarts cloak, for the silver-blond long hair that contrasted so sharply with the black cloak was unmistakeably Lucius Malfoy's. The other two, Severus suspected, were none other than Selwyn and Rodolphus.

He drew back behind the wall hurriedly, unwilling to be caught spying upon what the three wizards probably thought was a very private table, having chosen one furthest away from the bar.

He risked another quick look through the grimy panes, and saw his suspicions confirmed when Lucius moved slightly backwards in his seat to reveal the sharp features of the wizard sitting in front of him. Selwyn's hard, angular face was unmistakeable, even though distorted by the dirty, thick glass of the window.

None of them seemed to have noticed him lurking there, for they seemed to be very absorbed in their conversation. The bar was almost deserted. Apart from the young wizards and the old, lame warlock, Severus could see on a table in the distance, two rather fat middle-aged witches in shabby robes, and a thin old wizard in a muggle suit over which he wore a brown travelling cloak. Only the barman, a tall, thin, man with a long, grey beard, was looking curiously in his direction. Or was he looking at the three young wizards?

Severus was about to steal away before the barman got too curious, when something attracted his attention. Selwyn had glanced around towards the bar as though to make sure that neither the barman, not anyone else, could see, then he beckoned Lucius closer, as though what he had to say was a secret.

However, instead of speaking, Selwyn placed his left arm on the table and started to roll up his sleeve.

Curious, Severus had to resist pressing his face against the glass.

Lucius, leaning forward eagerly, with his back to the window, obscured his vision, but he _did_ manage to catch a glimpse of something red-raw and dark against the pallor of Selwyn's inner forearm.

He could not imagine what it was, but it certainly made a big impression on Lucius, who almost fell back in his seat in surprise. Severus saw Selwyn's features twist into a smug, triumphant smile at the effect he had produced. His companion, Rodolphus, nodded and smiled in approval, then turned round to make sure that the barman's attention was still focused elsewhere, as Selwyn rolled down his sleeve.

Severus realised that he had probably witnessed something they were quite unwilling to disclose. He drew back once more behind the shadow of the wall. It would most certainly not do to have them catch him out now. However, the sky had become overcast, and in the dim light of the small side street, he was not noticed. What could Selwynn have marked on his arm that was so amazing? A duelling scar, perhaps? He risked another look.

Malfoy was speaking rather heatedly now. He was gesticulating and talking rather loudly, for Severus could even hear snatches of words.

'..am ready. You can tell him - ! '

Rodolphus made a shushing movement with his hand, looking behind him at the bar area anxiously for possible eavesdroppers. But Selwyn's icy-blue eyes were looking intently at Lucius, a rather calculating half-smile still on his face.

Lucius dropped his voice at once, but Severus could still see that he was agitated. This surprised him, for the Lucius Malfoy he knew was always cool, calm, and collected. Haughty and overbearing, even. The note of anxious pleading in his voice was one he had never heard before.

Whatever Lucius was ready for, he wanted very, very much!

However, Selwyn, seeming to have come to a decision, shook his head. Rodolphus, perhaps aware that this negative answer would not be greatly appreciated, had placed a placating hand on Lucius's arm, and had started to speak soothingly, as though to mitigate the blow.

Raising a hand to stop Rodolphus's flow of words, Selwyn shook his head once more with an air of finality, and a few curt words that made Severus wish he could lip-read.

Lucius's back was towards Severus, so he could not judge his reaction to this. However, it appeared that he was not taking it lightly, for he shook off Rodolphus's arm, and, forgetting to lower his voice again:

'…will see him myself! I will convince him! I don't need _you _to…' Lucius was saying, but Selwyn half-rose from the table, leaning forward to confront Lucius threateningly. At that moment, to his horror, Selwyn's icy-blue eyes looked directly past Lucius at the window – directly at _him!_

In the split second it took for Selwyn to realise that somebody was behind the window, Severus had already whirled round and started pelting down the street towards the distant High street.

He had reacted so quickly, he was almost absolutely sure that Selwyn had not recognised him, but he wasn't waiting to find out!

He heard the inn door slamming in the distance behind him, and suddenly, a flash of red light sheered past him, hitting the wall. Shards of bricks and mortar rained down on him, and as he took out his wand and glanced back, he stumbled and almost lost his footing.

At that moment there was a flash of white light, and a shout of '_Petrificus totalis_!' from somewhere just ahead of him, and in the distance, Severus saw Selwynn keel over, rigid as a board.

Regaining his feet, Severus hurried onwards to see who his saviour was, and, out of a dark recess between two houses came a student muffled in a Hogwarts cloak. He found himself looking into a pair of furious, green eyes peeking out from the folds of a large scarf.

'Lily, how-?'

'Never mind! Let's get out of here!'

He didn't need to be told twice. They ran pell-mell towards the relative safety of the High street, which was still crowded with students, despite the light rain that was now beginning to fall.

'What on earth possessed you to go back there?' Lily hissed at him angrily as they slowed to a fast walk down the street, doing their best to weave their way through the thickest of the crowds.

She had taken off her scarf and stuffed it inside her pocket, panting slightly from the run.

'I just wanted to see what they were up to. Why did you follow me, anyway?' he said, petulantly.

'I didn't follow you! Mary was saying that some really shady characters frequent the Hogshead, and somehow, I had a pretty good idea that you wanted to follow those two wizards. Turns out I was right, wasn't I?'

He gave her a scathing, burning, look which she returned with interest.

'Its no use scowling at me, Severus Snape! Those two are up to no good, and if they're part of Lord Voldemort's army, what can you do about it? No one will believe a thirteen-year-old wizard, so what are you risking being obliviated, or worse, for?'

'Who said, I want to disclose anything I may, or may not, have seen in there?' he snapped.

Lily stopped, and blinked.

'What did you see, then?' she asked, curious in spite of herself.

'Nothing.' he said evasively. He didn't want to drag Lucius Malfoy's name into it for now. 'I couldn't hear anything much.'

'D'you think they recognised you?'

He shook his head. 'It all happened very quickly. And only Selwyn made it out of the Inn by the time we reached High street. You took care of _him_ though. I didn't know you could throw such a good hex!'

He looked sideways at her, remembering that after all, she _had_ saved him from having his memory wiped clean, or worse. She reluctantly smiled at his praise.

'With duelling on the syllabus for second term, I thought I'd better pick up some hints from _you._' she said 'By the way, how did you know it was me under the scarf? I borrowed it from Mary so's not to be recognised near that Inn'

Severus stole a look at her. He would have recognised her green eyes anywhere. He remained silent for a moment, and then shrugged.

'C'mon, let's hurry up!' he said, ignoring her question.

They reached the last houses on the outskirts of Hogsmeade without further mishaps. Given what had happened, they thought it prudent to make their way back to Hogwarts amidst the first groups of returning students. Severus saw Lily give one last, regretful, look towards the thatched, picture-postcard houses of Hogsmeade they had left behind them, as they walked towards the distant gates of Hogwarts through the drizzling rain.

He was glad she'd had the presence of mind to cover her hair and face- he didn't care about himself, but it would not do to have Selwynn recognise Lily – she wouldn't be able to come to Hogsmeade safely again. He was fairly sure that he hadn't been recognised either, but was curious to see if Lucius Malfoy would behave any differently towards him from now on. If Selwynn had recognised him, Lucius would probably be given the task of confronting him!

It was later that evening that Severus had the opportunity to put his theory to the test, for while he was reading by the fireside in the Slytherin common room, Lucius Malfoy came in, his cloak damp and glistening with rain. He had probably just returned from Hogsmeade.

With a curt command, he made a small first-year jump out of the chair closest to the fire, flung himself in it, and sat staring fixedly at the bright flames, a frown on his face. He was sitting only a few feet across from Severus who observed him closely.

However, he might as well have not existed, for Lucius did not even look up once, at him or anyone else.

Severus was sure that if he had been recognised, or even suspected, Lucius would definitely have tried to make eye contact. The hours ticked by until the common room was almost empty. Lucius did not move from his seat, and only when Narcissa Black rose to leave did his eyes flicker momentarily in her direction.

It was past midnight when Severus left the common room. He had purposely let everyone else leave until he remained alone with Lucius. Warily, he had bidden him goodnight, but the tall Head boy had not even answered him, let alone tried to obliterate his memory.

Relieved not to have been found out, Severus left Lucius Malfoy to his own gloomy thoughts, and headed for the dormitory.

Over the next few days Severus tried to observe Lucius more closely, but he did not glean much from his observations – Lucius was as calmly haughty as ever, - perhaps a bit surlier than usual in his treatment of anyone who bothered him, but other than that, Severus could see no outward change to indicate that he had been deeply disappointed.

Severus thought often about what the haughty Head boy wanted from Selwynn. He had an idea that it had been a petition to join the Dark Lord's secret army of Deatheaters. After all, Lucius Malfoy was of age, or almost of age – and from what Rosier had told him, well-connected to the Lestranges and other reputedly well- known activists for Lord Voldemort's cause.

He was curious to know what could have shaken Malfoy's usual aplomb. After all, Lucius had everything – a rich influential family, lineage, and his father held a respected position in wizarding hierchy. In short, he had everything that he, Severus, did not have. So what could he have wanted so much that he was reduced to begging for it?

Probably it was something that money could not buy. Perhaps not even lineage. Now _that_ was an interesting thought.

Severus remembered what he had once overheard Selwynn tell Rodolphus, when they had first run across them in Knockturn Alley two summers ago. He had been telling him that the Dark Lord 'only takes the best,' and had been urging him to tell his brother and Malfoy to make themselves worthy.

Well, it certainly seemed that Lucius was still not up to the Dark Lord's standards yet.

Severus could not help wondering what it took to gain this mysterious Lord's approval. If he was as great a wizard as his growing reputation would have him be, than perhaps he valued magical skill and knowledge far more than money, or even purity of blood. A _very_ interesting thought.

He decided he had to ask Rabastan. He was always on about what his brother was doing on behalf of the Dark Lord, although always stopping short of openly admitting any close connection. But judging by several inadvertent comments, and what he had seen at the Hogshead, his gangly brother Rodolphus formed part of Lord Voldemort's followers probably as much as Selwynn did.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56: Secret Meetings**

He acted upon his decision a few weeks after Hallowe'en, at a meeting called by Rabastan. These were becoming more frequent now, almost weekly, but the day and venue were always changed, since Dumbledore had practically outlawed these activities now. Sometimes they even met late at night in the Slytherin common room when everyone else had gone to bed, for here they felt safer.

Their group had grown to include Rosier and Wilkes, who were always present at these meetings, and, on occasion, a fourth- year student called Nott joined them. Tonight they were in an old disused classroom in the upper levels of the dungeons.

Severus noted that the tone of these meetings had changed somewhat, and they did not always discuss, or read, about injustices suffered at the hands of bungling Ministry officials, or muggle-loving fools. Rabastan didn't seem as interested as last year to 'spread the word' among the students.

Instead, he, and sometimes Rosier, came up with detailed reports, clandestinely brought in disguised as magazines or textbooks, on what the Death Eaters were doing to redress the balance. Rabastan was the one to read them out loud, for he was the eldest, and undisputed founder of their small group. His low, rather gravelly voice had a mesmerising effect as it washed over them, lovingly recounting the Death Eater's each little victory. He also gave glowing descriptions of the way they set the Dark Mark upon each building they entered, thus bravely announcing the fact that they were a force to be reckoned with, and injustice would no longer be tolerated.

'…and only really powerful wizards, wizards empowered by the Dark Lord himself, can conjure up the Dark Mark!' Rabastan was saying, his eyes aglow with fervour, 'No-one else can, or knows how. No one has the right to _that_ glory but the Death Eaters in the Dark Lord's inner circle. It is their sign.'

'A skull and serpent, innit?' Avery broke in. 'The serpent's a Slytherin sign, too.'

'The serpent is Slazar Slytherin's symbol. He was a parselmouth.' Rabastan explained. 'And I have it from a good source that the Dark Lord himself is directly descended from Salazar Slytherin.'

Severus pricked up his ears. Was this true or was Lestrange exaggerating?

'The skull lights up the whole sky, and the Serpent writhes towards you like it was real…' Rabastan was continuing, in an awestruck voice.

Severus saw Mulciber nod in agreement. He frowned, remembering when Rosier had conjured up the crude dark mark with matchsticks during one memorable Charms lesson. The same rapt expression was on his face now as he listened to Rabastan.

He started feeling increasingly irritated. Rabastan Lestrange knew more than what he let on, that was obvious. And, it appeared, so did the others. He could not help feeling a twinge of jealousy, and curiosity, too. What had they witnessed? What were the Death Eaters empowered with? Most importantly, what did this Dark Lord consider as a qualifying feature in a wizard, to be admitted as Death Eater? It was time for Rabastan to stop dropping half-hints and spit out what he really knew.

'And how do you know all this, Rabastan? Is your brother a Death Eater?' he said challengingly.

He felt everyone's eyes turn to him, and no-one spoke. Rabastan got off the desk he was sitting on, and moved towards him. Severus stood his ground, and stared back at him defiantly, his arms crossed.

'I have never said my brother is a Death Eater.' Rabastan said in a deceptively soft voice, his eyes narrowed.

'Exactly. You just stop short of admitting it.'

Rabastan was now looking at him with a calculating half-smile on his face.

'And why exactly do you want to know, Snape?'

'You have been singing the praises of the Death Eaters for a while now, Rabastan. But you're not telling me everything, are you? How accurate is this information, and where do you get it from? If your brother is really a Death eater, then come out with it! At this point, I don't see why you shouldn't!'

The silence that followed this outbreak was absolute. Severus saw Rosier and Avery exchange glances. There was something going on, that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he could sense it.

'You don't see why I shouldn't?' repeated Rabastan quietly.

'Because you don't belong!' Mulciber butted in aggressively. 'You could peach on us, and get all our families into trouble!'

'Shut up, Mulciber!' hissed Nott, the fourth-year boy who had joined then today.

But the damage was done. Severus knew.

'So that's it, isn't it? You don't trust the half-blood among you!' he burst out angrily 'You all know each other's families, from what you say, but I'm the outsider here! And you think –'

'…that you will be the worthiest among us!' Cut in Rabastan, smiling broadly now.

Severus stared.

But Rabastan put an arm round his shoulders, and dragged him unwillingly to the front of the small group.

'_You_, Severus,' he said, digging a finger in his chest to emphasize what he was saying, 'have been especially chosen to join us on your merits alone, rather than your connections, it is true. This makes you better, or worse, than any of us standing here.'

He paused to let his words sink in. Severus was about to reply in no uncertain terms, exactly what he thought about being 'chosen,' when Rabastan interrupted him once more.

'You see, Severus, as you guessed, most of us know each other well outside school. Our families know each other. We _trust_ each other.' He held up his hand as Severus was about to interrupt angrily, 'But you must see that it has been dangerous to admit any close connection to the Dark Lord. Dumbledore's got spies everywhere, and any word that reaches the wrong ears would get our families into trouble with the Ministry. However, the Dark Lord is growing stronger, and the Ministry fears him now.'

He paused.

'I will answer your question. You wanted to know if my brother was a Death Eater.'

Severus looked at him expectantly.

'Well, the truth is, Severus, I don't know.'

Severus raised his eyebrows.

'I know you may not believe it, but unfortunately, we're not yet of age, and my father thinks I shouldn't even know if my brother has yet been admitted to the Dark Lord's closest circle.'

Severus could definitely hear a tone of resentment in Rabastan's voice.

'So, is that all it takes to become a Death Eater? Being of age?' he asked, for Rabastan seemed lost in his thoughts.

'Merlin, no! Of course not!'

'What then? D'you have to be good at magic?'

Rabastan grinned 'I can see were this is leading, Severus, but no, not even that, or rather, not only. What the Dark Lord looks for, in order to admit you as a Death Eater, is _LOYALTY_! Only that will make you worthy, he said. That is why I told you that you could be the best or worst of us – it will depend on _you,_ Severus. Your skillful with the Dark Arts, but if you choose to deny them, or betray us…'

'I have never, ever breathed a word to anyone about what goes on in this room, and you know it. But you still haven't explained how you know what the Dark Lord wants in a Death eater…'

'Oh, my father tells me that. He knows the Dark Lord well. As does Rosier's father, and Avery's.' he nodded to the two silent figures sitting on the desks.

'Yes, Severus'. Rosier said 'We may not be told everything for now, but we are given things to do, important tasks, like spreading the word. It's like we're being groomed for bigger and better things.'

'One thing we _are_ told however, is what the Dark Lord seeks in a Death Eater, so rest assured on that matter, Snape, loyalty is more important than fancy wand-work!' Wilkes butted in.

'Since you know no wand work to speak of, Wilkes, no doubt loyalty is the only thing you'll ever have to offer!' Severus snapped.

Wilkes had never forgiven him for not teaching him spells.

'There's also purity of bloodline.' Mulciber butted in, with a belligerent look at Severus. 'No mudbloods are allowed. And half-bloods…'

'Are sometimes accepted, if worthy.' Rosier broke in, before Severus could retort.'Especially if, like Severus, the important part of their bloodline comes from an illustrious name such as the Prince family. And mine too, for that matter, for we're distantly related.'

Mulciber glowered at him, but said nothing else. Severus wasn't quite sure how he felt about being in this group any more. It seemed a lot had been going on behind his back, and though Rosier and Rabastan appeared to be all for him, he had his detractors, and he would have to work hard to get Mulciber and Wilkes to trust him, if he wanted to stay in this group. But did he want to stay in this group?

It seemed to be turning rapidly into a Death Eater fan club, and though he had to admit, he was now even more curious than ever about this fabled Lord Voldemort, if his half-blood status was considered so questionable by the Death Eaters, he felt strangely disappointed, annoyed even.

He suddenly remembered how Lucius Malfoy had reacted, and shook himself angrily. Why should it bother him? If only purebloods were accepted among the ranks of Death eaters, so be it! He knew his own worth, and he would be damned if he spoke about them with the same reverential awe the others did!

As though reading his mind, Nott said:

'So Rabastan – are you going to join the Death eaters, if you can?'

'I can't wait to join up. How about you, Nott?'

'I don't know. Probably. My father wants me to. But I guess I'll decide when the time comes. I'm not too convinced on the initiation bit…'

Rabastan looked at him disdainfully. 'Are you scared of that? It doesn't bother me at all. I'd be glad to do anything to prove my loyalty to the dark Lord!'

'What's that about initiation?' Wilkes asked.

Severus was glad he did not have to ask the question himself, for he was curious now.

'It is a test.' Rabastan answered 'A test of strength and courage and, of course, loyalty. It will prove whether you are worthy of becoming a Death Eater. I don't know exactly what you have to do, but I think my brother is due for it soon – I haven't heard from him for 3 weeks – not even one owl! Anyway,' he lowered his voice, and they instinctively crept closer, trying to catch his every word 'I _do_ know that if you pass the test, the Dark Lord will reward you and mark you as his own. Very few have been granted this honour among the Dark Lord's followers.'

'What reward?' whispered Wilkes, his eyes shining greedily.

'My father wouldn't elaborate on that.' Rabastan answered, airily 'he said I wouldn't understand, but that it would be something desirable.' He shrugged. 'I'm not interested in _that_, though. Being accepted by the Dark Lord is reward enough.'

'Have you ever met Him?' Severus realised he, too, was whispering.

Rabastan turned his broad face towards him, his tawny eyes shining strangely in the candlelight. 'I have not met him, but I have seen him. He comes in the dead of night to our house sometimes, to see my father. I'm not allowed to speak to him, but on the rare occasions I happened to see him…well, let me tell you he is like no other wizard I have ever seen. He is tall, very tall, and always wears a hooded cloak, but you can see his eyes burning beneath it and…and they look at you, and through you…'

'As though he knew what you were thinking...' nodded Mulciber. Evidently he had been glimpsed by the gangly fourth-year too.

'But the thing that amazes me most,' continued Rabastan 'Is the sheer power he has – it's like a force around him: you can almost see it! You _feel_ it, certainly. It's like this is a wizard who _knows_ … knows… well, _everything_! The deepest secrets, the oldest magic, the most powerful spells! That's why it would be so great to be noticed by him, and perhaps, one day become a Death Eater...'

'And to be marked as his own…' Rosier sighed dreamily. 'I guess that happens at the Initiation ceremony.'

'A ceremony?' Wilkes looked blank.

'My father attended one recently, at the end of summer. But he wouldn't tell me what actually went on. All he told me is that it's a kind of celebration when a witch or wizard passes the test, and are marked as the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. Perhaps during the ceremony they get empowered to conjure the Dark Mark, I don't know – or perhaps it's something else…'

'Last summer, my father said he'll let me know more about it when, or if, my brother passes the test.' Rabastan said ruefully 'He said they're being careful right now and that anyway, it is not for children to attend. Phah!' he snorted scornfully 'I'll turn fifteen soon, so the time is coming closer when they'll _have to_ let me into all their secrets!'

'You'll tell us then, won't you? Whatever you've found out?' Wilkes asked anxiously.

Rabastan looked straight at Severus for a moment, then nodded.

'Yes. I will tell you everything I know. So will _you,_ Mulciber. And Nott, Rosier and Avery.'

Severus bit his lip. He knew that an unspoken pledge had been formed. They were all looking at him, and though some had an unhappy expression on their faces, none of them protested. He knew he was now part of the group's secrets.

It was the last Saturday of November, and Lily was on her way to the Quidditch Pitch with Alice and Jenny. They were covered in red rosettes and wearing their red and gold scarves, for Gryffindor were playing Slytherin today.

There were some catcalls and jeers from a group of Slytherin girls behind them.

'Trying to disguise your mousey hair with red flowers, Trimble?' Cassiopeia's voice came from behind them. The girls with her giggled appreciatively.

Jenny flushed, but before Lily could say anything, Alice had whirled round and snarled:

'You watch your mouth, or I'll turn that tangled black mop green to match your scarf, Blackwater!'

Cassiopeia smoothed her elegant, dark, locks disdainfully, but marched on without another word. Lily grinned. For some strange reason Alice Walker had taken timid Jenny Trimble under her wing, and being quite a firebrand, she was quite capable of defending the pair of them.

Just as Thalia and Mary MacDonald had become best friends.

Lily privately thought Mary was a bit in awe of Thalia's privileged background, but it seemed to work well between them. Mary was always suitably impressed with Thalia's trinkets, and Thalia loved Mary's down-to-earth manners and sense of humour.

Funny how they had paired up, Lily mused. It had happened slowly over the last two years. She had always spent her spare time with Severus during this time, and so, she supposed, it was inevitable her room mates would choose each other as best friends. She loved their company and they enjoyed hers, so she never felt like 'the odd one out', but having your best friend in another house _did _have its disadvantages, she thought ruefully.

It meant that, on some occasions, you could not be together.

And this was one such occasion, she thought, as she climbed up the stalls to the Gryffindor side of the Quidditch pitch. Severus would be on the opposite side of the pitch among the sea of emerald green and silver banners.

If he was there at all.

He had missed a match last year just because James Potter had been included in the Quidditch team. Gryffindor had won on that occasion, but he had not been there to see it. Perhaps better that way. Severus did not take defeat lightly. Well, no-one did, really. The celebrations, or commiserations, in the common rooms afterwards, were equally tremendous.

She scanned the faces of the Slytherins opposite. At this distance, their faces were blurred, but she did finally spot him among a group of other third-year Slytherins. His rather long straight black hair and tall, thin frame were unmistakeable. Besides, he was the only one not covered in rosettes or carrying banners. A green and white Slytherin scarf was all he had consented to wear to show his support. To her annoyance he was sitting near that snooty girl, Cassiopea Blackwater. Her curly black hair was also unmistakeable. She seemed to be trying to engage him in conversation, but he was not paying much attention for his gaze was fixed on the players who had now entered the pitch.

Perhaps he had come because this year, Regulus Black, Sirius's brother, had been taken on as Seeker on the Slytherin team. She could see Regulus's small, slight form among the Slytherin team. He was easily the smallest of the lot, but she knew that this was usually an advantage for a seeker.

She also knew that for some strange reason, Regulus looked up to Severus. It had irked him last year – probably his close resemblance to his brother Sirius did not help, but this year, she noted, he was less ill-disposed towards the boy.

Whether Severus had come to the match on his account or not, she did not know, but Lily was sure that, much as he tried to show otherwise, he was intensely interested in Quidditch matches, or rather, in being on the _winning_ side.

She remembered how wonderful it had been when she had briefly persuaded him to join the Flying club last year. He was a good flyer, and they had both enjoyed it while it lasted. She knew it would be pointless to ask him again this year.

With a sigh she turned her attention to the game, which had started.

Only a few minutes into the game, Potter scored his first goal, and she cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors around her, but his cocky victory flight, low over the Gryffindor stands, considerably dampened her enthusiasm. Besides, his three friends, Pettigrew, Black and Lupin had enthusiasm to spare, and were making more than enough noise to compensate.

The next goal was scored by another Gryffindor Chaser, a fourth-year whose name Lily could not recall, but who, she noted, did not fly round the stands for applause like Potter had done.

The match was well fought. Slytherin pulled ahead shortly after by scoring several times in a row. Had they to catch the snitch now, Gryffindor would lose.

It seemed as though Potter was thinking along those lines, for he redoubled his efforts to get the quaffle. He was like a red and gold comet shooting across the pitch, hot on the tail of the red ball.

Lily had to admit, much against her will, that James Potter did, indeed, know how to fly well and had improved immensely from the last time she had seen him play.

As though to prove her right, Potter managed to score an amazing four goals in a row. The crowds in the Gryffindor stands went wild, and even Lily could not help cheering. There were no victory flights this time however, and he seemed focussed on the one thing that mattered - scoring goals.

It was five minutes later that the Regulus Black saw the snitch. He shot off in an almost vertical flight, with the Gryffindor seeker hot on his tail. However, Regulus Black was lighter, and therefore faster, and was pulling ahead when he suddenly seemed to lose control of his broom, and spiralled wildly off at an angle from his original trajectory. Their vertical flight had taken them practically out of view, and Lily strained to see what was happening, worried that the small boy might fall. But with a supreme effort Black came out of the spin and regained control of his broom.

At that moment the Gryffindor seeker caught the snitch. The stands erupted in wild cheering and shouting as the Gryffindor team landed on the pitch to be engulfed in a sea of well-wishers.

Lily was half-dragged across the wooden stalls by Alice and Jenny who wanted to go down to the pitch. But then she was separated from them by the crowd, for everyone was pushing and shoving to get down to the Gryffindor team.

When she finally made it down to the bottom of the wooden stands she saw, beyond the opposite side of the Quidditch pitch, a lonely, slightly hunched figure making its way across the grounds towards the castle. She could recognise Severus anywhere.

He must have left as soon as the snitch was caught or even earlier. Probably he was in a sour mood after the Gryffindor victory and even more so, Lily surmised, because Potter had had a crucial role in ensuring that victory.

But Severus walked alone. He liked to lick his wounds in solitude. She knew this well, remembering how he had reacted, the previous summer, when she had come upon him unexpectedly after his father had hit him.

She gave a wry smile as she made her way to the castle. Severus Snape would never ever admit any hurt, whether trivial or substantial. He would rise beyond that hurt, it did not matter, - or he would pretend it didn't matter, until it stopped hurting. His temper usually got shorter, or he would wear his 'closed expression' as she called it, whenever anyone tried to commiserate.

Her musings were cut short by a huge crowd of cheering Gryffindors making their way back to the castle. Potter was being carried on their shoulders, and, judging by the expression on his face, he was enjoying it immensely.

The atmosphere in the common room was jubilant. Siruis Black and Jeff Burke, the Gryffindor team captain, had somehow managed to procure some Butter beer and snacks from the kitchens, and everyone was celebrating the Gryffindor victory. The place was so crowded,, there was hardly space to move about, for everyone seemed to be there. Potter was holding court, giving a blow-by-blow account of his scores, and many students were standing around him, listening in awe.

After several hours, Lily had had enough of Quidditch talk. She went up to the dormitory, and, finding it empty, threw herself down on her bed.

She wondered what Severus was doing. He would probably be alone someplace. She had a feeling that, unlike exams, he probably never participated in post-mortem analysis of Quidditch matches, especially if they had been lost.

She thought of her two-way mirror. Did she dare call him? Probably he didn't have it with him. Or what if he was with other people? He'd have to explain what her disembodied voice was…

She decided to try anyway.

She took the mirror out of her bag and called 'Severus!' very softly, (just in case there were other people around).

To her surprise, her reflection vanished, to be replaced by a barely-discernable thin, pale, face. Wherever he was, it was very dark. She hadn't expected him to answer her and for a moment forgot what she had to say,

'Yes, Lily?' he said eventually, sounding rather curt.

'Er, were you sleeping?'

'Of course not!'

And with that he vanished from view. For a moment she thought he had cut contact, but then she saw that he had merely propped the mirror up against something, and was lighting some stubs of candles. Their dim light hardly made any difference, but she could see the shadowy outlines of cupboards and desks. Wherever he was, it was not in the Slytherin common room or dormitory.

'What do you want, Lily?' he had come once more into view and was giving her a hard look. 'Did you come to gloat?'

Lily fired up at once.

'No I haven't! It's just a stupid game, Severus. Your team lost; ours won. So what? It could be the other way round next time! See if I care!'

'Really? I'd say you care very much the way, the way you were cheering Potter! Quite the hero now, isn't he?' he sneered.

Lily almost laughed. So that was it.

'I was happy Gryffindor were playing well' she said, with a barely suppressed smile.' 'And I cheered whenever _anyone_ scored, of course. That's what one does at a Quidditch match. As for Potter – yes, he seems to consider himself quite a hero. He's still recounting how he scored to the audience downstairs, I believe.'

A sound of disgust came from the mirror, and Severus drew back, almost disappearing from view again.

'I saw you left the game early' she continued 'And I wondered what you were doing. Anyway, I got a bit bored with all the Quidditch talk and the drooling admiration surrounding Potter, so I thought I'd see what you were up to.'

As she expected, Severus's face came back into view, much closer this time, and she had his undivided attention. He looked at her in silence for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable.

'Why don't you come down and see.' He said softly after a while.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57: The Dungeon Hideout.**

Lily crept stealthily down the grand staircase towards the Entrance hall. Although it was Saturday night, it was almost past curfew, even for the senior students, and the corridors were deserted. It was also partly due to the fact that two of the houses were probably in their respective common rooms, the one celebrating Quidditch victory and the other lamenting the lost game.

She made her way across the entrance hall and down the dungeon steps. Severus had explained on the two-way mirror how to get to his secret hideout, down in the dungeons. Finally, she would get to see where he had been brewing potions in secret for over two years. He had promised her he'd show her the place she had always suspected he had, and now she would see for herself.

A sudden noise made her stop in her tracks. Footsteps echoed eerily in the silence of the dungeons, and before she could do anything, Pavo Parkinson and Bertram Aubrey came into view.

Seeing her, they stopped too.

What are you doing down here Evans? It's past curfew.'

'Not for the seniors, it isn't. Besides its – its Saturday night!' she stammered.

'What does that have to do with anything?' Aubrey cried indignantly. 'And you haven't answered us. What are you doing here? This is Slytherin ground!'

'Oh no, it's not, Aubrey!' she said recovering. 'This is NOT Slytherin common room, and I have as much right to walk these passageways, as you have to climb the west tower, whenever you need to speak to your brother in Ravenclaw!'

Bertram Aubrey opened his mouth like a fish, but apparently could not find an answer to that, so shut his mouth again. Pavo Parkinson, however, glowered at her.

'Is this about the Quidditch game, Evans? We lost because your team's seeker jinxed our Seeker, when they were too high up for Hooch to see!'

'That's ridiculous! He didn't touch him!'

Parkinson snorted in disdain.

'Anyway, why aren't you up in your tower celebrating with the rest of the Gryffindor team?' he asked.

'What I'm doing here is none of your business, Parkinson! And seeing it's after curfew, if you don't want me to ask _you_ the same question, then get out of my way!'

For a moment, she thought they wouldn't move, and her hand twitched towards her wand, but then they silently stood aside, and she marched past them, not stopping to look back and see if they were following her.

Severus would not appreciate having his secret hideout exposed. From what he said, no one else knew about it. But it was very deep down in the labyrinthine passages of the dungeons, which was why he had offered to meet her half-way, near the Slytherin common room. She was not sure she could even find the latter, but he had given her precise directions.

She walked down the cold, echoing passageways, trying not to make more noise than she could help. She was not being followed, of that she was certain. Parkinson and Aubrey would not be so stupid as to tell a teacher they had seen her about so late at night – they could not do so without being caught out themselves.

The tunnel-like passageway curved to the right and then divided in two. Carefully recalling what Severus had told her, she took the passage to the left.

She had never been this way before. Not even when she accompanied Severus to the underground cavern where the boats were kept. They had taken a different route then. The passageway in front of her stretched ahead – nothing but an expanse of rough, grey wall glistening in the torch light. It was well-lighted, but this is where Severus's explanation had stopped.

She looked down the length of it anxiously, but it was deserted. She was just wondering whether to call Severus again on the mirror, when a strange movement caught her eye. It was a mere shimmering of the light, and a slight distortion of what she could see, like looking through curved glass.

'Severus? Is that you?'

There was a rustling noise and Severus appeared. He had been under the Stealth cloth. She breathed a sigh of relief.

'What are you doing under there? We must be close to the Slytherin common room. You don't need that.'

He gave a crooked smile. '_I_ don't. But you do. This _is_ the Slytherin Common-room, and I thought if we happen upon any Slytherins, they might not be in a very tolerant mood towards any Gryffindors right now.'

Lily refrained from saying that many Slytherins would probably not be very tolerant towards her, for reasons other than Gryffindor's Quidditch victory. She looked at the blank wall instead, clearly puzzled.

'_This_ is Slytherin common room?'

'Well, there's a hidden door and a password. So you can't really see anything. Now come under here.'

With a deft movement he threw the material over her head, covering her completely.

Lily was about to protest, but she noticed something.

'Oh – the mouldy smell's gone, and – and it smells of - I dunno, but it's nice.'

'Vetiver'

'Oh.'

She didn't say anything, being quite surprised that he had remembered her objection last time. Or perhaps, because he hadn't liked it either.

'You know Sev. I appreciate the cloak, but I've already met some disgruntled Slytherins on the way down, and I think I handled them pretty well.'

She saw him stop suddenly, and look in her general direction.

'What -? Who-?'

'Parkinson and Aubrey. In the upper levels of the dungeon.'

She threw off one corner of the material covering her, so he could focus on her. His eyes sought hers immediately, but she grinned.

'Don't worry, Severus. They backed off. They were out after curfew too, and I wasn't followed or anything.'

Severus did not answer her immediately, but she saw his expression close. Then he took hold of the stealth cloth and flicked it over her face once more.

'You should keep this on for a bit longer.' he said, brusquely.

Lily wondered what had upset him. Was because his roommates had seen her down in what they deemed 'Slytherin territory'? Would they guess she was there to see Severus? Everyone knew they were friends, after all. Or did they think it had something to do with Gryffindor's earlier victory and the alleged attack on their Seeker? Then she remembered how in a similar encounter Lucius Malfoy had given her the cold shoulder. She wondered whether all non-slytherins were similarly treated down in the dungeons. Probably not. Being a muggle-born was what probably made her unwelcome.

She followed Severus in silence down many strange, twisting passageways, stumbling occasionally on the uneven floor. Severus however, moved in absolute silence, almost as though he were gliding along. Apparently, he travelled these passageways very frequently. But still, every so often, he kept looking over his shoulder.

She tried to memorise the way, but with her vision partially obscured by the material over her head, it was difficult. Especially when they reached a point where there was no more torch light.

'You can take it off now.' Severus said, lighting his wand.

She threw off the heavy material and its ferny smell, and breathed in the cold, moist, air.

'We're almost there now. It's at the end of this passageway.' Severus turned sharply to the left into a very dark and narrow tunnel.

She followed the wavering blue-white light of his wand tip along the tunnel, trying to avoid stumbling on the broken flagstone floor.

They came to an iron door with ornate hinges, and strange symbols along the jamb.

Severus pushed it creakingly open, and she stepped inside.

At first she could see nothing, but with a muttered incantation, her friend lit several torches held in brackets above her head, and the room was flooded in a red glow.

She looked around herself in amazement. It was quite a large room, though the ceiling was low. Old-fashioned cupboards lined most of the wall, and she could see through their glass doors, that they contained jars, bottles and flasks of every description, all containing ingredients. That solved part of the mystery of where Severus was storing all the stuff he had been collecting over the years from Potions class, the Forbidden Forest, and Merlin knows where else.

A couple of large, sturdy desks stood in the middle of the room, as well as several cauldrons. Some were large, that sat squatly on the floor near the desks, and some were small ones, mounted on top.

In the far corner of the room, several pieces of broken furniture and rusty cauldrons were heaped in a pile.

'It used to be a potions storeroom, I think.' Severus offered.

She noticed he was looking at her intently. Probably waiting for her to pronounce judgement. She grinned.

'It's perfect.' she said.

He looked taken aback.

'R-Really? I mean...' He tried to adopt a more confident tone. '...er.. I'm glad you like it.'

She could feel his eyes on her as she moved towards the cupboards, eyeing their contents eagerly. Most of the furniture was old-fashioned and a bit shabby, with glass panes missing from the doors, or deep scratches and burns etched into the wood, but the mismatched jars were neatly stacked and labelled, every ingredient meticulously written down in Severus's small, cramped handwriting. Heartsease; wormwood; dried newt tails; lion fish spine; powdered dragonclaw; ….

This was quite a collection – even larger than the third-years student store in the potions classroom. She even recognised, in pride of place on the top shelf, several small jars with the fire crabs and sea weed she had collected for him when on holiday in Scarborough.

She smiled.

This room felt good. It might have the disadvantage of being against the rules ( though she was sure she hadn't seen anything _specifically _against it in Filch's long list of rules), but it certainly made up for it by being the most wonderful, private place she knew in the whole castle, especially if no one else knew about it.

Privacy, at Hogwarts, was limited to a bathroom cubicle at most, for with a shared dormitory, shared lessons, and shared common rooms, there wasn't anywhere much you could go. Senior students knew about some of the disused rooms on the various floors, especially the upper levels of the dungeons, where one was less likely to be disturbed by Peeves, or anyone else, living or dead. According to Thalia, the Seniors knew about them because they were always looking for somewhere for a little undisturbed snogging.

Lily shook her head, and glanced over to where Severus was leaning against one of the desks. He was still watching her every move intently. She wondered what he'd been doing all these years in here, and if he would ever tell her everything.

She doubted it. She had a fair suspicion that he had delved into some of his Great-grandfathers book's spells in here.

She tried to put that away from her mind for the moment. He was clearly proud of this place, and she didn't want to spoil it. Probably this was even better than their respective rooms back home. For there, although relatively private, you could not use magic. Here you could! He was right to be so proud of it. It was quite an achievement to have managed to keep it secret from everybody.

Except her.

He had told her, and no-one else.

She would have thought Rosier or his other Slytherin roommates would know – it was down in the dungeons, after all, and they must have suspected its existence as much as she did. But then, they didn't share a desk with him at potions, and they couldn't know about all the ingredients he'd been hoarding away.

But why only her?

Granted, it had taken him over two years. To 'make it safe' he had said.

But finally, he had led her to his secret room. The answer came to her in a flash of understanding. It was because he trusted her!

Severus Snape was one of the most distrustful of all people she knew. He distrusted everyone from the Ministry for Magic, to the Hogwarts teachers, the students, and his own roommates too, it appeared. He never trusted blindly in what anyone said, but always had to probe, to ask – there were always ulterior motivations, hidden meanings, with him.

And yet, strangely enough, with her he was different. He trusted her where he would trust no-one else.

Not that he was an open book, of course… He had kept many things from her, especially about his home life. But after last summer she could understand that.

She felt oddly proud to be the only one privileged to enter his hideout. They were best friends, of course, but still, Severus wasn't the most open and friendly person she had ever met. She felt a warm glow of affection for the strange and silent boy still leaning against the desk. She looked up to see him still looking at her, but his face was in shadow now.

'Yes, I like it, Sev. It's got nothing on the Forbidden Forest, of course, but I like it. It's got your mark all over it!'

She laughed as he raised a quizzical eyebrow. Her breath hung in a frosty mist in front of her.

'Yes, indeed -' she continued, smiling 'cauldrons, potion bottles and the lack of creature comforts. Do you ever light a fire in this place?'

'Um, no. Just for the cauldrons…'

'I thought so.' She went over to a rather forlorn-looking fireplace at the far wall, knelt down, and started piling some broken wood inside.

'I thought the smoke might give away our whereabouts.' Severus said, coming over.

'Oh.'

'On the other hand, it seems it joins up with the other chimney stacks of the upper levels. And it's night time, no-one would notice anyway.' He added hurriedly.

'Are you sure?'

He nodded, and she reluctantly prodded the wood with her wand, and muttered an incantation. She didn't want him to risk his precious room just because she felt cold, but he seemed genuinely unworried about it.

'There,' she said when the fire started to crackle merrily, and she felt its warmth on her cheek. 'Now you've got the cosiest little hideout in the castle!'

He snorted. 'Cosy? You'll be putting up frilly curtains and cushions next!'

She scowled at him. 'Who d'you take me for, Petunia? I just lit a fire, Sev. You need it. You look as pale as death, and no wonder, if this is where you spend your time! Now don't argue with me –' for he had already started to back away, but she caught his arm and dragged him to the fire. With the other hand she pulled up an old Windsor chair that was propped up against the wall, and shoved him gently backwards, till he gave up and fell in it. Bustling about, she found another chair by the pile of broken desks, and joined him near the fire.

'That s better. Now tell me about it.'

''bout what?'

'How did you find this place? How d'you manage to keep it secret? Are we under the lake, like your common room? Oh – evidently not – there's a small window there. And –and why did you tell no-one else about it?'

'Er…I stumbled upon it Christmas first year. I'm very careful. I wouldn't trust Wilkes with a secret muffin, let alone a secret room. As for the others, they would just want me to brew stuff for them, if they knew. They wouldn't be interested in anything else. Oh – and we're just above the lake. The window is in the western cliff-face just above the water, but it doesn't show from the grounds.'

'Whereas I am interested, and very much so! I'll help you brew, Sev and we can practise our spells in here, and –'

'You've got to warn me before you're coming, Lily! You'd get lost here if you venture down on your own.'

Lily looked at him. He seemed uncharacteristically anxious.

'I can learn how to find my way down here.'

'It's not just that –

'Well, if you're worried about me crossing the so-called 'Slytherin territory',' she said, heatedly, 'I can assure you that I can handle those snobs, and their pureblood-is-holier-than-thou attitude. I've got a wand, you know!'

However, Severus still looked uneasy.

She sighed.

'Ok, Sev. I'll warn you before I come down. At least until I learn how to throw a good Disillusionment charm. Happy, now?'

Judging by his creased brows, he was still worried. She hoped he wasn't regretting getting her down there, but he changed the conversation

'I intend to start brewing my own potions here.' he said

'You already do.'

'No, not that. That's just modifying existing stuff. I mean _really_ brewing your own – inventing potions! That can make you famous!'

Lily grinned as she saw the fervour in his eyes, enhanced by the red glow of the fire. He had already forgotten his earlier misgivings, whatever they were, and was now sitting on the edge of his seat.

'And then we'll be saluting your portrait as a world-renowned potioneer on the walls of the rich and famous ex-students of Hogwarts!' Lily laughed.

He scowled and did not answer her, but slouched back in his chair and resumed staring at the fire. He seemed to think she was poking fun at his dreams. She sobered up.

'Oh come on, Sev. I'm only teasing. You never used to mind before. In fact, you used to tease right back! You're becoming touchy!'

She heard him mutter something under his breath, but she ignored him and leaned over to grab his arm.

'Besides' she continued, 'who's going to take me down a peg or two every time my Gryffindor pride gets the better of me? There's nothing like a bit of Slytherin sarcasm to put me in my place!'

He relented, and gave her a reluctant smile. She let go of his arm and stood up.

'Come on.' she said 'Are you going to show me around, or not? I need to learn where things are, if you want me to help you.' She paused and then spoke half-jokingly, half seriously. 'Er… you _do_ want me to help, don't you?'

He stood up.

'Of course I do, Lily.' he said quietly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and went over to the store cupboards.

As she had surmised, every single bottle, jar, and phial were impeccably labelled and stored, in logical order of frequency of use, and shelf-life of ingredients. Having worked with Severus for years now, she knew he had a meticulous streak, and this confirmed it.

She listened as he explained what the jars contained. He was always brief and concise in his explanations, giving just the right amount of detail one needed and no more, so she never got bored listening. In fact, he barely indicated those ingredients she was familiar with, and only briefly mentioned what was less well-known to her.

However, as she knew he would, he reserved his eloquence for his most precious and interesting items. These he pointed out last, and, as he once used to do back home in the grove by the river, he captivated her interest easily with his fervent descriptions of the wonderful magical properties of the things around them.

He held out a bottle of what appeared to be bottled sunbeams – rays of light actually escaped between his fingers as he held it up for her to observe. She stared at it as he explained how he had added this and that to quicksilver, making it shine like the sun. She was still gazing mesmerised at the bottled sunlight, when he poured it into a dark brown glass phial, extinguishing its brilliance.

Before she could protest, he had taken out a plain stoneware jar with a huge cork. Unstoppering it, he held it for her to examine – there was nothing but grey gravel inside, but the smell it was releasing was other-worldly: earthy and cool, faintly resinous, but fragrant. It reminded her of forest floors, pine needles, ferns, and of something else -. Severus explained how he had distilled the Guelder berries they had gathered, with essence of vetiver, and bark from the guarded oak to produce something that would disguise the stealth cloth's smell.

'So we won't repeat the same mistake with Mrs Norris' he said, referring to the time when the strange, mouldy smell had almost given them away.

'And because you couldn't stand the smell even more than me. Go on, admit it!'Lily smirked.

He grudgingly nodded.

Lily smiled. It seemed Severus had a bit of a fastidious streak too, at least were smells were concerned. She had seen him often enough in potions class turn up his nose after sniffing ingredients that had gone bad, or were not up to his high standards.

He continued to pull down bottle after bottle, his voice hushed in reverential awe as he described some of the rarer of his finds. It seemed to Lily as though his eyes burnt with a dark fire as he gazed on his most prized possessions - there was no other way of describing how they glowed and yet seemed darker at the same time.

His voice washed over her, low and intense. She found herself observing her friend, rather than what he was showing her. She liked his voice. It had changed that summer. She had noticed that when she had come back from her long holiday in France. It had cracked a couple of times those days, much to Severus's evident embarrassment, she remembered.

It had taken her a while to get used to the timbre of his voice, but now she couldn't imagine him otherwise. Especially when he spoke about something that really interested him, like he was doing now. His voice would go low and velvety almost. There was a note of pride now, too, that was seldom there before.

He was right to feel proud of his collection, for she had never remembered seeing certain ingredients before, not even in Slughorn's store. She turned her attention once more to the shelves.

Some bottles contained the pickled bodies of what seemed to be rat embryos, and others were less recognisable. Some opaque, black glass phials at the back of the topmost shelf, were uncharacteristically unlabelled. These Severus did not explain. She wondered if he had got them from his trips alone to the Forbidden forest.

'Now tell me about what you brewed before, Sev.' She cut across his explanation rather more sharply than she intended. 'I'm especially interested in the 'minor mishaps' you mentioned when we were back at the forest last month.'

Severus blinked at her as though trying to remember what he had said.

'Oh, that.' he said finally 'It's nothing.'

Lily placed her hands on her hips, and gave him a don't –try-to-fool-me look.

'Look Lily, I already told you, I experiment a bit, that's all. I do it all the time in Potions, in case you haven't noticed…'

'Yes, of course I noticed. I sit next to you, don't I? But they're minor things, and usually turn out better results than anyone else's. But there were a couple of times recently when you nearly melted your cauldron, and that once when you ended up with a congealed mess…'

'What's your point?' he scowled. Probably he didn't want to be reminded, for Potter and Black hadn't stopped gloating on those occasions.

'Well, if you've dared experiment that much right under Slughorn's nose, Merlin knows what you get up to here. Though of course, now that I know where to find you, I can always alert someone to come and dig up your remains, if you explode the place. But seriously Sev, I…'

'Look, Lily, I'm careful! More careful than you give me credit for, with an unknown potion. I only take calculated risks. You don't brew a poison unless you've got the antidote. Not that I'm doing that….' He added hastily, as he saw Lily raise her eyebrows in alarm.

'I'm worried you could get hurt when alone down here' Lily continued seriously. 'And what if someone ever followed you and saw this place? This would merit more than a detention. I know you said you're careful, but –'

'Then you can help me ward off intruders with a charm. You're good at charms, and I'm sure we can somehow disguise the door, or enchant it in such a way that it will only allow me to enter. I have been thinking about it for a while.'

'That's very advanced magic. I don't know even know if such a spell exists…' she paused. 'But yes, I'll help you- as long as _I _can get it if I need to!'

Severus looked at her for a little longer than she thought necessary, but finally he nodded.

'Alright.' he said. 'Now come help me with this potion. I want to improve the Stealth potion even more. We will need it.'


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58: Christmas Shopping.**

It was the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas, and Severus and Lily were negotiating their way up the High Street with some difficulty, for it was snowing. The wind was howling through the small village, bitingly cold, whipping small flurries of snowflakes against their faces.

Considering it was so close to Christmas, the High Street was relatively deserted. The few people running about, heavily muffled against the cold weather, hurried from shop to shop, doing their errands as quickly as possible.

A lot of the students had found refuge in the cosy warmth of the Three Broomsticks, but Lily, who insisted on buying mountains of Christmas presents, had persuaded a reluctant Severus to join her.

At Lily's request they went straight to Honeydukes. He fidgeted uneasily in the crowded sweetshop, with its sugary, cloyingly sweet smells, as Lily examined the myriad types of sweets and chocolates lining the shelves. He found the smell of the place overpowering, but Lily loved it. Accompanied by the shop owner, she rummaged happily among the jars of sweets, pointing at this one or that one, and having many paper bags filled with the most unusual of the shop's sweets.

Thank Merlin, she seemed to have decided to get most of her presents from the sweetshop, Severus thought. He didn't feel very much like running around all the shops of Hogsmeade. He himself, just wanted some extra parchment, and some things from the apothecary's that he could now afford.

He could afford them because he had redoubled his efforts to make some pocket money by helping his fellow Slytherins with their homework. This meant that he had burnt a lot of midnight oil, but for Severus this was not a big problem. In the days leading up to Christmas he could often be seen late at night in the Slytherin common room together with whoever was desperate enough to ask for help, working by candle light, when the big green lamps had been turned off.

It was not a lot of money, but it helped. His musings were cut short when Lily finally came over to where he was standing in the least crowded area of Honeduke's. Her arms were full of bulging bags of sweets.

'Shall we go to the apothecary's now?' she said.

Severus, relieved, nodded. Wrapping his scarf tightly about his face he stepped out of the shop. The wind whipped his hair around his face savagely, and almost took his breath away. Lily, clutching her parcels, followed him outside. They fought their way through the snow to the Apothecary's, and soon Severus was just as heavily-laden with bags as she was.

'Let's go back to Hogwarts.' Severus said, as they prepared to leave the Apothecary's shop, 'There's a blizzard brewing outside. We'll lose our stuff at this rate.'

'Well, yes, alright. I guess The Three broomsticks will be full up anyway.'

Lily appeared more reluctant to end their visit to Hogsmeade, but Severus refused to be dragged into any more overcrowded places, especially loaded with parcels and bags of precious ingredients, as he was right now.

Besides, he reminded himself, he had promised Lily that he would go over to her house for Christmas, so this year he would be heading back home. He did not know why he had acquiesced, for it meant spending Christmas at Spinner's End. But Lily had been very persuasive.

'Petunia's off on a skiing trip.', she had said, 'It'll be just you and me, and my Mum and Dad; we can do our homework together, study together…'

He had found himself agreeing, and even looking forward, to going.

After all, the old witch Madeira hadn't contacted him, though he had kept his eyes open on previous trips to Hogsmeade. He had hoped she'd be teaching him Legilimency by now, but she must have got cold feet – or perhaps considered him unworthy, despite her cryptic comments on how he resembled his great-grandfather. There was really no point in staying at Hogwarts, if not even _that _was going to happen. He sighed and stepped out of the Apothecary's.

The force of the wind outside, was such that he momentarily staggered. Looking back, he saw Lily struggling with her parcels, blown right back against the wall of the Apothecary's shop. He reached out a steadying hand and she grabbed it, righting herself with difficulty. Though lighter, her parcels were more cumbrous.

They fought their way slowly towards the High Street, bent double against the keening wind. As they neared the edge of the village, they could see in the distance some groups of returning students, probably all convinced that a warm common room would be preferable to the snowed-under village. Lily mimed with her mittened hand, that they should hurry up and join them, and she had just hurried ahead, when suddenly, someone came round the corner of the last house and bumped into him.

Had he not been leaning forward, he might have lost his balance. As it was, he clutched his parcels desperately, unwilling to lose anything in the drifts of snow piled up against the house walls. He looked up to see who had bumped into him.

It was the lame old warlock he had seen two months ago, when he had followed Selwynn and Rodolphus to the Hogshead Inn. To his chagrin, the old man shook an enraged fist at him and hobbled on, heavily muffled in hood and cloak.

Severus, feeling rather disgruntled, hurried on to where Lily was waiting for him. Why didn't that stupid old man watch where he was going? Had he made him drop any of his precious ingredients, he'd have hexed his walking stick to a million pieces! What such a feeble, but obnoxious old warlock was doing in a blizzard, was beyond him anyway!

He glanced back behind him. The old man had almost disappeared from view in the whirling snow, but he was moving surprisingly fast. Then Severus realised that the snow at the old warlock's feet was rising magically upwards in miniature tornadoes, clearing a path as he walked. He had reluctantly started to admire his Spinning charm, if that was what it was, for he could discern no wand. The fine, powdery white snow rose suddenly higher like a whirling, white, dust cloud and then, suddenly, it turned black, like soot, and dissipated.

Severus blinked. He was not sure what he had just seen. Was that a trick of the whirling snowstorm around them? The old warlock was nowhere in sight.

He hurried up to Lily.

'Did you see that?' He had to shout over the screaming wind.

'See what?'

'That old warlock – he disappeared.'

'He must have disapparated. Who wouldn't, in this weather? Come on, let's hurry up!'

Evidently Lily hadn't noticed the warlock's particular mode of disapparition. It wasn't normal. Not that he was an expert on apparition and disapparition. He very rarely saw his mother use it, and no-one could at Hogwarts. Occasionally, at Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, he had seen witches and wizards appear or disappear with a loud popping sound, but certainly not like that. Unless….

A darkened courtyard came suddenly to his mind, and a bent old witch shrouded in grey, shabby robes. He shook his head. It couldn't be. He realised with a start that he had never seen the warlock's hooded face.

Later that evening, well past midnight, Severus was in his hideout in the dungeons, meticulously putting away all his ingredients in their proper place. He could not quite forget that old warlock. Could it have been Madeira in disguise? He had never seen anyone else dissaparate that way. Perhaps it had just been a trick of the light –after all, it happened in the middle of a blizzard. And even so, had it been Madeira, wouldn't she have spoken to him, tried to contact him in some way?

He slapped his head as realisation suddenly hit him. Hurrying over to where he had thrown his cloak carelessly across one the desks he fumbled feverishly in it, trying to find its inner pocket.

If his hunch was right…

His hand found the inside pocket of his Hogwarts cloak, and inside was a crumpled-up bit of parchment.

He drew it out and examined the yellowing, slightly damp scrap of parchment. To his amazement, words started to appear, in red ink and rather large, but neat handwriting, on the paper he held in his hands:-

_ To the last Hogwarts Prince, if Prince ye truly be,_

_ To unlock the mind's most sacred, secret place_

_ You must find the doorway, the arch, the key -_

_ Proceed to where fair Rowena's present choice_

_ Ascend in spirals to their airy tower of grace._

_ Her King of Birds you ask, for none else may tell,_

_The words that grant what Hogwarts gates deny._

_ Words that open a world she once knew well,_

_ A passage to freedom, freedom from wisdom's ties,_

_ Words that lead to a hidden path you'll find._

_ Seven times below your feet the secret archway lies,_

_ down a corridor, and far to the East._

_ There you'll find yourself in an image framed,_

_ There, where right is left, and left is right,_

_ Where your face isn't your own, though so 'tis named._

_ There you'll utter the words you heard tonight, _

_ And your path to the arts that unlock the mind _

_ will be revealed._

_ Meet me the night of the death of the seventy-third year, and the birth of the new. _

Severus stared at it. What in Merlin's name was Madeira playing at? He was sure by now that that old warlock was Madeira in disguise. She must have slipped the letter in his pocket, or magicked it in there, when she bumped into him in Hogsmeade.

Severus shook his head in disbelief – why on earth didn't she just speak to him instead of slipping him what appeared to be a riddle? Or couldn't she just send an owl? He looked at it again, and saw to his horror the words fading fast. He read it quickly, trying to memorise the words, but seconds later, they were gone.

Cursing the old witch soundly, he scribbled the words down on a piece of parchment before he forgot them. He could understand that perhaps Madeira had her reasons for wanting to keep her identity a secret, or perhaps wanting to avoid being seen talking to Hogwarts students – he had been with Lily at the time, - but to pass on to him a self-destructing riddle?

She had promised him she'd contact him in Hogsmeade to make arrangements for Occlumency lessons. All she had to do was give him a time and date that corresponded to a Hogsmeade weekends, that's all!

He looked in exasperation at the words he had scribbled: '…_if Prince ye truly be_…'

He snorted in disgust – apparently she had doubts whether he deserved the name she so obviously admired. Perhaps this was a test of some sort. He read on.

Who on earth was Rowena? But the answer came, unbidden, to his mind: _Rowena Ravenclaw, of course._

He re-read his hastily scribbled notes. It seemed as though some clues where available at the top of Ravenclaw tower. 'Words' that '_open what Hogwarts gates deny'._ The words therefore were probably some sort of incantation or spell that granted him a way out of Hogwarts. Interesting.

Another way out of Hogwarts that avoided the complication of crossing the lake by boat would be useful indeed. Perhaps that is what Madeira meant – such a secret passage out of Hogwarts would make it easier for him to meet her and would avoid having to limit his lessons to Hogsmeade weekends. But why didn't she just give him direct instructions as to where he could find the secret passageway? Why make it so bloody difficult?

He crumpled Madeira's now-useless parchment, and turned back to his own notes with a growl of frustration. The _King of Birds_ bit stumped him. Ravenclaw tower was one of the few areas he had never been to, for he knew the Ravenclaw common room and dorms were there, and he didn't think there could be anything interesting. He hoped the clues did not lie _within_ the common room, for there was no way he would be able to get in without a password.

'_At the death of the seventy-third year…' _Well, that, at least, gave him a couple of weeks to work out the rest of the riddle.

It also meant that he would not be going to Spinner's end this Christmas. This was more important.

He resolved not to mention anything to Lily yet. She had invited him over to her house for Christmas, and he couldn't bring himself to tell her he wouldn't be coming because he was meeting Madeira. Lily had never approved of the old witch since their disastrous first meeting, when Madeira had invaded the mind of Lily's Gryffindor friend, Jenny.

Besides, he told himself, he might not be able to work out the riddle, and Madeira might therefore refuse to see him.

He pushed this thought firmly from his mind, and extinguished the candles as he made his way out of the hideout, and into the dark passage way outside. One way or another he _would_ find out what the mysterious words meant.

As fate would have it, however, he did not need to tell Lily anything about not coming over for Christmas, for one morning, a few days before their Christmas Holidays, Professor McGonagall appeared in their joint DADA class, and after a whispered consultation with Professor BrockleHurst, beckoned a surprised-looking Lily to follow her out of class.

Severus did not see Lily that day. He scrutinised the Gryffindor table at lunch, but she did not appear.

Feeling uneasy, it was only in the evening, after History of Magic, that he could get away to go and look for her. He tore up towards Gryffindor tower. If he did not find Lily, then perhaps her friends would know what happened.

However, as he rounded the corner into the corridor that led to the Portrait concealing the entrance to the Gryffindor Common-room, he almost ran into Lily herself.

'Lily – wha- what happened?' he asked breathlessly.

At that moment he realised that her eyes were red and puffy. Evidently, she had been crying. She bent her head, not looking at him. His uneasiness grew.

'I was coming to look for you, Sev. I'm afraid you can't come over for Christmas because – because –' her voice quivered slightly. ' I've just received a letter from home saying Grandfather died, so we're all going there these holidays, to try and help my grandmother, who has taken it rather badly…' Her voice trailed off.

'Sorry to hear that Lily.' He did not feel sorry really, but anything that upset Lily this way, made him feel bad too.

'It was quite sudden – a heart attack. Mum said he had a weak heart. She sent a letter to McGonagall, instead of directly to me. She thought not to upset me, I think. And to make arrangements to send me back home immediately, if I wanted to.'

'So – so you're leaving right now?'

'No. It's only a couple more days till holidays start, and it would be inconvenient for my Mum and Dad to have to come to London, right now, to pick me up. McGonagall mentioned something about connecting my house to the Floo network, but my parents have already left to pick up Petunia.'

She sighed, still keeping her head bent. A gaggle of chattering first-year Gryffindor girls came round the corner, evidently returning from their last lesson. Some of them looked at Lily curiously.

'Come on. Let's walk.' Severus said, grabbing her arm and guiding her forwards.

He led her down the less-frequented corridors, wondering what he could say to make her feel better.

'Have you – have you ever had someone you know die, Severus?' She asked after they had walked in silence for some moments.

'Not family. My father is an only child, and his parents died before I was born. On my mother's side – well, as you know, they might as well be dead.'

'And how does it feel to be alone in the world, Severus?'

He looked round sharply at her, but she wasn't being trite. She wasn't even looking at him, for her head was bent, dark red hair falling forward, covering her face. She really meant it, but before he could think of an answer, she continued:

'I mean it's just you and your parents, isn't it? Don't tell me you don't care, for I know you do!' Lily looked up at him then, a blazing look on her face 'You were really happy when discovered your family tree – and most of them aren't even alive!'

Severus was about to tell her that he preferred dead relatives to live ones. At least, the former did not have the possibility of disowning him or otherwise discrediting him, but he decided to bite his tongue. He had never seen Lily upset in this way before – not even when she had received a warning letter from the Ministry of Magic last summer.

'I mean, now my Grandmother is all alone.' She continued looking away once more 'How must she feel after so many years with Grandpa? How can she cope?'

'I take it your family will be there, won't they?'

'Yes. And my cousin's family. But we all live far away, and this year my uncle had been talking of moving to Australia. She will be left all alone!'

'_You_ will be left all alone, Lily'

'What?'

'Since your cousins are emigrating, your maternal grandparents died when you were too young to remember, the few cousins on your mother's side have been born and bred in America, then that leaves you almost very much in my position.'

'I didn't know you remembered so much about my family…'

'I have a good memory for genealogical histories. You said so yourself.' he lied.

She gave him a watery smile.

'I still have my Grandmother. We used to have such great times at their house with my cousins. It wasn't very often, but when we did get together, it was fun.' She said reminiscently.

'That's what you told me once, years ago, when they had come over to your house to visit. But then, when they came, you said they weren't so much fun anymore, remember?'

She looked at him, her brows furrowed.

'They had started to act all grown-uppish, yes. But that doesn't mean we didn't have some good times together before. My Grandparent's house used to be so chaotic, when we were there. Really noisy, but we kids loved it! Grandpa and Grandma too. They used to laugh a lot, and didn't mind the noise. It – it will be so silent now…..Oh, why does everything have to end? Why do we have to grow up? Why do we have to die?'

She spoke angrily, but Severus could see tears glistening in her eyes again.

He felt terrible.

He felt terrible because he could hear the nostalgia in her voice, but he could not understand it. It was as though he were being offered a glimpse of something terrifyingly sad and beautiful, but through someone else's eyes. It was foreign to him.

'I don't know, Lily.' he said miserably. 'I don't know why we have to die. Death is something that is always there. Death is a fact of life. The truth is, that I haven't given it much thought, because, I suppose, I don't really–' he stopped short of saying '_I don't really care'_, but Lily was looking straight at him now, her eyes glistening jewel-bright in the light of the torches.

He knew she had guessed the rest of his sentence.

'Anyway, come on. Let's go down to the great Hall. You look as though you need a warm drink or something.'

Later, as he watched Lily toying with her food across on the Gryffindor table in the great Hall, he wondered at her frailty and strength. Death was something new to Lily Evans. She had crumbled before its finality; he had seen her pain. She was unused to it. But then – what he had seen in her eyes, when she spoke so lovingly of her memories, was something he had never imagined or experienced.

Not that he hadn't had some experience of death. Death came often to the houses at Spinner's End, and due to their close proximity, when neighbours died, or tragedies unfolded, everyone knew about them. It was part of daily life.

But it was just that to Severus: a simple fact, nothing more. It never bothered him, and apart from a primeval instinct of self-preservation that made him respect any potential harbinger of death, for he was young yet – any interest he had in the subject was purely academic.

But then, no death he had ever known was connected to anybody he would even miss! Perhaps it was better that way. Perhaps it would be better to avoid the nostalgia, the sad longing he had seen in Lily's eyes earlier. He wondered whether anyone's death would effect him that way – probably not even his parents! He had spent so many sleepless nights silently cursing one, or both of them, that if there ever had been any happy memories to be nostalgic about, he didn't even want to know about them now.

He pushed these thoughts angrily out of his mind, and glanced over at where Lily was now surrounded by her Gryffindor friends. Jenny had a hand on her shoulder, and was patting her back soothingly. Alice and Mary Macdonald were huddled around her, as though they could offer solace by their mere closeness.

At that moment, Lily happened to look up and their eyes met. She gave him a small nod of recognition and a sad little smile.

Suddenly he knew.

He knew then, what he had previously failed to understand. The realisation that someone's life is so intertwined with one's own, that the thought of being torn apart was unthinkable. The realisation that happy days spent together, would become only memories, _nostalgic _memories.

Inevitably, the thought of Lily dying came to his mind, and he shuddered involuntarily. _Unthinkable_. He swore he would never allow any harm to happen to her, let alone death.

The war was gathering pace, and he was not so naïve as to think Lily, a muggle-born, might not be targeted by some of the extreme factions of the Dark Lords followers. It was something that had preyed on his mind for a while, for the reports Rosier and Lestrange were bringing in were becoming increasingly, and unjustifiably, violent in nature.

But she is still underage, he thought. It would be years before either of them could be involved in the war.

Somehow this thought did not comfort him. He watched silently as Lily and her friends got up from the Gryffindor table and made their way out. Before she left the Great Hall, Lily looked back and gave him a small wave of her hand. He felt his mouth go dry.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59: Legilimency.**

It was Christmas morning, and Severus was wandering around the corridors on the fifth floor. He knew that the spiral staircase to the Ravenclaw Common room was somewhere here.

Most of the students had left for the holidays, and the few that remained were outside, enjoying themselves in the abundant snow in Hogwarts grounds. At least, he hoped they all were – he didn't want to be asked awkward questions about why he was up in the Ravenclaw tower.

He had already had an angry altercation with Filch, who seemed to think that students should permanently keep out of sight in their common rooms, or classes. But being holidays, he told Filch he had every right to walk the corridors, if he wanted to.

That had been a mistake, of course, for although Filch strode off, almost purple in the face, he left Mrs Norris to follow him about. The dusty-coloured cat only skulked off, when he pointed his wand at her threateningly.

He finally found the door which led to a tightly spiralling staircase up the western tower. He had been puzzling over Madeira's riddle for days, but some of it seemed impossibly difficult. He had even started to wonder whether he had copied the words correctly from memory after Madeira's parchment had self-ignited.

He was sure that the main clue resided somewhere in this tower, where '_fair Rowena's present choice ascend in spirals to their airy tower of grace'_. And unless he actually went there, he would never be able to solve it. It seemed to him that for some strange reason, the wisest of the Hogwarts founders, Rowena Ravenclaw, needed to leave Hogwarts in secret – perhaps she needed '_freedom from wisdom's ties', _at least according to the riddle, ( though how Madeira knew about this particular aspect of the dead Foundress's character, he could not imagine).

He climbed silently up the spiralling staircase,that had long narrow windows, corresponding to small landings, between the flights of steps. Out of force of habit, Severus started counting the windows – not that he needed any landmarks in this particular tower, for there weren't many possibilities of getting lost.

When he had counted the fifth window, he came upon a landing far larger than the previous ones, and exactly opposite, was a large, arched wooden door. It had no handle or keyhole – just a large knocker in the shape of an eagle.

Severus approached it with excitement. Of course, Ravenclaw's symbol was an eagle! He knew that obviously, but he never expected to find one shaped as a knocker up in the tower. Madeira knew what she was writing after all.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he wondered about this. Somehow he had not thought of Madeira being at Hogwarts – and in Ravenclaw, too. He had assumed she had come from somewhere foreign. Perhaps it was his great-grandfather who had passed on this knowledge to her. That was an even more interesting thought.

Now, to get the words of the incantation. He looked curiously at the bronze bird. It's proud head gazed regally back at him.

Well, the riddle said he must ask the King of Birds. He hoped he was right, for he'd look like a right prat talking to a bronze knocker! Reminding himself of the talking Gargoyle on the seventh floor, he looked the thing right in its bronze eye, and asked:

'What are the words that grant what Hogwarts gate deny?'

There was absolute silence in reply. Feeling rather foolish and slightly worried, for he did not know what else to do, Severs was about to repeat the question, when suddenly, the Eagle's beak opened and a low musical voice issued forth:

'_Thesaurii sapientia libertas est'_

Severus was still gaping at it, when the door opened suddenly. A blond-haired sixth-year boy stuck his head around the door. As soon as he saw Severus, the boy scowled.

'What d'you want? This is Ravenclaw common room. The knocker won't let you in. You're in Slytherin, aren't you? But I thought I heard…'

'I just came to see if Clarence Boots or Xenia Lovegood are in.' Severus lied, inventing wildly. He did not want the idiot to investigate the source of the voices.

'Oh. Well, they're off for the holidays, didn't you know?' He was looking at Severus suspiciously.

'Well, I do now.' He snapped, as he turned and left.

He ran down the steps two at a time, his mind busy repeating the words of the incantation. He hadn't expected it to be so easy. He made a mental note to ask Xenia or another Ravenclaw whether that bird had a propensity for answering people's questions. It would be useful to know.

He also realised that the fact that he had apparently climbed five levels to get to the Ravenclaw Eagle, formed a part of the next clue –'_ Seven times below your feet the secret archway lies'._ If there were five levels in the tower, the entrance to which was on the fifth floor, than the hidden passage way must be:

_On the fourth floor!_

Severus practically tore down the staircase and towards the fourth floor, but at that time, a bunch of students came running towards him laughing raucously. They had apparently let off some fireworks in a fit of holiday high spirits, so when Severus reached the fourth floor he was greeted by many vivid, blue, comet-like lights, whizzing here and there along the corridors, to the delight of some young Gryffindor students who were watching.

Hearing Filch's shouts in the distance, and not wanting to be caught at the scene of the crime like the gormless Gryffindors, Severus hurriedly took a hidden shortcut, and made his way down to the Great Hall.

There was too much commotion to do any further searching today. He decided to do what he should have done in the first place. He would seek the hidden passageway out of Hogwarts at night, when the corridors would be silent once more.

It was past midnight when Severus stole out of his deserted Dormitory. The Slytherin common room was empty. Hardly any Slytherins had stayed at Hogwarts this year. He was painfully aware that he was one of those few.

Rosier had even invited him over to his house for Christmas. He was secretly curious to see for himself how a well-off, all-wizarding family spent their holidays - from what his mother described, on those rare occasions when she spoke about her previous privileged lifestyle, it was a memorable time. However, he had refused point-blank, much to Rosier's chagrin, saying he had things to do. Of course, Rosier didn't buy it for one second, and he found himself agreeing to spend a week at the Rosier estates the following summer. Especially if Lily went on another month-long holiday, he would at least have something to look forward to.

Reaching the Entrance Hall, Severus threw the Stealth cloak over himself. He hadn't bothered with making himself look like someone else – it was too difficult to get a sample of someone else's blood for the Stealth Potion, anyway. He hoped that the slight distortion of the visible space that the cloak created around him would not be noticed.

There were only a couple of days left till the New Year, and he was getting anxious to solve the final part of the riddle. There had been too much activity of late, to risk it. He reached the fourth floor without any mishap, gliding past the library doors silently, as he made his way towards the eastern corridors of the fourth floor. Then he paused, thinking about the last lines of the riddle:-

_ There you'll find yourself in an image framed,_

_ There, where right is left and left is right,_

_ Where your face isn't your own, though so 'tis named._

A mirror. He knew it had to be a mirror.

He was well enough aware of how potentially powerful, magically, a mirror could be. He himself had created the Two-way mirror, using a modified Switching spell, after all.

But he could not remember seeing one on the fourth floor – probably because he had always headed straight for the Library. Chiding himself mentally for being so short-sighted, he went down the silent, dark corridors, examining each portrait, each picture, each door, by the light of his wand.

The wand-light was a bit of a give-away, but he had to find this mirror.

Finally between a door that was magically sealed, and a beautiful picture of a landscape of narrow valleys between high mountains, he found the mirror. He wondered why he had never noticed it before, because although it was rather narrow, it was unusually high – it's ornate, guilt frame almost touched the ceiling.

He pulled off his stealth cloak and looked at his reflection in the mirror, his heart beating faster. His tall, thin frame, eerily lit by the blue light of his wand, seemed dwarfed by the sheer height of the mirror.

He drew closer, watching his reflection do the same, until his own eyes were looking directly into his.

'_Thesaurii sapientia libertas est'_ he whispered, with bated breath. '_Freedom is Wisdom's treasure.' _

For a moment nothing happened, but then a small smile appeared on his face – not _his _face, but the one in the mirror, and he saw himself move backwards, and, with a sweeping motion of his hands, his reflection invited him inside the mirror.

Clutching his wand tightly, Severus stepped into the mirror. It was like passing through a cold sheet of ice.

The corridor behind him, with its wooden panelling and ornate portraits disappeared, and he found himself in a dark, narrow passageway. It was not dank and damp, or roughly-hewn out of the living rock, like some of the older dungeon passages. It was cold, yes, but the walls were elaborately carved with runic inscriptions, and strange geometric designs. He could tell they were not crude graffiti from a bygone age, for they were carved in a pattern that followed the curving stone passageway downwards.

There were also inscriptions in the Lingua franca, in Greek, and many other languages he did not recognise. There were also stellar constellations, that, as soon as they caught the light of his wand, glowed themselves with their own bright light, thus illuminating the corridor ahead.

'_Nox_' Severus whispered.

This place was designed by witches or wizards to light up when sensing wandlight. Perhaps it was designed by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, he mused, resisting the temptation to stop and examine the mysterious symbols and signs along the walls.

The corridor twisted and turned, always going steeply downward until after what seemed an eternity, it levelled out suddenly and remained straight for a considerable distance.

It seemed to Severus that he had been walking for at least an hour, and he debated whether he should turn back, when he noticed the corridor rising slightly.

It ended suddenly, and quite prosaically, for such an elaborate and elegant passageway, in a rather shabby, wooden trapdoor in the roof of the tunnel. The tunnel was very low at this point, so he tried to push it open, but it was closed.

'_Alohomora_!' he said, but still it remained closed. _Magically_ closed.

Growling in frustration at having come all the way here just to be foiled at the end, he tried everything he could think of to open it, but it would not budge. He resisted the temptation to beat it with his fists.

Whoever had sealed it, had done a good job. He wondered if it was Madeira. He would have to wait and see, for New Year was still two days away. If it didn't open then…! With a last scowl at the trapdoor, he turned round and retraced his steps.

New Years Eve started well enough with the students once again sitting at one great table in the centre of the Great Hall, together with the staff. The food was terrific, but Severus could not touch anything. He was too excited. Tonight he would have his first lesson in Legilimency.

That is, he told himself, severely, if he _did _manage to open that trapdoor. But he felt fairly sure that tonight, the night of the death of the seventy-third year, it would open.

He noticed Dumbledore looking at him keenly out of his bright blue eyes. He hastily pretended to be interested in his plate until he felt Dumbledore's eyes leave him. He had not forgotten Dumbledore's mysterious warning, during his very first Christmas at Hogwarts, and he did not want to rouse his suspicions about his planned trip. He then remembered uncomfortably, that Dumbledore himself was a great Legilimens.

He left table as soon as he thought it was decently polite to do so, and hurried off to the deserted dormitory and impatiently waited till he thought the corridors would be most deserted. Then he set off towards the fourth floor corridor.

He had worn the stealth cloak, for, being New Year's Eve; he knew that some of the students remaining at Hogwarts would be out and about, determined to see the New Year in. Once more he wondered why on earth had Madeira chosen such a night to start his Legilimency lessons! If the trapdoor opened in the middle of Hogsmeade high street , it would be very difficult to remain unseen, when everyone was out celebrating the New Year! That was another reason he wanted the stealth cloak with him.

He reached the mirror on the fourth floor without mishap, and began the long and winding descent through the tunnel and out of Hogwarts castle.

It was almost midnight when he arrived at the trapdoor. With some trepidation, he put his hands against the rough wooden planks and pushed hard.

He had fully expected it to be closed again, so he was very surprised when the wooden trapdoor flipped suddenly open, and landed with a resounding crash on what appeared to be an earthen floor. Expecting resistance, he had pushed the trapdoor rather violently.

After waiting for a few seconds to see whether he had attracted any attention, he decided to explore. Finding some convenient footholds carved into the wall he started climbing (rather awkwardly because of the cloak), through the trapdoor.

He found himself in a dark room. It did not appear very big, for he could make out a dusty chandelier hanging from a low ceiling, but the corners of the room were hidden in shadow, because the faint light from the glowing constellations of the tunnel below, had gone out now.

He stood up cautiously, wand at the ready. At least, the tunnel did not lead to the middle of a crowded street. It was the smell that hit him next – the earthy, musty, smell of an unused building. It was very familiar to him, but there was something else, too. Damp and mildew, and – books! He recognised the particular odour of old, worm-eaten books, just as his eyes, adjusting to the dim light, discerned the cobweb-festooned cabinets lining the walls in front of him. They were full of books. It appeared to be a bookshop or library of some sort, but judging by the dust and general air of neglect, it was an abandoned one.

The only light was coming from a grime-encrusted window between the cabinets. He approached the window carefully and looked out. Almost exactly opposite, was the creaking sign of the Hogshead Inn. He tried to remember, from that day when he had lingered outside that Inn, what was in front of the it – he had a vague impression of a dilapidated, boarded-up shop window, with a sign that was too old and worn to be read. He had been more interested in spying upon Selwynn and Malfoy that day, to notice anything else.

Whatever that building had been, it appeared that he was now in it.

'So you came after all, _Severus_. Welcome.'

He whirled round.

A dark, hooded shadow from the furthest corner of the room moved forward into the dim light coming from the window. He could not see her face, but he knew it was Madeira. He whipped off the stealth cloak he was still wearing.

'How did you know it was me?'

'No-one else knows about the passage behind the mirror, nowadays. Besides, that curtain you're wearing – that has been dipped in a modified version of the Stealth Potion, hasn't it?'

She indicated the heavy material that now hung limply in his hand. Realising that she somehow recognised the Stealth Potion as his Great-grandfather's invention, he changed track quickly. He was not yet ready to investigate whether she knew about his possession of a banned book on Dark Arts, from whence the recipe for the potion had come.

'Why did you have to make it so difficult?' he asked, ignoring her question. 'Couldn't you just have told me the incantation to open the archway? And why tonight? Hogsmeade must be full of witches and wizards celebrating the New Year!'

As if to confirm his words, a series of load, raucous shouts and laughter, accompanied by bangs and bright lights, like small fireworks, came from the Hogshead Inn opposite. Apparently, the New Year had been born.

The flashing light filtering through the boarded up window, illuminated the room, revealing it to be rather smaller than he had first thought. Or perhaps because it was crammed with dusty book-cabinets, that it gave that impression.

'Tonight everyone will be celebrating. They will not be seeking Old Mother Madeira for anything. And tonight, I do not want to be disturbed.' She said ominously, taking a step closer.

Severus could now see her ravaged face beneath the deep hood she was wearing.

'Tonight,' she continued, her eyes, glittering strangely from the depths of her hood, were fixed on him. 'I will see if you are indeed worthy of learning the rarest of all magic arts. So far, you have proved, beyond my expectations, that you are, indeed, your great-grandfather's heir in more than just looks…'

'So that riddle was a kind of test, or something.'

'More than a test. You have now gained knowledge on Hogwarts that few before you have known. You have walked in your great-grandfathers footsteps, Severus.'

'So it was he who discovered it, not you? Were you ever at Hog -?'

'No. As I told you before, I come from a far away land, and my education was... different. When I arrived here in my youth Severus Prince was my mentor. In exchange for the knowledge of what he called my 'exotic magic', he let me share some of his secret discoveries in Hogwarts and elsewhere. Rowena Ravenclaw's secret passage was one of them.'

Then she removed her hood and with a flick of her wand the trapdoor swung shut once more in a flurry of dust from the earthen floor.

'Now, follow me.' She said

With an uneasy feeling of being somehow trapped, Severus followed her round a rotting wooden counter, and up some rickety steps behind it. These led to another trap-door like opening through which Madeira climbed with some difficulty, and then waited for him to come through.

He found himself in a surprisingly large room with a big fireplace at one end, flanked by two winged armchairs; a plain, but wide, wooden table at the other end of the room, and some floor-to-ceiling cabinets filled with books.

There were no traces of dust or cobwebs on these cabinets, though. In fact, the whole room was clean and cosily lighted by the flames of the fire in the grate.

With a wave of her wand, Madeira lighted several lamps hanging from brackets on the wall, so that Severus could see the room clearly. Many strange objects, including what appeared to be dolls, or puppets, hung from decorative hooks on the wall. A large picture covered by drapes over the mantelpiece; a door at the far end of the room; and another boarded-up window completed the decor.

'What is this place anyway?' Severus asked, tearing his eyes away from one particularly ugly, swarthy puppet to look at Madeira.

'An old bookshop – been here for centuries. It's been abandoned for these last hundred years. Except for an old goblin, who was hiding here, when I found it. Gave it a reputation as a haunted place, so no-one would come near it.'

'But _you_ have.'

'Of course. I sent that smelly old fool of a goblin packing, encouraged the rumours that an Inferius, had been here, and then moved in myself.'

'Doesn't anyone suspect…?'

'This place is protected and disguised in a way that even Merlin himself would find irresolvable!' she cackled.

Severus said nothing, but looked sceptically at the boarded window. Perhaps they were charmed so no light would leak through.

'Now let's get down to the matter at hand, Severus.' Madeira said, coming round the table towards him. 'We will start with Occlumency – the ability to defend your mind from –'

'I came here to learn Legilimency!' Severus snapped. He had taken a lot of risks by sneaking out of Hogwarts, at night, and to an unknown destination, to be told he would be learning something he did not consider as important.

Madeira's face darkened.

'So you want to learn only Legilimency? Perhaps you think it is not useful?' she said softly, eyes narrowed.

'No, not useless, but certainly not as important!' Severus answered, defiantly.

'Ah, so you think Occlumency is not as important...' Madeira continued in the same dangerously soft voice. She leaned closer, her distorted face within inches from his, and her eyes borrowing into him. Severus tensed.

'Then you shall learn the truth!' she hissed suddenly, and with a fluid movement, she brought her wand round to rest with it's point on his left temple.

'_Legilimens!'_ She shouted, before he could even react.

The room swam before his eyes, became blurred, and was replaced by a rather small, grey room, which he recognised with some surprise, as the living room at Spinner's End. Yet it was different. It was unusually warm and he noticed a fire burning merrily in the grate. There was a wreath of green ivy along the mantelpiece.

Before he could wonder at how on earth he'd been transported back to Castleforth, a noise at one end of the room drew his attention. Tobias rose from a chair in front of the fire, tossed aside a book he was holding, and made his way towards him.

Severus froze, but what almost made him gasp out loud was the fact that his father was smiling warmly at him. He was tall, so very tall, and, as he loomed over him, Severus realised that it was he, Severus, who was small. Tobias bent down close to him and ruffled his hair, still smiling.

'Here you go, son. Dropped your book, didn't you?' A small, brightly-coloured book was placed in his hand. A feeling of comfort and warmth that was his, and yet not his, washed over him.

Tobias's face was younger-looking and unlined, his blue eyes were not bloodshot, and when he straightened up again, there was no stoop to his shoulders.

'Here you go, little one. Fresh from the pan.'

His mother came in from the kitchen at the back and handed him something wrapped in a cloth, that smelled wonderful.

She smiled down at him while he unwrapped what appeared to be a batch of cauldron cakes. Her black hair was sleek and long, falling down across her face as she helped him unwrap the little gift.

Then she stood up, flicked her sleek long tresses back, and looked at Tobias. She smiled and put her arms round his neck. Tobias circled his arms round her waist, drew her closer, and kissed her.

Severus gaped at them, the cakes lying forgotten, but still warm, in his lap.

'He's got your hair and eyes.' mumbled Tobias looking at him over his wife's bent head.

Eileen looked back at him too, smiling fondly. 'He is young yet, Tobias. There will be your traits in him too, I'm sure. But you will have to wait before you can teach him football – he can hardly walk yet!' Laughing lightly, she turned and snuggled closer into her husband's arms.

The room wavered, blurred and started to fade away. Severus fought it angrily. He wanted to see more, but something was inside his head, forcing him to remember other things…

Against his will, he looked up to see his father once more. This time they were not at home, but he recognised the patch of waste ground downriver, close to the junkyard. This time the memory was more familiar.

Tobias was standing over him, still much taller than he was. But this time, the expression on his father's face was a furious one. At their feet was a muggle football – a new one, but it lay at their feet deflated, one side having burst open.

'I'm sorry, dad. I – I didn't mean to…'

He had been trying to teach him the muggle game, and Severus had repeatedly failed to hit the ball properly. It was the time when he had been forced to start attending the local primary school. It was soon after he had learnt that the strange things that kept happening to him; strange things that he could do, that sometimes made his mother happy to see, and sometimes frightened her, were making him very unpopular with the other kids at school.

It had been a trying day at class, and it was when Tobias had yelled at him, calling him useless and a freak, unconsciously echoing his classmates insults, that it had happened, and after a loud blast like a cannon-shot, a useless ball lay at their feet, like a small black-and-white corpse, and Severus was apologising for he knew not what.

'You bloody freak! You've done it again! I've been trying to show you how to get along with your mates, how to make them respect you, and you've gone and blown it! Why, you –' and with a quick movement he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and frog-marched him towards home.

Severus tried to shake his head weakly. He knew the belting that would come. But the junkyard and tall Mill chimney shimmered and faded once more, and he was plunged in darkness.

It was the darkness of his own room. Loud, angry voices filtered through the bare floorboards. He was crouched in one corner, shivering, still small enough to fit in the little space between the small wardrobe, and the wall by the window.

It was a familiar scene – he did not even know which occasion this was. But he had apparently already learnt how to get out of their way when they argued. He knew not to remain in the room now.

The heavy pall of dread lay heavy on his shoulders, and a frightened blackness was in his heart, that seemed as though it could never ever be dislodged. He gazed dully at his scuffed, broken shoes and bare ankles, beneath the frayed edge of his pants. There was a sound of broken crockery, followed by a duller sound, and a woman's shuddering scream of rage and fear that ended in a choked sob. A door slamming, and then silence, broken only by the mere whisper of silent crying downstairs, and the tinny music of a transistor radio from one of the houses outside.

The blackness deepened inside him, and he could feel the warm wetness of his tears as both rage and helplessness fought a battle inside him.

The darkness of the room about him seemed to distort, colours shimmering in the gloom, and once more, he was being urged to remember...

The darkness around him was illuminated by the green light of what could only have been a spell. The light intensified, and he saw that it emanated from a wand – _his_ wand, until it coalesced in a long, sinuous shape. A green snake reared its narrow head in front of him, the rest of its body tensing in tight coils, as it prepared to strike. The counter-curse! He had to remember the counter curse! He glanced briefly at the old book lying open on the floor beside him.

'_Serpens evanesco_!' he said, and the snake vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

The book. No, not the book. The book was a secret! No-one but himself, knew where it was. He tried desperately to fight the urge to remember.

_Remember where you found the book?_ Urged the presence in his head. _Or did someone give it to you? What do you remember?_ He tried desperately not to think about it. He tried to dredge up another memory that would obliterate its image from his mind, and the shimmering distortion surrounded him once more...

A hard fist slammed into the side of his head, and he reeled backwards, momentarily dizzy. A hand grabbed him roughly by the loose fabric of his T-shirt, shaking him. He felt the warm trickle of blood pouring from his cut brow down his face. A sour smell filled his nostrils and words were shouted at him

'...that – that little, red-headed floozy, with her high and mighty airs, right to our front door! If you ever dare-'

But Severus twisted lose from his grasp, pushing Tobias violently in the chest as he did so. Blood was pounding through his head, and an all-consuming rage was making him literally shake as he stood. He looked his father defiantly in the eye - he was almost his height now.

'You will leave her out of this!' he said, pointing a shaking finger in his father's face, and noting with savage pleasure, how his eyes widened in disbelief at his own son's audacity 'I'll be damned if I let you speak to her like that again! If you ever drag your drunken carcass near her, I will curse you to a bloody pulp!'

'Why you – you –' his father spluttered, slowly turning purple with rage. '-you freak! You ungrateful, worthless, puny, freak! I'll teach you! I'll knock some sense into you! Think I can't still handle you? You've got another thought coming, boy!' and with that he grabbed Severus by the hair, and one arm, twisting it painfully, until he had forced him to his knees. His mother screamed as his father's foot crashed into his ribs, whilst another blow landed across his mouth. He lifted his arm to ward off the next blow. He had to get away; he had to get out _now_! Out of the house, out of his own mind!

The house at Spinner's End shimmered once more around him, his father's yells died down into silence, and Severus found himself half-collapsed over the broad table, panting hard, one hand arm still held up to ward off the blow that never fell. His hair was plastered to his face with sweat, and he was still shaking with the rage and fear of his last memory.

He lowered his arm, and lifted his head slightly to find Madeira bending over him, observing him closely. Her wand was lowered, and there was something in her expression, that he had never seen there before. Was it _concern?_

His head throbbed painfully as he struggled to regain his composure, and straightened up, willing his hands to stop shaking. What the bloody hell had she done to him? Was this Legilimency? Were those early memories real? He had wanted to see more of them, but had been powerless to stop her delving into other memories. What had _she_ seen? Had he managed to stop her seeing the book, or finding out about Lily?

'That, Severus, is Legilimency.' Madeira said. She spoke softly, but not unkindly. 'It is a weapon. For it arms you with something beyond the realm of spells – it arms you with knowledge.'

'What – what did you see?'

'Only what _you _saw. Not your feelings or thoughts – those were only for _you_ to live through again. It is rare for any Legilimens to share even _that_. But I saw enough, and am experienced enough, to correctly interpret even beyond what I see in your memories, Severus.'

She paused, looking at him with the same strange, almost sad, expression. Then she continued:-

'And so, it is as rumour has it – Eileen has truly descended into a living hell. Her rebellious spirit, and the winning smile of a muggle man, led her to make a mistake no-one of the Prince bloodline would ever forgive. And your father has never accepted her superiority. Nor yours. It rankles. He broke your mother's spirit, and now is trying to undermine yours…

'He won't!' Severus spat.

How did she conclude all that from those brief flashes of memory?

'No, I do not think he will.' she said slowly. 'But do you see now, Severus, the importance of Occlumency? You have armed me with knowledge that is dangerous. If this knowledge falls into the wrong hands…' she lowered her voice. 'The Death Eaters have already been nosing around. They know of my gift, and they thirst for knowledge. They would investigate any unhappy muggle-witch relationship such as that in your own home.'

There was a pregnant pause.

'So why haven't they come already?'

'I have my theories. But I'm keeping them to myself for now. What I need you to realise, Severus, is the importance of Occlumency. I would have known none of this had you been able to block me out. I would not have found out how weak Eileen has become, I would not know about the book you are hiding, I would not know how your father has beaten the both of you, …'

She stopped as her words sunk in. Severus noted, to his mortification, that his hands had started to tremble. His head throbbed painfully.

Madeira seemed to realise, for she put her wand in her pocket, and pulled out a chair from under the table.

'Sit down.' She said, speaking in a kinder voice, than he had hitherto heard her use. He sank gratefully onto the wooden chair.

'I will make you some tea.' she continued 'The first time one is subjected to Legilimency is harsh, and I did not spare you, for you had to learn.'

'Madeira –?'

Severus had one question burning inside him now, for after this experience he was not as sure of himself as when he had started. The old witch, who was on her way to the door, turned to look at him.

'Do you – do you think you could teach me, after all? I mean, you once said that one has to have an aptitude for this art, and after what just happened-?'

Madeira came back slowly round the table and stood before him. Then she leaned forwards, placing her hands on the table, so that her face was inches from his, and smiled. This twisted her distorted features into such a grimace, that Severus barely repressed a shudder.

'You, Severus, have an amazing mind! Not only did you manage to stop me in the end, though you may not have realised it, but you also managed to manipulate which memory to bring forth, in order to divert me from what I wanted to see. Given that this was your first experience, and that what you were reliving should never, ever, be in any young boy's mind, it is, indeed, a notable feat, worthy of Severus Prince himself.'

'Oh.'

He had not been really aware of what he was doing. Madeira straightened up.

'So I will, indeed, teach you the arts of the mind. Consider it a gift from your great-grandfather, through me, to you. But we will do it on my terms. Occlumency first. You will now have realised its importance.' she added severely, before continuing. 'Then we will proceed to Legilimency, which is far more difficult, though the two go hand in hand. Now for that tea, for you're that pale and clammy, you look fit to faint.'

And she bustled off once more towards the door at the back of the room.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60: Celebrating Death**

Lily leaned her head against the window in the Gryffindor common room gazing blankly at the snow whirling about outside. She welcomed the cold of the thick, glass window pane against her throbbing forehead. She had been back at Hogwarts for three days now, yet she could still not shake off the pall of sadness left over from her Christmas holidays.

They had been terrible holidays. They had started with her Grandfather's funeral, the day after school ended for Christmas. She clearly remembered walking through the snowy streets of her grandparent's hometown, towards the tall, steepled church, her breath foggy in the cold air. The windows of each house twinkled with Christmas lights, and the warm glow of cosy fires, in anticipation of the coming festivities. The church itself had been decorated in wreaths of ivy, bearing candles.

The rest was a bit foggy, but she remembered her father walking close to her grandmother, an arm placed protectively around her shoulders. What could he possibly protect her from? He couldn't protect her from her own memories, could he? Probably he knew that, for she had seen tears in his eyes as he sat down near her in the pew, glancing often at her Grandmother's thin, papery-white face, and the inward-seeking expression on her face.

She had never seen her father crying. Nor her mother. They were the adults in her household – strong and invulnerable. It had been terrible and frightening. She felt as though she had somehow, inexplicably, grown up in those few days. When Petunia wouldn't stop gossiping about who came to the funeral, who should have come, but did not; and who came, but should have stayed away; she even resisted the temptation to stuff her face in the nearest snow-drift. Perhaps it was Petunia's way of dealing with it.

But there were times when she half-wished she had accepted Mary MacDonald's offer to stay over at her place for Christmas. That way she would not have needed to see her Grandmother's frailty, her parent's vulnerability. She would not have had to see the swing in the garden where she used to sit with her Grandfather, while he told her jokes and stories about his escapades in the war; his favourite chair by the fire, where he used to amuse her and her cousins by singing funny, and sometimes rather rude, rollicking songs he had learnt in the navy. Other times, the songs were ballad-like and plaintive, and her grandmother would accompany him then in her thin, quavery voice, her old eyes seeking his, as they shared secret memories.

She leaned against the window of Gryffindor common room, feeling tears prickling her eyes. For she knew, despite it all, she would never have accepted Mary's invitation. She would have gone anyway. She couldn't have stayed away. She would not have left her Grandmother or her parents alone in their misery. Even though she did not know whether her presence could make any difference – especially what she overhear her uncle tell her father, the day after the funeral, late at night, when they thought she and Petunia were asleep.

Her father had been urging his younger brother, her uncle, to have himself checked himself out, for he, her father, had inherited his own father's bad heart. The doctor had told him so. Her Uncle hadn't wanted to listen. He would be emigrating to Australia come summer, and nothing was going to stop him – not a bad heart, nor even the fact that his mother was old and frail. 'She's not bedridden is she?' He had added in an angry whisper. Lily couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, for her father had got up and closed the door of the room then, but she could hear loud whispers of resentful voices.

Lily had not slept that night. And her dreams since were disturbed, for she often found herself waking up in the middle of the night, anxiously looking for her father, with an inexplicable feeling of dread, and an absolute need to do something, _anything_ to help.

She knew it was probably due to what she had overheard, for though he looked well enough the day she left to come back to Hogwarts, she knew that his own health lay in the balance. He had also gently explained that he and her Mum would be staying some months with her Gran to 'help her settle,' but Lily knew that they would need to tell her that her other son was leaving for Australia.

She wondered what her Grandma would do all alone with nothing but fifty years' worth of memories of a shared life to think about all day.

She blinked her eyes rapidly and forced herself to look out of the window at the blurry whiteness of the falling snow outside.

'You want to join us in a game of Wizarding Chess, Evans?' A voice interrupted her thoughts.

It was Potter.

She blinked rather foolishly at him for half a minute. Potter rarely spoke to her, or rather, if he did, it was usually to boast about some stupid Quidditch game or pass snide remarks about Severus, so she consistently avoided him in the common room or outright snapped at him. That, of course, was part of the reason why they never spoke.

'No thank you.' She said, still rather surprised at his request.

Perhaps he was going to try and amaze her with his clever Chess moves. Or perhaps because she was sitting all alone, when everyone else was crowded round the fire, talking and laughing, or doing their weekend homework, for it was Saturday. She hastily got off the window ledge, wondering whether she should start her work too. Considering they had hardly been back three days, work had already piled on. But somehow she did not feel as though she could face it right now. Mary and Thalia had gone to their Charms club, and she didn't know where Alice and Jenny were.

'Come on, James, let's go down to the Great Hall, Cedric Knowles, that Ravenclaw fifth-year promised to show me how to ... you know... that _spell_.' Sirius Black's voice trailed off to a secretive whisper. Lily glanced at the table where he was sitting with James Potter, Pettigrew and Lupin.

Pettigrew was leaning over, eager to hear what Black was saying, and Potter held a box containing the wizarding chess pieces. He was looking unsurely at Remus Lupin.

'Will you be alright, mate?' Potter asked, looking rather anxiously at Lupin

'Why don't you come with us, Remus?' continued Sirius black. 'It'll take your mind off things.'

Lily wondered what he had on his mind, but she could understand their concern, for Lupin's face was very pale, and he looked as though he was sickening.

'It's ok. You three go ahead. I'd better do some advance studying in case I have to... you know... go visit my mother soon.' Remus replied, indicating a pile of books before him.

'Right. Well, see you later then. And don't worry, we're working on it, mate. You won't have to be alone in this.' And with a wave of his hand, Potter turned to go. Black and Pettigrew bid him goodbye and followed him too. The four of them had become quite inseparable and they were very protective of Lupin, Lily mused. He certainly looked as though he needed it now.

Lily realised she had been staring at Remus Lupin and that he had noticed. A slight flush diffused his pale face, and he bent his eyes on his work, ignoring her. Lily stood there for a moment hesitantly, but something about what they had said stuck in her mind. She sat down in the chair Potter had vacated.

'Hi, Remus. I couldn't help overhearing what they said. Is – is your mother Ok?'

He looked up at her and a wan smile crossed his face. It wasn't the reaction Lily had expected. But then a hooded look crept into his brown eyes, and he looked down once more at his work.

'She's as well as can be, thank you. I just have to visit, er ... you know, sometimes.'

'Oh, well. Er...glad to hear that. If you want any help, you know, with your reading and stuff, just let me know...' she indicated the work before him.

'Thanks, but James had already planned out my Transfiguration stuff, he's good with that, and Sirius helps me when James is off to Quidditch practice, so I guess I'll manage. But thanks. Really.'

He looked up and gave her a shy smile

Lily nodded and was about to get up when he spoke again.

'I heard you had a bad Christmas, Lily. I'm sorry to hear that.'

She shrugged, suddenly not wanting the conversation to go in that direction.

'Well, I guess I'd better leave you to your work then. I have to go see what Severus is up to…'

And she slid off her chair and towards the Girl's dormitory, not seeing the clouded look on Remus Lupin's face as she watched her disappear up the stairs.

She had hardly seen Severus since she arrived, apart from a few shared lessons, for he seemed very busy, or otherwise surrounded by his Slytherin friends, who seemed to have to have a lot to say to him.

Today, however, she was determined to catch him alone – for one thing, it was his birthday, and if he didn't remember, (which was likely), at least she could cheer him up with a birthday greeting. For what little she had seen of Severus these two days, gave her the impression that he had looked tired.

This was not like him at all, but he had shrugged off her concern during their first lesson together, and had looked instead, searchingly and rather wonderingly, into her face, as though determined to find something different there. However, he had correctly guessed that she didn't want to talk about her miserable holidays and avoided asking her anything.

She rummaged in her bedside table and found two bottles of butterbeer she had bought on her last Hogsmeade trip. Perhaps they both needed cheering she thought, as she grabbed the two-way mirror, and set off once more down the staircase.

Bidding a cheery goodbye to Remus, who was still looking at her with an expression of concern she tried hard to ignore, she climbed through the portrait hole and made her way down to the Entrance Hall.

There weren't too many students around despite the fact that it was Saturday. Probably the freezing cold corridors of Hogwarts and the blizzard outside were too unwelcome, compared to the cosy warmth of each house's respective common-rooms.

This time, Lily was determined to find her way alone at least past the Slythein Common room and down those dungeon passageways that appeared to her to be familiar, before she resorted to calling her friend on the two-way mirror. Remembering her last encounter with disgruntled Slytherins, she kept her wand with her, but she did not see anyone except a sixth-year girl and boy coming out of one of the classrooms holding hands. They glared at her, and quickly let go of each other's hands as she passed by.

She hurried on, feeling rather nervous as she approached the Slytherin common room, but she encountered no-one. A few minutes later, she came to a corridor that divided into two: a passageway that slanted sharply to the left, and another level passageway, that veered off to her right. She wasn't too sure about which one to take, but decided to go right. She'd retrace her steps and call Severus, if it was not the right way.

The passageway continued level for quite some time, but then dropped sharply downwards via a long flight of broad shallow steps. The temperature seemed to drop suddenly as she went down the steps. It was cold – very cold, and her breath hung mistily before her as she tried to determine the way ahead, for there were no longer any brackets bearing torches. She drew her cloak around her, shivering, and was about to light her wand when she saw a dim blue light in the distance.

Hoping she'd recognise something soon, she made her way towards it, climbing further down the broad shallow steps. She soon realised that the blue light was coming from a series of rather unusual, black candles held in iron holders on the wall.

She couldn't be in the right place. The tunnel-like passageway that led to Severus's hideout was very rough, and partially hewn out of the living rock; whereas this passage was wide, and had been built from smooth stone that ended in a vaulted ceiling.

She had decided to retrace her steps when she heard the sound - it was an eerie, mournful dirge that seemed to be coming from a huge, round, door at the end of the dim, blue-lit passage. Although the music was muffled by the heavy oak door, she could discern many voices in unison: deep, male voices throbbing in low sad notes, and high female voices rising above them in plaintive song.

Lily stood there transfixed as the music swelled around her, speaking of sorrow and longing. Her heart felt as though it would break with sadness, even while wondering who and what was behind that door. She wanted to turn and run away from the source of sadness, but her legs felt weak. At that moment, the music died down, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Then she heard a rustling, whispering, sound that seemed to creep through the very fabric of the walls around her.

Dead voices.

Lily felt the prickling of the hair at the back of her neck. Please, no more death, no more dying! Her breath caught in her throat, a choking sob. She fumbled in her bag, found the two-way mirror and brought it to her face.

'_Severus_!' she choked out.

But there was no response. Perhaps he didn't have the mirror. Perhaps he wasn't even down here in the dungeons.

The thin, blue flames on the black tapers along the wall behind her flickered suddenly, as though blown by an invisible wind.

'Severus!' she called again.

This time, her white-blue face disappeared from the mirror, to be replaced by a familiar face framed by long black hair. She saw his eyes widen.

'Lily! Where in Merlin's name - ?'

He must have seen the strange black candles behind her, just as she had seen the cabinets of his hideout behind him. Thank goodness he was here!

'I – I think I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere' she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. 'I – there's something strange here, Sev, and I don't know where I am…'

'Stay where you are, I think I recognise that vaulted ceiling. Does it have a wide flight of steps?'

She nodded, glancing again at the blue flames that were dancing once more on the thin, black tapers. When she looked down at the mirror once more it only reflected back her white, scared face.

She stowed it away in her bag and chided herself angrily. You're a Gryffindor! She told herself. You just can't fall to pieces because of sad music and some weird candles!

She took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. It's probably just because I've been thinking of Death too often, recently. Probably there is a reasonable explanation to this – this - choir or whatever it is. She noticed that the whispering, dead, voices had stopped and there was silence.

It was then that she noticed the smell. It was horrendous, and also seemed to be emanating from the round door at the bottom of the steps. It was like nothing she had smelled before – rotten flesh, mixed with something else she could not quite make out.

What horrors did that door conceal?

She stumbled backwards up the steps and collided with a black-cloaked figure behind her. She gave a frightened shriek before she realised it was Severus, who had come swiftly and silently down the steps towards her.

She clutched his arm thankfully, steadying herself against him, and pointed a shaking finger at the door.

'Something's strange down there, Sev. There was this really sad music and – and –'

At that moment the music swelled out again, but this time it was solemn, rather than sad, and the voices were raised in unison, in a chant that was vaguely familiar to her.

Severus stepped in front of her, wand at the ready. She saw his nose wrinkle at the smell, which was getting stronger.

'Have you ever been here before?' she whispered.

'Yes, but it's never been lighted up like this before. Or smelled this bad –!' he was clearly puzzled, but otherwise unperturbed.

'I'm taking it that you've never heard music down here before, too.' Lily said, feeling considerably calmer now that her friend was near.

'It's Gregorian Chant'. Severus explained.

'That's what monks sing, right?'

He nodded.

'Shall we have a quick look?' he continued 'I'm guessing some ghosts are at the bottom of this. Or trolls. They smell bad, too.'

'I'm not barging in on a troll!'

'Where's your Gryffindor spirit, Lily?' Severus smirked. 'Besides, I doubt if trolls would be singing in Gregorian Chant!'

She laughed in spite of herself. 'Oh, you're impossible, Sev! You always have to find out, don't you?' she said, with a snort of exasperation.

But her irrational fear of moments before had totally disappeared. It seemed ridiculous now, with Severus and his cool logic by her side, to have been so effected by strange music and lights.

Severus crept silently down the last steps towards the great wooden door. He bent down and peeked through the keyhole, then, before Lily could stop him, he placed his hand on the iron handle, turned it softly, and cracked the door open.

The chanting stopped.

The sight that met Lily's eyes was one of the strangest she had ever seen. The room was a sort of low, dungeon cellar, for there were rows upon rows of wooden supports for barrels of wine. The barrels themselves were missing, except for some broken ones down the first row. But what was extraordinary was the large number of ghostly people floating in a tight group in the middle of the room, holding open books in their hands.

It took a moment for Lily to realise they were nuns and monks of some sort, judging by the long habits they wore. They gave off the usual pearly glow Lily associated with the Hogwarts's ghosts, and that, together with the blue lights from the thin black candles, was the only illumination in the room.

She realised that they were all looking at her and Severus with surprised expressions.

'Good Lord, live ones!' exclaimed a Nun wearing a long veil.

'Ah, young Master Prince! Welcome to my Deathday Party', exclaimed a jovial voice to their side. 'I always knew you'd come, eventually.'

The round figure of the Fat Friar, the Hufflepuff Ghost, came into view. He had apparently been leading the ghostly choir in song moments before.

'I'm Severus – Severus Snape.' But he did not appear surprised to be thus addressed.

'Bless my soul, lad, 'tis true. My mistake. But you are so like him, both in looks and in your habit of wandering the lower reaches of the castle, that the name of your relation seems to have stuck more in my head. We ghosts see students come and go so quickly, you know, that time sometimes seems to stand still between one generation and the next. And who might this young lady be? A Gryffindor, eh?

He smiled at Lily, who felt as though she had wandered into a bizarre dream, had it not been for the intense cold, and the disgusting smell which was pervading the whole place.

'I'm Lily Evans, er…Friar –' she realised she did not know his name.

'Ah, it does my heart good to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, such traditional rivals, in pleasant company together…'

Lily and Severus automatically looked at each other as he said that, smiling benignly at them the while.

'Did my Great-grandfather wander anywhere in particular, then?' Severus asked. He knew he was pushing it, but after all, the Nun in the portrait had mentioned that the Fat Friar knew his anscestor.

'Oh, he was in Slytherin like you, of course. So he _did_ use the dungeon storerooms with great frequency. Brewing advanced potions no doubt, though I never saw him. But a brilliant student like that – he was not content with just the routine lessons, and who could blame him? He was on par with Dumbledore, did you know that? But he preferred to take a back seat...'

'I know he was in Dumbledore's year, yes, but –'

'Would you like to partake of our feast, my children?' the Fat Friar said indicating a black-draped trestle table covered with silver platters. 'I know that ghostly food is unpalatable to live ones like you, so I can get the house elves to bring over something fresher...'

The explanation of the smell soon became clear as they realised that the table bore nothing but rotten meat and mouldy fruit.

'The rotting flesh is a symbol of what was our own frailty as mortals.' The Fat Friar said, looking at the black and green, discoloured food rather sadly. 'But if you wait awhile, more guests are coming, I was taking the choir through its paces...'

'No, I don't think we'll be staying...' Severus started, scowling and looking with distaste at the smelly, putrefied mess on the table. Lily hit him in the ribs with her elbow. She knew he was disgruntled at the Friar's obvious attempt to change the subject, but she couldn't have him offending a roomful of sad ghosts.

'So this feast is in memory of your ...er... your passing...?' she asked delicately.

'The day I died, yes.' The Friar answered her, quite unabashed. He looked over smiling at the group of Nuns and monks who had now closed their books and were talking to each other or gliding around the table. Suddenly Severus burst out :

'Look, I know what happened to my Great-Grandfather, alright? All I'm asking you, is whether you ever saw him down here, and where, exactly!'

Lily held her breath.

The fat Friar's smile slid off his face, but he didn't look angry, he appeared sad. Glancing round to see if the other ghosts were looking, he lowered his voice and said:

'Haven't I just told you he was, like you, apt to wander the dungeons here? He was not the only one. I forgot how many times I came upon him and Albus Dumbledore practising spells together in a deserted classroom, or down in the dungeons. They were very good friends, you know. Gryffindor and Slytherin too, like you.'

'Were? Did they not remain so, then?' Lily could not help asking, catching his use of the past tense.

The Fat Friar looked nervous.

'They quarrelled. I don't know what about, but after that conflagration, I never saw Albus Dumbledore down here again.'

'Conflagration -? You mean they duelled?' Severus asked.

The Fat Friar nodded. 'Probably. There was a great noise and I heard it from near the Hufflepuff common room which is underground, too. When I reached young Prince, he was alone, in a broken and blasted dungeon tunnel with water seeping down from the lake above, and with such a look of hatred, as I hope never to see on a young face again. Of Albus Dumbledore, there was no sign.'

He sighed, his round, translucent, face registering his dismay as he recalled that day.

'It was a pity to see the end of such a great friendship.' he continued, shaking his bald pate sadly 'I hope yours fares better.'

Lily stole a glance at Severus, but he had his eyes fixed on the Friar,

'This happened in his fourth year then! Just before he left Hogwarts.' Severus said in a flat voice.

'Now don't go reading more to this than there is, my child.' The Fat Friar said, placatingly. 'I am sure he did not leave Hogwarts because of a childhood quarrel. After all, the staff fixed the leaking tunnel, and that was not much worse than other spell damage that happens from time to time at Hogwarts... The rest are just rumours...'

'Just rumours. _Of course_...!' |Severus answered his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lily suddenly realised what he was thinking. The old note he had found in Filch's office written by his predecessor, Pringle. Severus Prince had been practically expelled from Hogwarts due to some books on Dark Arts he had written, and he had been betrayed by another student... But surely not - ? No! It couldn't be! But she knew that that was exactly what Severus was thinking!

Clearly, the Friar did not know more.

'We're leaving now.' Severus was saying curtly. The Friar inclined his head sadly, and Severus whirled round and made his way towards the door. With a hasty farewell, Lily hurried in his wake.

'Severus, I'm sure it's not what you're thinking!' she panted, trying to keep up with him as he swept up the shallow staircase with long strides. 'It couldn't be Dumbledore that gave him away. Even if he _was_ writing dark stuff, he was his friend, and Dumbledore would never –'

'Wouldn't he though?' Severus spat, stopping suddenly and turning to face her 'How do you know what he would, or wouldn't, do? Seems he liked the limelight, didn't he? Perhaps he didn't want to share it with my Great-grandfather anymore. Perhaps he thought he might outshine him!'

'And perhaps Dumbledore didn't want to be part of some Dark Arts project!' Lily shouted, her temper getting the better of her.

Severus's eyes darkened with barely-restrained rage as they bore into her.

'Exactly!' he said, in a deceptively soft voice that did not fool her one bit.

She knew that he was probably one second away from hexing her into next week, but she stood her ground.

'Exactly' he repeated. 'It all fits. The Fat Friar practically confirmed that this happened before he had to leave Hogwarts. Dumbledore was jealous of his skills, and found a ready excuse in revealing that he was compiling a book on Dark Arts. He might even have dabbled in it himself, if they were such great friends, but the handwriting on the book was that of Severus Prince, so he betrayed him!'

'Severus Snape! Just listen to yourself! Dumbledore, meddling with the Dark arts? What _are _you saying?'

Lily could see this was a strong argument, for she saw him struggling for a suitable retort.

'It may be impossible to know exactly what happened more than seventy years ago,' he said after a while, 'but I know for sure that he must have been the one to give away his secret!' and he whirled round, continuing up the steps towards the main passageway.

Lily hurried after him, unwilling to let him think so badly of Dumbledore.

'This happened such a long time ago,' she persisted 'It could 've been any other student. Just because they quarrelled –'

'Look, Lily, back in first year, Dumbledore said something to me about how dangerous certain books can be. If _that _is not a veiled threat...?'

'Perhaps he was just keen that you do not follow in your great-Grandfather's footsteps, because he must have known what happened to him!'

'Oh, he knew, all right!'

Lily ignored this. 'What if he knows about your book? Have you thought about that? What if he suspects that one book escaped confiscation?'

Severus glared at her. Probably she was following the same line of thought he had back in first year.

'If he _does_ know about the book, then I've got to assume he was the student mentioned in the records in Filch's office as one who gave away the existence of the two Books on Dark arts, and the one who insisted that there was a third in existence!'Severus said, venomously.

'It still does not prove anything! They could have got to know about all this from any other student...' But even in Lily's ears, this sounded rather lame.

'Look, Lily, just drop it, ok?'

'No I won't!' she shouted, her temper flaring up again. 'After all, this happened ages ago! Why is it so important to you? You are Severus _Snape_ and not Severus Prince! You are starting to make it sound as though you have been personally wronged yourself, when really, your Great-grandfather has been dead for years!'

Her voice echoed loudly in the dark dungeon tunnel, and she bit her lip. She felt she was being rather unreasonable about it too, but she did not know why. Severus stopped in his tracks. Then he turned round slowly to look at her. She could not see his face in the dark but she could feel the rage coming off him in waves.

'_Lumos_!' He hissed, and the blinding blue-white light of his wand shone in both their faces.

'You want to know _why_ it should be important to me?' he said in a low, angry, voice. 'Because the dead do not lose their importance just because they are dead! I thought that _you_, Lily, should know that now – I have seen how you have come back from the holidays looking like a ghost yourself!'

His words hung accusingly between them. Lily felt something snap inside her, and the familiar prickling of tears behind her eyes, but before she could say anything Severus was continuing:

'So, as I said, forget it! It is evident that you just don't want to admit that saintly old Dumbledore could have betrayed his own friend!'

With that he lowered his wand, and was about to turn and proceed on his way, when Lily burst out angrily:

'Perhaps what Severus Prince was dabbling in, was magic so dark that he _deserved_ to be betrayed!' Lily shouted.

Her voice echoed once more down the deserted passageway, leaving a pregnant silence in its wake. The instant the words were out of her mouth, Lily regretted them. Something shifted behind Severus's dark eyes as he gazed fixedly at her face. He took a step backwards, his face a still mask.

_Would you, Lily, betray me?_ - The unspoken question hung between them.

'Severus, I –I -' she started, then realised she did not know what she was going to say.

But Severus had turned around and was striding down the dark corridor, his black, billowing cloak disappearing in the shadows as he put out his wand.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61: Fourteenth Birthday.**

Lily remained several seconds standing alone in the pitch-black darkness of the dungeon passage way, biting her lip. Then she tore off after him. What the hell had possessed her to say such a thing? She hadn't meant it that way!

She ran on, stumbling on the uneven floor, down the corridor she had seen him disappear into. There were no torches here, but apparently, Severus did not need light to find his way, for there was no sign even of wandlight. Neither were there any footsteps she could follow, for his walk was silent.

'_Lumos'_ she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. She was forced to illuminate her way, for she had no idea where she was.

The blue-white light showed a passageway that divided in two just ahead. One tunnel-like passageway curved sharply to the left. Without the slightest bit of hesitancy, she knew it was the one to take. She did not know whether she remembered it from last time or not, but she was certain that Severus was down that tunnel.

The blue-white wand-light jumped crazily ahead of her as she ran down the narrow tunnel, and at the very bottom, she recognised the old door with the ornate hinges and strange symbols on the jamb.

It was closing.

'Sev, wait! Please!' she shouted.

With a burst of speed, she was just in time to place her hand on the edge of the door, preventing it from closing. Looking through the crack of the door, she gazed up into a pair of smouldering dark eyes. It was the only thing that seemed alive in his face, for the rest of it was the pale, calm, mask of a few moments before.

Lily knew him well enough now, to realise that her thoughtless words had hurt him.

He was still holding onto the door, though he had desisted from pulling it shut.

'Look. I didn't mean it that way, Severus. I – '

'In what way did you mean _what_, exactly?' he said.

'About – about dabbling in dark magic, and – and –'

'Deserving to be betrayed?'

She felt herself flushing beneath his burning gaze, and lowered her eyes, feeling the familiar prickling of tears. She blinked rapidly, unwilling to give in to tears. Somehow in recent weeks, she seemed more prone, and she was sure Severus would not appreciate a silly girlish weakness like that.

'About that, yes, I –'

'So you think I am dabbling in Dark Magic!'

Lily looked up at him and her voice was steady: 'I know it fascinates you. I know you read that Book on Dark Arts. Your Great-Grandfather's book. The one that _escaped confiscation_.'

This time it was Severus who looked away.

'Knowing the Ancient Arts, and reading about them, is not the same thing as _practicing _them! And their darkness lies in the intention of the castor of those spells.' he said, tersely.

Lily felt an unreasonable spark of elation at his words, but she continued:

'Some spells, or potions, can never be used except with ill-intent, for they were invented for that purpose. Remember the spell on summoning Inferi in your book?'

'Perhaps you think I'm holed up down here with an army of dead bodies, planning to overthrow Dumbledore's regime?' He answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Why don't you go tell him? Perhaps he would love to see if he could get another book on Dark Arts, for his collection! I'm sure he'd love the excuse to finish off what he started all those years ago!

'Severus! _Don't_ !'

'You still think Dumbledore is beyond such things, don't you? You think that he - '

'It's not Dumbledore, you idiot! It's me! I wouldn't betray you! I wouldn't betray you, even if you were dancing with the devil himself, down here! I ...' She choked back a sob.

Tears spilt over, and she wiped them with the back of her hand. She looked up to see Severus looking at her wide-eyed through the crack. She moved closer.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered through the crack. 'I really, _really_, wish you would leave that old book alone, and anything else that has to do with forbidden magic, for whatever you say to the contrary, you're playing with fire!' she paused, looked up at him, and said steadily: 'But I would never betray you like that student did your great-grandfather.'

What she could see of Severus's face through the door was still inscrutable, but she thought

she saw his eyes soften a little.

'What I would do,' she said, feeling slightly encouraged, 'would be to come down here myself and burn that bloody book, if the choice was that, or your expulsion! Now, are you going to let me in, or shall we continue this conversation through a crack in the door?'

This time she definitely saw his lips twitch upwards in a suppressed smile. Wordlessly, he opened the door wide, and stepped back to let her in.

With a sigh of relief, she stepped inside and put out her wand, plunging them both into temporary darkness, until Severus lit one of the torches in a bracket on the damp, stone wall.

After her outburst, Lily felt slightly awkward. Severus was still standing there looking at her intently. Perhaps he was regretting letting a semi-hysterical girl into his secret hideout. She flushed, remembering how silly she had been to be alarmed by the death-day party, too. She had to stop acting so emotionally – boys didn't like that sort of thing, and Severus, among all boys she had known, was the least inclined to show any emotions at all.

She cast around for something to say, for she was getting uncomfortable under her friend's silent gaze. Suddenly she remembered.

'D'you know what I was coming down here for?' she asked, putting her bag on one of the desks, and rummaging around in it.

He shook his head silently.

'Well,' she said 'I was coming down here to look for _you_. Today's your birthday, Sev.' She got out the two bottles of butterbeer she had got with her, and held them up. 'I thought we could celebrate with these. It's nothing much, but I did not have much time for... for... buying presents these holidays, so... well...'

She paused, noticing a flush of colour slowly diffusing her friend's pale face. She smiled and held out a bottle.

'Well, at least I remembered, whereas probably you didn't, even! Happy fourteenth, Sev!'

She raised the butterbeer in a toast.

'Thanks, Lily.' He said, rather thickly.

Then he went over to the fireplace, threw some wood in and lighted up a fire. Then he beckoned her over to the two chairs she had placed there last time she had come.

'I see you haven't forgotten my lecture on creature comforts.' she grinned, as she saw the neatly stacked pile of broken wood, some logs, and lumps of coal that lay to one side of the fireplace.

'I thought I'd keep them mostly for when you come, actually.' he said, his colour deepening. 'The cauldron fire's enough for me when I'm brewing. Its only when I'm studying, that it gets a bit cold...'

'Freezing, you mean. Why don't you study in your common room? It's warmer.'

'Noisier, too.' he replied, taking a swig from his bottle, but Lily thought he looked slightly uncomfortable.

She remembered with a twinge of dread, that he had never denied having stowed away his dreadful book here, even now, after her specific accusation moments ago. Was it what he was studying? Possibly.

She stole a look at her friend as he sat in the wooden Windsor chair near her, gazing into the crackling fire. But he seemed absorbed in his own thoughts now, and didn't notice her. She studied him closely, aware that there were some subtle changes that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Of course, he was fourteen years old now – his face was even thinner than she remembered, which accentuated his high cheekbones. This, together with the fact that his nose was becoming more aquiline, gave him a rather disdainful look. He had let his hair grow too long again – probably couldn't be bothered to cut it. The firelight gleamed on its black, but rather limp length, that fell beyond his shoulders, and strands of it fell across his face as he gazed into the fire.

His mother's hair, Lily mused, remembering the thin, pale woman with long jet-black hair scraped into a bun at the back of her head.

She had had only a glimpse of Severus's parents, but their image had been imprinted upon her brain forever, given how disastrous that meeting had been. And probably Severus was on the way to inherit his father's hooked nose, she thought, as the image of his father took hold of her mind. That particular image brought other unpleasant thoughts with it, so she pushed them determinedly from her mind.

Severus was _Severus,_ her friend, and not his father or even great-grandfather. And there was something else about him that was different. She bent forwards, trying to determine what it was.

It was then that she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. His eyelids were lowered, long, thick lashes shading his eyes, but he was not drowsing, for she could see the red flames of the reflected fire flickering on the dark pupils. There was a slight frown on his forehead, and his lips were compressed in a thin line.

He was tired, but there was something that was preventing him from sleeping, from resting. Her impression of a couple of days ago had been correct. Severus was rarely tired, and even more rarely, allowed signs of it to show. And this appeared beyond tired – it was a haunted look.

'Hey, Sev.'

'Mmmm?'

'You look tired. What have you been doing these holidays?'

'Nothing much. Studying, I guess.'

'Exams are months away!'

He didn't answer her for a minute, then he said:

'I'm learning some new stuff. Languages, mainly.'

'_Languages_?'

'Well, I thought they'd be useful. Madam Pince said some books in the restricted section are in Phoenician, Cyrillic, Romany, and ancient Armenian, and have never been translated into English.'

'But – but that's a lot to learn! I had a year of French in Muggle school, and I barely know more than a smattering. Who's teaching you?'

'No-one. Just from books.' he nodded towards a pile of open books on the desk behind them, but Lily felt he was not telling her everything. Studying languages late at night might explain the tiredness, but not the haunted look in his eyes.

With an inward cringe she remembered that he had told her she looked like a ghost herself, earlier.

'I was brewing Wit–Sharpening Potion, before I came for you. It helps.' he added.

Lily frowned, looking at the dying embers beneath the cauldron near the desk. A brass scales weighed down on one side with chopped ginger root, and a flask of Armadillo bile, indicated that he had, indeed, been interrupted.

'Wit–Sharpening Potion? Isn't stuff like that a bit dicey? I mean, won't it get you hooked on it, or something?'

Severus made a noise of disgust. 'Addicted, you mean? You're confusing magical potions with those stupid drugs muggles take to make them perform better, but end up poisoning both their bodies and minds! I would never allow myself to get enslaved that way – neither by magical nor muggle potions!'

Lily felt a wave of relief. She and her sister had been warned so often by her mother about the danger of meddling with drugs, that she had developed quite a phobia. After more than two years of magical school, she knew that brewing potions was an altogether different matter, but she could not shake off some of the apprehensions of her muggle up-bringing. She had to ask:

'Could any potion have that effect though? Be addictive, I mean?'

'Look Lily, of course some potions can harm you. Some are _poisons_, for Merlin's sake!' he said, with a touch of his old impatience, 'But I'm not stupid enough to let anything harmful, or with unknown properties, pass my lips! If it makes you feel any better, we'll be brewing Wit-Sharpening Potion in fourth year!'

'Oh.'

She glanced once more at the half-prepared ingredients in neat piles on the desk, and the last glimmer of dying embers beneath the cauldron, and felt a twinge of regret. Severus drank the last bit of butterbeer from his bottle and tossed it aside, passing his hand wearily over his face.

'Look, Severus.' She said placing a hand on his arm and looking earnestly into his tired face 'Why don't you go and rest? This is all my fault. I've ruined your potion, and I feel really bad about it. So I'll brew it again for you. Just leave me the instructions. I'll be very careful.'

He looked at her in silence for a minute, then she saw a half-smile curl his lip.

'No. But I'd like it, if you helped me.' he said quietly.

She gave his arm a squeeze to show she'd do anything to make up for her mistake.

'Come on, then. But let me do the donkey work. I deserve it after making you lose all this.'

'It's partly salvageable.' He replied, following her to the cauldron, and peering inside. 'If we heat it, and then separate it out by passing it through ground pumice stones…'

'There's quite a lot of it.'

I was hoping to sell some to the fifth-years – they'll be sitting for their OWLS soon.'

'Oh.'

He had told her last year he was helping some of his housemates in their studies. She hadn't thought it would include selling them potions. As though he knew what she was thinking, he said:

'Well, it beats having to help some people with their homework. Some are just too thick to learn anything.'

'Hmm. I can see the attraction. Anyway, at least you're selling them something that would really work. Pettigrew tried to sell Mary a charmed amulet to help concentration, but she realised just on time, that it was really a ribbon dipped in Ashwinder egg fluid. Would've set fire to her hair, had she worn it. Anyway, ...' she took Severus's small silver knife in her hand '...let's get cracking.'

Severus turned to the store cupboard to get the pumice, while she set about chopping the rest of the roots finely, taking care to use the silver blade in deft strokes, as she had seen him do countless times before.

It was many hours later, that she cautiously made her way back out of the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall, Severus having insisted on accompanying her past the Slytherin Common-room.

To her surprise, it was early afternoon. She had not seen the time fly as she helped her friend salvage the Wit-Sharpening Potion. Truthfully, down in the bowels of the castle, it was difficult to tell the time for it was always dark, but they had been pleasantly occupied, and perhaps, she thought wryly, they were treading more carefully around each other, after their near-quarrel.

She certainly was, for she hadn't forgotten how he had come to her aid, and how her hasty words had hurt him. On the other hand, something was niggling at the back of her mind. He was keeping something from her, or else he was worried about something, and did not want to tell.

Despite knowing that she would never betray her friend, she fervently prayed that whatever he was hiding, had nothing to do with Books on Dark Arts.

With a sigh, and one last look at the entrance to the dungeons, she turned to the Grand staircase and made her way up towards Gryffindor tower.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62: Occlumency**

It was Friday afternoon, and Lily and Severus were coming out of Ancient Runes. The lessons were becoming more difficult now, for their teacher was insisting on speaking only in that ancient tongue, and many students were forced to interrupt him, and ask for translation. They were also being requested to write in the runic script.

Only Severus managed to get most of the work correct. Moreover, he surprised everyone when he answered Old Professor Clynderwen's questions unhesitatingly in the same language, earning the old teacher's rather surprised admiration.

'That was really fabulous, the way you answered old Clynderwen!' Lily said 'You sounded just like him, accent and all! Your nights of studying are paying off. Hey, d'you want to come and see Ravenclaw's practice session? They're playing Hufflepuff tomorrow!'

Severus looked at the blustery weather outside. It was mid-March, and although the snow had melted, violent storms, and strong, icy-cold wind reminded them that winter was not yet over.

'No thanks. I've got some work I've got to catch up on.'

Lily made an exasperated noise.

'You're going to burn yourself out, Sev! You need to get out of that damp place sometimes, and get some fresh air.'

'That's not where I was going.' he said, shortly.

He was not going to his hideout, but he had very specific plans indeed, and he did not want Lily to know, or even suspect, where he was going. Lily was looking at him with a slight frown, biting her lower lip. He studied her face closely. She suspected something, of course. He tried to determine to what extent, but found himself concentrating on the soft fullness of her lips instead. She looked away.

'I just have to help one of the second-years with something, that's all.' he said, tearing his eyes away with difficulty. He had to throw her off track.

'Oh. Well, at least I'll see you at the match tomorrow, won't I?'

He nodded, and she turned to leave, obviously disappointed. Severus followed her with his eyes up the staircase, trying to ignore the slight swaying of her figure, visible beneath the long school robes, and focus on the matter at hand. When she had disappeared from view, he hurried away toward the shortcut to the fourth floor.

Many Ravenclaws would be coming down to see the practice session in preparation for the match tomorrow, and he had to get to the secret tunnel behind the fourth floor mirror, before the corridor was overrun with students.

He stopped in front of the elongated mirror, and after checking one last time to see if he was alone, he whispered the incantation, and waited until his own reflection invited him through.

At least he had no more stupid riddles to solve, he thought, as he hurried down the steeply sloping corridor, lighting up the glowing constellations above with a flicker of wandlight. Madeira had previously agreed with him that another Occlumency lesson would be held tonight.

Not that he had had many of them, since his first one in January. Apparently, Madeira had many other mysterious errands, and she had only given him a bare handful lessons. If he tried to get through the tunnel on any other except the appointed day, he would invariably find the trapdoor magically sealed.

So today, he was eager to arrive possibly ahead of the appointed time, and perhaps convince Madeira into recounting something about his great-grandfather, her old mentor. For despite the fact that she still obviously respected him and his work, she was strangely reticent about Severus Prince's life.

She confirmed that he had, indeed, left Hogwarts when he was fifteen, to return for some time to his native Ireland, but eventually continued his education in Durmstrang, where he eventually also sent his son, Severus's Grandfather Lorcan. She, Madeira, had met him many years later, in 1918. But other than these bare facts she had not disclosed, and Madeira was not easy to surprise, or trick, into saying anything she didn't want to.

At least, despite the small number of lessons, he was making great strides in learning Occlumency. He could now block her with ease, and she had progressed to teaching him how to control what to allow the legilimens to see. This was more difficult than outright blocking one's mind.

In reality, he was glad enough to be able to do the latter – at least he would not have to relive his childhood memories, as he had done during that disastrous first lesson. Memories he did not even know he had, like the brief glimpses of his mother and father's original love.

That had been so shocking, he had at first wanted to see more. But Madeira had forced him to relive, with older eyes, quick successive memories of his parent's descent into their present hell. He had felt again the same heavy dread of those days, and yet, somehow, he had seen things in a different light, from when they had originally happened.

She had also seen his great–grandfather's book on Dark Arts in his memories, and though he had expected her to interrogate him about it, she never again breathed a word, after that first brief mention of it.

He was positive that she wanted that book, and that she was only biding her time.

He actively avoided trying to think about his Great Grandfather's Book, for he did not want her to find out more. He also did not want her to determine the extent of his friendship to Lily. He thought he had managed quite well with the book, for the time he spent reading it, were now very limited.

But it was another matter with Lily. He could not avoid thinking about her, and most of his days in recent years, were spent with her, both at Hogwarts and at Castleforth. Madeira called forth these memories with ease at first, though he struggled desperately to block her out. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do, for Madeira had a knowing leer, whenever this happened. At least, he hoped he had kept her from learning exactly what he _felt_ about Lily. Feelings that for years he shied away from admitting, even to himself, for they were too precious, too -

He suddenly found himself at the end of the tunnel, and stopped his musings to open the wooden trapdoor above his head. Climbing through it lightly, he made his way through the dusty shelves of the old bookshop towards the stairs at the back. Madeira didn't wait for him down there anymore, but remained in her rooms above.

At least, he was now convinced of the importance of Occlumency over Legilimency. Knowing he could block Madeira, or anyone else, from entering his most private thoughts was a relief.

He climbed up into the cosy warmth of the small room above the shop. Madeira was sitting at the broad wooden table reading a book by the light of an old lamp. Several strange objects were placed on a purple cloth to one side. Severus recognised a small replica of the strange puppet-like dolls hanging at weird angles from pegs in the wall, and what appeared to be sea shells of a shape and form that he did not recognised.

'You came early.' She stated in a flat voice.

'I thought we could do a bit more.'

'Humph. I barely released the protective spells, and I find you in front of me. Your form of punctuality requires a different definition.'

Severus said nothing, but looked curiously at the objects on the table. However, with a flick of her wand, Madeira sent them flying towards a drawer at the bottom of a bookcase, which opened to receive them.

Then she stood up, picked up the book, and made her way towards the door at far end of the room, that led to a small kitchen at the back.

'Go sit down there.' she said, indicating one of the winged armchairs in front of the fire. 'I have to ...um... send an Owl, before starting today's lesson. It will take a few minutes.'

And she opened the door and disappeared inside. Before she closed the door, Severus caught a glimpse of something strange within. It was a shallow bowl made of stone or white marble placed on the small kitchen table in the middle of the room. This would have been quite unremarkable, had not the contents inside it been shimmering with a strange light. They were not emitting a glow, like some potion ingredients did, but rather it was a swirling, rippling light effect he had never seen before.

His curiosity was aroused, but he knew it would probably be useless asking Madeira. Like the objects she had vanished into the drawer, she probably had reasons for not wanting him to know.

With a sigh of frustration, he made his way to the fireplace, which was crackling very merrily. Rather unusual for Madeira, he thought. They never used the armchairs or sat near the fire when he had lessons, but always sat at the plain but robust wooden table at the other end of the room. Perhaps she was expecting company. He was about to throw himself down in the armchair, when a voice called his name.

'_Severus!_ Oh my _lord_! _Severus _, you've – you've come back!'

He whirled round, for a moment thinking the voice had come from the fire, but then he realised that it was coming from the subject of the large portrait over the mantelpiece. He had never paid it much attention before, for it had always been covered by drapes, but tonight it was not.

With a constricting feeling in his middle, he also realised that the subject of the portrait was the most exotically beautiful woman he had ever seen, and that included some of the moving photos of glamorous witches Wilkes had recently taken to passing round the dorm sometimes.

'Come closer.' The girl in the portrait said.

She had a low, husky voice, and for some reason he could not quite fathom, her request made his heart beat faster.

He inched forward, feeling an irrational fear to run away, yet at the same time he could not take his eyes off her face.

She was a young woman, not more than seventeen or eighteen, and she was dressed in a low-cut white shirt clinched tight at the waist by a broad black sash, and an exotically colourful skirt. Long, black curls fell to her waist, and her skin was like burnished gold, with a faint blush of rose pink on her cheeks. This colour deepened as she continued to stare at him out of her large, liquid brown eyes.

Severus noticed this, and cast around desperately for something to say to break the awkward silence. Apparently, here there was no use for the formality he was used to at Hogwarts, and he was 'Severus' both to Madeira, and this strange beauty.

'What do you mean by 'you've come back'?' he asked, trying to instil some degree of sense into this conversation.

'You look so _young_, Severus!' she said, ignoring his question.

Before he could make heads or tails of this comment, she leaned forward in her frame, smiled and whispered, in her low voice;

'Do not be afraid. Please come closer to me, Severus. I would love to look upon you one more time...'

He wondered when the first time had been, since he had never laid eyes on her before, but he thought he detected a slightly sad inflection in her voice, as he crept as close as he could to the portrait, so that he was looking up into her beautiful face from only inches away.

Cursing himself inwardly for the unreasonable, panicky feeling that was rising inside him, he forced himself to look into her face. This was only a portrait, for Merlin's sake! What harm could it do?

It was her eyes that spoke to him – their deep, beautiful depths were fixed upon his own, in an intense and burning gaze. For a moment he thought she was practicing Legilimency. But how could she? She was only a portrait!

And yet –that look! Those lips, ruby-red and half-parted, so that he could almost feel her warm breath on his face, as her swelling breast rose and fell with intense emotion. No-one had looked at him like that before! He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. He felt a slow flush rising in his face, and a strange feeling in his belly, but he could not tear his eyes away. It could have been seconds, or hours, that he looked at the portrait of the exotic girl, but when he finally thought he would explode if he stood there any longer, Madeira came in to the room.

'What in Merlin's name are you doing?' she shouted furiously, and with a wave of her wand, she sent a scarlet velvet cloth lying on one of the armchairs, flying through the air to drape itself over the portrait of the girl.

'Who – who on earth was _that_?' stammered Severus. His heart was still hammering fast in his chest, and he realised he had been holding his breath.

'A foolish, young girl!' Madeira said tersely. She appeared angrier than she should have, considering he had only just looked at the portrait.

'But she said ...!'

'Never you mind what she said!' Madeira interrupted, angrily 'She was skilled at the entrancing arts. If she could, she would have attempted to seduce you!'

'She – what?'

That was an entirely unheard-of concept for Severus. Seduce? Him?

'Why would she want to do that?' he asked, rather naively, he supposed.

Perhaps too naively, for Madeira did not answer. She waved her wand once more, and several text books flew out of the bookcase onto the table.

'She seemed sad, though...'

This time Madeira did look round.

'My lessons on sensitivity finally becoming useful, eh? Well, don't waste them on her- she's not worth it!'

'You haven't answered me. Who is she?'

'Someone that's been gone for many years. Now, come here and let us get started. I thought you wanted to start early.'

Her voice held no trace of her previous sharpness, but Severus knew it was no use to question her further. With a scowl, he went over and threw himself down on one of the wooden chairs.

'Don't let your feelings show on your face, Severus.' She chided him, calmly. 'If someone refuses to voluntarily give up information, it would be wise not to show how eagerly you want it. It will lull the witch or wizard's defences against Legilimency.'

He wanted to snap back that she had just bitten his head off for looking at a stupid picture, but he bit his tongue and tried to suitably compose his face into an I-don't-care attitude.

'Hummph. Not very good at controlling our temper, are we?' she grumbled. 'I've noticed that trait in you. It's one of your weaknesses. You are getting better at Occlumency, but if I had to get you riled up enough, I could probably penetrate your mind with ease…'

She looked at him calculatingly as she said so, and Severus tensed. During the previous lesson, she had tried to read his mind without warning, trying to catch him unawares.

However, she eventually turned to the books in front of her, and opened a heavy tome written in a strange cipher.

'Have you studied the ancient Brythonic and Pictish texts I gave you?'

He nodded.

'Then read me this passage.'

He did so, though rather haltingly.

'Hmmm. Better than I expected. You seem to have a natural gift for languages, but old Brythonic isn't a live language. With Russian however, we can do better. It is still a spoken language, and one which I knew well. I might have an idea of how to improve your accent, and speech patterns.'

'Why in Merlin's name do I have to do that? How many Russians d'you think I'm likely to meet?'

'Not many muggle Russians, given the circumstances in the muggle world, but witches and wizards…'

'Can't I just learn the written word? That's all I need. I'm getting tired of all this language stuff. I want to get on with Legilimency – or at least Occlumency.'

Madeira did not answer him for a minute, but looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

It had been her idea to teach him languages. It was basic training for both Occlumency and Legilimency she had said, but apart from the fact that he had improved at Ancient Runes, and now had more access to foreign books, he did not see the point in continuing.

'It is a disguise.' Madeira said, softly.

Severus stared at her. Last time he had contradicted her teaching methods he had been subjected to a brutal bout of Legilimency. But Madeira seemed to think it a legitimate question.

'Why do I need a disguise?' he asked softly, unconsciously mimicking her tone.

'There is a war. As in every war, both factions will come sniffing around you, digging into your past, your background. Sometimes, into your very mind….'

Severus knew that many would come sniffing round after Madeira. She had said so herself, for, given her particular talents, she would be a useful ally. If you trusted her, that is…

'Occlumency is a disguise in itself.' Madeira continued. 'It gives you the tools for being what you are not. Some witches and wizards have been trained in this art, and Aurors especially, for obvious reasons. But none of them know – none of them realise, the full extent of the potential of Occlumency. Phah! They just think it a mere defensive measure!'

She glared at him out of one distorted eye, as though daring him to say anything about Aurors' supposed ignorance.

'If you combine Occlumancy with a perfect knowledge of any particular language, you can change your personality at will. You can blend in with whoever has designs on you, and yet still remain distinct.'

'You spoke with a cockney accent when I first saw you…'

'We were in London. The image of the downtrodden laughing stock is one I particularly value there. It lowers people's defences immeasurably, when they are falsely assured of their own superiority.'

She smirked, her features distorting along the jagged scar down her face.

'Besides, languages will be invaluable for Legilimency. Thought processes can subtly change with a different mother tongue. I will explain it better when we start Legilimency. In the meantime, you are to practice by careful observation, what I told you.'

'You mean that stuff about sensitivity?' He tried to keep the contempt out of his voice.

'Yes, Severus!' Madeira snapped back. 'The mind is not an open book for you to read! Legilimency is a very complex art, and you must learn to read the signs in people's faces, their _emotions_, in order to correctly interpret what you see. Do not expect magic to do everything for you, for it will not! Even a natural affinity for the Art is not enough! You must capture every nuance of speech; every tiny expression; every movement and posture of your subject, if you are to really read his or her mind! Otherwise, it will be just like looking at events through someone else's eyes. It can give you a wealth of information, of course, but remember Severus, it is impossible to _be_ your subject, or to _feel _what he or she is feeling!'

She paused, looking down at the pile of books in front of her, then back at Severus with a sigh.

'I know you are young – too young, perhaps, to ask you to look upon people's faces and interpret what you see there, without the wisdom that comes with the years, but-'

'I'm not a kid!'

'Your answer proclaims you as one! And that petulant tone! Shut it, or hide it!' Madeira growled back suddenly.

Severus glared at her for another second before composing his features into a deadpan expression. He was seething inside. Why was she making Legilimency sound so bloody difficult? He was going to learn it, even if it meant gawping at people's expressions all day, if _that_ was what it took! With a twinge of regret, he had to admit to himself that she had a point, but studying people's expressions was certainly not straightforward. He thought of the difficulties ahead, and the increasing number of languages, and glanced involuntarily at the books on the table. There did not seem to be enough hours in one day.

Madeira noticed him looking and sighed.

'I know. It is difficult. And I have only taught you half the languages I know. But there is a way to make this easier.' She stood up and took out her wand. 'Stand up and face me.' Severus stood up apprehensively.

'What are you going to do?'

'Put away your wand, you will not need it.' Madeira said, as she lifted her own wand.

Severus slipped his wand regretfully back into his pocket, and looked defiantly straight into her eyes. If she was going to try and invade his mind, he was ready for her. He had learnt a few tricks, since that disastrous first time. Madeira lifted her wand and placed it against his left temple.

'No. No. Do not use Occlumency.' Madeira said, after a minute, 'I want you to open your mind to me, I want you to be receptive to _my t_houghts now!'

Her thoughts? The surprise unbalanced Severus so much, that he forgot to use Occlumency anyway. This time, Madeira was pointing the wand at her own temple, and she was muttering words in a strange language he did not understand. Her muttering grew louder and she brought the wand away from the wiry grey hair at her temples. Clinging to her wand-tip was a bright, luminous, vapour-like substance.

Then with a flick of her wand that caught him unawares, she pointed it, vapour and all, directly against his temple, and he almost screamed in pain. It was a sharp, throbbing pain that emanated from the tip of her wand directly into his head, pervading his skull like a giant headache. He must have tried to knock her hand away, for he dimly realised she had his left arm grasped in her claw-like hand. He had closed his eyes against the pain.

Images whirled in his head. Dark shapes swirled around him and finally materialised into three wizards sitting at a table in a bar. One of them was old and bearded, with an austere and unsmiling face. The other two were young, with angular faces and icy-blue eyes. Brothers, perhaps, for they resembled each other. All were dressed in heavy, winter travelling cloaks.

The pain in his head subsided somewhat.

One of them, the youngest, who had a rather weak chin, was smiling in his direction, and saying something. He raised a small glass of transparent liquid in a toast.

'Your health, Madeira. We have heard the good news.'

The strange thing was, that although when the wizard opened his mouth, Severus heard the strange, rather harsh sounds of the foreign language Madeira had been muttering previously, but he found he could understand it perfectly.

But where was Madeira? If this was her memory, she should be here.

'Some news travels faster than others, it appears, Igor.'

The woman's voice came from directly behind him, but when he whirled round he saw nothing but darkness. A strange, unnatural and impenetrable darkness! It hadn't sounded like Madeira's voice however, though it did sound vaguely familiar.

'It is not often a witch is accepted into our ranks, Madeira. You should be honoured.' The other young wizard said.

He was looking appraisingly beyond Severus's left shoulder. He did not seem able to take his eyes off Madeira, if indeed, the hidden witch behind him was really her. If it was the sight of her scarred and distorted features that held the man's gaze, Severus could not really tell. Remembering his conversation about expressions, he tried to decipher this man's almost glazed look, but gave it up as a bad job, for he couldn't make out heads or tails of it.

'I am the first, and you know it, Ivan. Now put your eyes back in your face – there will be no more dancing tonight. I must be appropriately demure for the ceremony.' The woman's smug voice behind him purred.

'I bet you've danced for _him_, though.' Igor cut in, with a smile that did not reach his eyes. 'I bet that magnificent body worked its magic in more ways than one, to gain you a place in -'

'Igor! You will be silent.' The old man spoke suddenly. 'I will not have you questioning decisions taken by the Grandmaster, or making lascivious insinuations. You are bethrothed!'

'Yes, listen to your father, Igor.' Drawled the woman's voice behind him. 'Your future wife may not want to hear about your…'

But suddenly the darkness behind him seemed to swallow everything. The bar, the three wizards, the voice behind him, and he himself, swirled into a blackness that re-materialised into the room over the bookshop in front of the Hogshead, and he found himself back where he was, looking straight into Madeira's wrinkled and ravaged face.

She was still speaking in that language.

'_Как вы себя чувствуете?_' she asked.

'I'm fine.' He answered, unthinkingly.

'You answered in English.' She said, but she smiled. 'Never mind, never mind. It will help, you'll see.'

She stepped back, and let go of his arm, which she was still gripping. He straightened up and put a hand to his head, which was now aching with a real headache.

'What was all that about? Who were those people? And where the bloody hell were you, if that was supposed to be _your_ memory?'

'That was a way of helping you learn Russian. Those people were Russian acquaintances of mine. It is a faster way of learning the proper accent and correct pronunciation, for it is one of the live languages I was proficient in, so I could pass it to you, too. You still have to study the basics from a book, but now you will find it easier.'

She looked smug. If she expected him to be thankful, he'd give her a piece of his mind, Severus thought, as he sank into one of the wooden chairs, holding his head in his hands. His head felt like splitting. He noticed Madeira bending over, and peering at him through his curtains of dark hair.

'You haven't answered my questions.' he said waspishly, 'What 'ranks' was he talking about? And why were you hidden away? You sounded different, too.'

'I tampered with my own memory, and I gave you the one I thought safest for you to see.'

'Safest?'

'Well, other memories with the Russians, include people who still walk these streets today. They would not appreciate my revelation of their activities to a Hogwarts student.'

Severus decided not to argue the point, for his head was splitting. He had never been into anyone else's memory before, and he found the experience disturbing, as well as downright painful. But before he could say anything else, Madeira disappeared through the door at the back, and returned a minute later holding a small phial.

'Take this' she said.

Severus sniffed at it suspiciously.

'It's just a simple potion for treating headaches, I'm not trying to poison you! You must have brewed it yourself in first-year potions!'

Severus sipped it reluctantly, and felt better immediately.

'Thanks' he mumbled, grudgingly.

'Now I think we should skip the –'

'Why were you hidden?'

The question had escaped his lips again, before he was aware of it. But something that young wizard had said, something he had seen, made him intensely curious about this.

Madeira was looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

'I did not want you to see how I was.' She said quietly, after a while.

'Why ? Surely you couldn't 've been worse than - I mean,… that is,..' he stammered in confusion.

She gave a wry smile. 'That was a very long time ago, and, no, I wasn't worse-looking than I am now.'

She turned back to the books, but something in her tone reminded Severus of the voice that had been behind him in the memory. She said she had tampered with her own memory, but he had heard that woman's low, husky voice before…

Suddenly it hit him: it was the beautiful girl in the portrait!

But if the voice was supposed to be Madeira, then that meant the girl in the portrait was….

No, it couldn't be! Not _her_!

But the strange comments about dancing he heard in Madeira's memory suddenly fell into place. He looked at Madeira in wonderment. Obviously, she wouldn't always have had that horrific scar, he thought, but he could still not get his mind round the fact that that wrinkled, distorted face could be the same as the exotic and unblemished beauty of the girl in the portrait; that the cracked old voice could have been so… so…

At that moment, Madeira looked up from the books to find him staring at her with an expression she was bound to read easily. He blinked and looked away, knowing eye contact was a factor in Legilimency.

Not that she needed it. But if she really was that girl, why did she not want to tell him?

'You're the girl in that portrait, aren't you?' he said bluntly, indicating the draped picture over the mantelpiece, and closely observing her face to see her reaction.

Her expression was unreadable for a second, then she smiled, rather coldly.

'I'm flattered that you even conceived the idea that I was not always as frightfully ugly as you see me now. Youth can so seldom see past the wrinkles of old age. However, tell me Severus, how many moving portraits have you seen, whose subjects are still living and breathing and walking this earth today?'

'Er… none, I guess.'

'Then, there you have it.'

'But she had the same voice as the woman who was supposed to be you in the memory! Is she dead, then?'

'I think it is very late and you ask too many questions, to which I will not give an answer. Some questions you will answer yourself, when you have learnt that which I teach.'

And with that cryptic reply she led him down the steps to the hidden trapdoor in the shop below.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63: Duels.**

It was the end of the second term, and a sunny April morning, one of the first fine days they had had in ages. Severus and Lily were on the way to DADA lessons. Today, as Brocklehurst had promised, they would be studying wizarding duels. They found themselves amongst small knots of other Slytherin and Gryffindor students chattering excitedly about the upcoming lesson. Knowing Brocklehurst, he would probably be setting them practical examples, and there was mixed apprehension and anticipation at this, for real wizarding duels were the stuff of legend.

'I thought duelling was prohibited by the Ministry.' Lily overheard Jenny telling her friend Alice.

Like her, Jenny was muggle-born, and could not understand as well as the others did, the real significance of duelling. Lily caught the slight note of apprehension in her voice though. They had arrived in front of the DADA classroom door now, but it was still rather early.

'Only duelling for duelling's sake is prohibited. 'Alice answered her. 'If you're in danger, you've got to learn how to defend yourself! You have to learn how to duel. I already started. My father's teaching me, so this lesson should be a piece of cake!'

'Don't count your dragons before they hatch, Walker!' Severus, who was beside her, suddenly interrupted. 'Since your father cannot physically be here, I don't know how–'

'I started last summer, and if there are other ways of learning how to duel here at Hogwarts, I'm certainly not going to tell _you, _Snape! Or anyone else from Slytherin, for that matter.' Alice answered with a scowl.

'If you're talking about that Gryffindor Duelling Club you wanted to set up, Alice,' Lily said, bristling at what she thought was the unnecessary belligerence of her roommate's words, 'You know they told you it has to be open to all four Houses, and must be under a teacher's supervision, so it's useless pretending you –'

But her words were interrupted by a loud noise from the back of the now large group of students that had gathered in front of the classroom doors.

Lily craned her neck to see what was happening at the back. There was another bang, and a flash of light, and Lily could see students backing away from the commotion. Someone was lying on their back on the floor. She fought her way through the students, and found Remus Lupin on the floor, rigid as a board, obviously hit by a full body-bind curse. She felt Severus coming up behind her.

Beyond Lupin, Wilkes was clutching his face and moaning, large red boils erupting across his cheek, whilst Potter was holding himself up by pushing against a low window sill, his legs rendered useless by a Jelly-legs jinx. Evan Rosier and Sirius Black were facing each other, wands pointing straight in each other's face.

Lily muttered the body-bind counter-curse and silently offered her hand to Remus, helping him up. She felt Severus push past her towards Rosier. At that moment, however, the classroom door opened, and Brocklehurst came out. He swept his eyes over the students, and Lily knew he had immediately worked out what had happened, even though both Black and Rosier had lowered their wands.

He strode to the middle, and with a swift, silent, motion of his wand, he reversed whatever spells Wilkes and Potter had thrown at each other, for the former took his hands away from his face, on which boils had stopped erupting , and the latter could stand up.

'If you were not so eager to anticipate my duelling lessons,' he told them, 'I would not have to dock any points. As it is, 20 points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Wilkes, go to the Hospital wing.'

An angry buzz of voices rose up at his words.

'But Sir, Potter insulted Wilkes!' Cassiopea Blackwater, from Slytherin, burst out angrily.

'And Wilkes fired off a Jelly-legs jinx, when Potter's back was turned; and then Rosier jinxed Remus when he tried to stop them!' retorted Mary MacDonald angrily.

But Brocklehurst's voice overrode them all: 'Duelling in the corridors is not allowed. Furthermore, let me warn you once more, that any extreme zealousy during this lesson will be similiarly punished!'

Lily thought he looked at Severus when he said this. That was unfair, as he had had nothing to do with the fight, but was just standing next to Rosier.

'Now go inside the classroom and take your places.' He continued, and the students, many of them still glowering angrily at each other, filed past him.

It was some time before the angry muttering of the many people whose feathers were ruffled died down, but eventually, Brocklehurst started the lesson.

'We have now finished the study of those dark creatures you had apparently …er … missed, last year. This year should have been dedicated to the study of more aggressive, and potentially harmful, dark creatures such as giants, trolls and werewolves. We will be studying these, especially werewolves, before the end of the last term, because I think you need specific training against them.'

Lily saw his eyes rove for a second on the back of the class where, as usual, Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew, sat next to each other. They looked at him sullenly, probably still upset at the lost points.

'Anyway, today I decided to depart a little from the third-year syllabus, to touch upon duelling, which is a subject that, as some of you know, is usually taught to more senior students.' Brocklehurst continued. Everyone was looking at him, giving him their unwavering attention. 'However, given the situation in the wizarding world today, I thought it more opportune, if you have some basic knowledge of what duelling entails. For those of you who read the newspaper every now and then, they will know that the war is gathering pace. Many witches and wizards have mysteriously disappeared. Most have not come back. The few that _did_ come back … well, let us say that they may not have returned completely sound, in both mind and body.'

Lily heard nervous muttering from the desk next to hers, where Jenny Trimble was sitting next to Alice Walker. On her other side, Severus was wearing his closed expression. She knew by now that this meant he did not agree, or was angered, by what Brocklehurst was saying.

Looking up at her teacher's maimed face, with its strange vertical lines of scars, she did not think Brocklehurst was exaggerating about the disappearances, or about people getting hurt. She had heard the rumours about him being poisoned while having gone back to doing undercover work for the Ministry last year, but no-one had dared ask him what happened. According to Severus, he should have paid more attention to what he was drinking, if he was working undercover.

But Brocklehurst was speaking to them again:

'We will be practising the most basic and important defensive spells to use in a duel. One is the Disarming Charm, that some of you may already know, and the other is a Protective Spell, a type of Shield Charm which will protect you from most mild to moderate jinxes and hexes. Now I want a volunteer to demonstrate…'

His eyes roved around the classroom. Lily grinned as she saw everyone studiously avoiding his eyes.

'I want someone with fast reflexes.' Brocklehurst continued, looking at Pavo Parkinson and three other Slytherin boys sitting in adjacent desks. 'As I have told you before, fast reflexes, as well as skill, could save your life in a duel.'

His eyes went to the back of the room and settled on Potter.

'Mr Potter, please come forward.' he said. 'I have seen you use the _Expelliarmus_ before, and you have good reflexes. You will try and disarm me and I will demonstrate the _Protego_ spell.'

James potter swaggered to the front of the class, grinning. He then turned to Brocklehurst, bowed solemnly, and started miming the gesture for accepting the challenge to a duel.

'We will dispense with the theatrics, Mr Potter' Brocklehurst said, dryly. 'In a real-life situation, I can assure you that the niceties are NOT observed. Just hit me with the Disarming spell as soon as you're ready!'

Lily saw Severus beside her smirking. James Potter, slightly red in the face, lowered his wand for a split second, than brought it up suddenly in a sweeping, then jabbing, movement.

'_Expelliarmus!_' he shouted.

He had moved amazingly quickly, (probably just to prove that he wasn't only good at theatrics!), his wand a blur of flashing light, but Brocklehirst moved even faster:

'_Protego_!' he shouted, and the force of his shield charm caused Potter to fall off the teacher's podium they were standing on.

Lily heard Severus snigger beside her this time.

Potter looked daggers at him.

'Now, I want you all to divide into pairs…' Brocklehurst was saying '…and practice. I will be coming round to help.'

There was some scrabbling as everyone found a partner, and tried to clear a space where to practice. Lily turned automatically to Severus. From previous experience in Brocklehurst's class, this could be fun, though Severus was always slightly reluctant to jinx her. However, this was important stuff. She had to learn this, and learn it well.

But at that moment, James Potter brushed past her on his way back to his desk. He realised that Severus's eyes, glittering strangely, were fixed on his face.

He stopped.

'Fancy a duel, Snivillus?' Potter said, softly. His face was rather flushed, and his glasses were slightly askew.

'Hey, I was-' Lily started, but Severus cut across her.

'With pleasure!' he said, looking fixedly at Potter with eyes narrowed, and a sneer curling his lips. Lily gave a frustrated sigh, and was about to intervene, when a voice behind her addressed the two boys.

'Ah yes! Mr Potter and Mr Snape. An exceedingly interesting match. And I sense a fair bit of inter-house rivalry, which should add a touch of reality to your duel. Please proceed.'

Brocklehurst had come up behind them. He could smell trouble a mile away it seemed, but here, he was turning it to his advantage. The general hubbub that came with practicing new spells died down, as all the class turned to look at them.

They faced each other across the narrow space between desks. Potter still looked flushed and angry, but Lily thought Severus looked quite calm. This surprised her, for he rarely even spoke of Potter without some biting or sarcastic comment, and now here he was, Potter's wand pointing directly at him, and he did even appear ruffled.

No-one did anything for a while, but Lily knew Potter would be the one to attack first, and she was right. It came suddenly, taking her by surprise, as Potter shouted the spell and brought his wand round in a blurred, sweeping movement that she hardly saw.

However, Severus did – barely.

'_Protego!_' he cried, staggering backwards, but the Shield Charm opened over him just in time, Potter's spell glancing over it, and knocking some books off the next desk. Before she could even open her mouth to congratulate him, in one lithe movement, Severus had brought his wand round to point at Potter.

'_Expelliarmus_!' he shouted.

Potter didn't make it. Lily could see his eyes widen in alarm, as he sought to block the spell so deftly thrown back at him. His training in Quidditch had sharpened his reflexes, and he managed to put up his shield charm, but Severus's spell had already hit.

Unfortunately, it did not hit its target, but the table leg behind Potter, shattering it to bits, and causing the table to come crashing down.

This time, Brocklehurst intervened. He fixed the table leg with one wave of his wand, and said:

'Very good, Mr Potter, you have excellent reflexes! Mr Snape, you should improve your aim. Even if Potter _had_ managed to put up the shield, you missed!'

Severus glared openly at Brocklehurst. Lily knew that was not a good sign. To her, they had both performed well. It was rather unfair of Brocklehurst to pick on Severus, only.

The others had all turned their attention back to their partners now, and the general level of noise grew, as spells flew about. She looked on as Brocklehurst pointed out more mistakes on Severus's part. It was more of a fault-finding exercise, than a way to demonstrate ways of improving. It was almost as if he was goading him.

Potter's smug face did not help either, and she saw Severus's expression grow steadily darker. If he did not stop soon...

'Now, let's see the damage you can do with a wand, Mr Snape. This time, I want you to attack in any way you can think of-'

'It's my turn, Mr Brocklehurst!' Lily said suddenly, jumping in front of him. 'I ... er ... really need to learn this.'

Somehow, she felt that if Severus was let loose with a wand at that moment, he would hex Potter to shreds, and get more than points taken off for 'over zealousy'!

'I was about to ask Mr Snape to duel with _me,_ actually.' Brocklehurst said. 'Here, you can take on Potter here.' And to her dismay, he caught Potter by his arm and pulled him forward in front of her.

She found herself facing James Potter, who looked slightly taken aback at this sudden switch. She fixed him with an unwavering stare, and put up her wand. She was not going to stand any nonsense from him.

'Shall we?' she said, when he did not show any signs of reacting, but just stared at her like a fish.

'Erm… yes.' He seemed to come to himself suddenly, and, smug look firmly back on his face, said:

'I'll let _you_ try and attack me first, Evans. Let's see how well you –'

Lily, seething inside, unleashed the Disarming Spell on him before he finished talking. He blocked it, of course, but only just, and her aim had been true, for the flash of light reverberating on the invisible shield was directed straight at his head.

She saw his eyes widen slightly. He would not be underestimating her again in a hurry, she thought, smirking. Considering it was the first time she used the Disarming Charm, it had worked very well. Severus had promised her he'd teach her defensive spells, the last time they were in the Forbidden Forest, but he had never got round to it, somehow. He was always so busy these days.

She glanced round to where Severus was about to duel with Brocklehurst, but her attention was immediately called back to her own duel.

'My turn, Evans.' James Potter was telling her, a grim smile on his face.

Probably he wanted to pay her back now. She raised her wand in anticipation.

Just then, a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream rent the air. It was loud enough to be heard above the noise level of the DADA class.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and started looking around to see if someone was hurt, for there was no mistaking the genuine anguish in that voice. Then it came again, and this time, there was no mistake – it came from just outside the classroom door!

Brocklehurst was already running towards the door, and, as he wrenched it open, Lily heard the girl scream again, louder this time, and intermingled with sobs.

She ran towards the door herself, but got squashed in the mass of curious students all trying to follow Brocklehurst outside. Glaring at a Slytherin girl with a long, horsey face who had dug her elbow into her ribs, she was eventually disgorged into the corridor outside the classroom.

What she saw there made her blood run cold.

Fred Perkins, the seventh-year Gryffindor student who had been ousted out of the Headboy position by Malfoy, was stuck, spread-eagled, to the high-vaulted ceiling of the corridor outside. He appeared unconscious, for his head lolled downwards, whilst the rest of him appeared glued to the ceiling, though no rope was visible. But the most chilling of this strange scene was the eerie, black smoke that drifted in an anticlockwise direction about his body.

Although very faint, the black smoke formed the shape of a skull that revolved slowly around Perkin's body, opening and closing its mouth in silent mirth.

'What happened?' barked Brocklehurst at a sobbing, sixth-year girl with long, brown hair that Lily remembered seeing a few times outside the Gryffindor common-room. She must have been the one to scream. She found herself pushed to the front as students from other classes gathered round, too.

'I – I don't know, exactly what happened, Sir. I had a free lesson, and had arranged to meet Fred to – to – to study together.' The girl sobbed.

'Or stay kissing in some disused classroom, more like.' sniggered a voice, behind her. Thalia had come up near her. 'That's Erica Jenkins, of Hufflepuff. She's been going out with Fred Perkins since end of last year.'

Lily shushed her, for she wanted to hear what the girl was saying, and she hoped Brocklehurst could get Fred down, for his face was turning rather blue from his uncomfortable, dangling, position.

'But he didn't come,…' the girl was saying, '…so I decided to go look for him. I thought perhaps he got held up at DADA, or - or something. Then I – I –' she took a big gulp of air, and wiped her eyes, before continuing. 'I found him like this. I heard some footsteps and laughter, _boys' _laughter, but didn't actually see anyone. And – and that's the Dark Mark, isn't it , Sir? What if he's dead!' and Erica Jenkins dissolved into tears once more.

Lily instinctively went and placed an arm around the sobbing girl's shoulders. This was far more serious than she thought. Even Thalia was no longer joking about it, but offered to run for Dumbledore.

'It is ok, Ms Jenkins, Ms Swanson. Mr Perkins is not dead, though he is unconscious, and rather uncomfortable, judging by his reddening face. And that is NOT the real Dark Mark. Now move back – all of you!' Brocklehurst ordered.

He waved his wand and conjured up a soft, trampoline-like mattress which floated up, and under, the unconscious young man. Then he pointed his wand at him one last time, there was a blinding flash of light, and Fred Perkins fell onto the floating mattress where he bounced a couple of times like a ragdoll, before lying motionless once more.

Erica tore herself away from Lily's side, and ran to him, grabbing his hand, and looking into his face anxiously.

'What's going on, Perseus?' said a calm voice from behind the crowding students.

They all parted as one to make way for Albus Dumbledore, who strode forward swiftly to gaze at the prone figure on the mattress. Someone must have run to fetch the Headmaster after all, or else he knew something had happened. They said there was very little going on in Hogwarts that Dumbledore did not know, or find out about.

Gazing into that wise old face, Lily could sense the power in him, and was glad that he had come.

She sought out Severus in the now crowded corridor, and spotted him deep in conversation with Rosier and Marcus Wilkes, who had apparently already returned from the hospital wing. Wilkes, his face clear of the boils that had earlier disfigured it, pointed at the girl, now fussing over Perkin's prostrate form, and sniggered. Rosier glanced at them with a satisfied smile, then turned his gaze upwards, as though hoping to see the shadowy. black skull, but it had disappeared when Brocklehurst broke the spell holding Perkins pinned to the ceiling.

Lily felt her blood boil. Even if it couldn't have been them that did it, they seemed to be enjoying it!

Severus, though not openly smiling, had a hard, cold look on his face, that told Lily he was not at all sorry for the plight of the senior student. Did this have anything to do with the fact that Perkins had been chosen as Headboy, before Malfoy got the job?

She sighed in frustration – that would be such a stupid reason to-

'He was outspoken against you-know-who! That's why they did it!' an angry voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Alice Walker, who had joined Thalia, dragging a wide-eyed Jenny behind her.

'But who? It's not like there are Death eaters here!' she protested. 'I thought, perhaps, some still had it in for Fred, because of the Head boy thing.'

'Huh! Lily, why are you always so naïve? That's not important to them anymore.'

''Them'?'

'Those in Slytherin, who are sons and daughters of Death eaters! Those who sympathise with them!'

'Alice, what are you implying?'

'Fred Perkins was on the trail of some of them! Those students who have been distributing that stuff Dumbledore warned us about! Papers praising you-know-who, and what he and his Death Eaters are doing! Fred was sure they were meeting in secret, some here at Hogwarts, but some, even outside Hogwarts. He must have got too close for comfort, for look what happened to him!' she indicated the mattress on the floor, where Dumbledore and Brocklehurst were now both hunched over Perkins. McGonagall had just joined them, and they heard her urging the Headmaster to let her take Fred Perkins to the Hospital wing.

'Alice, I know what you're about to say, but Severus, and the rest of the Slytherins, for that matter, have been right with us in class, so it couldn't have been them-'

'Not this time, perhaps, but why don't you ask him where he keeps sneaking off to during break, or even at night?'

'He's studying languages!'

The moment she said it, she knew how absurd it sounded, even to her own ears. Thalia giggled, and Alice raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. She reddened angrily, but before she could retort, a commotion drew her attention to the small group of teachers surrounding Perkins.

He was stirring and moaning. Erica Jenkins called his name eagerly, and clutched at his hand. He brought his other hand up to his head, moaning. Then his eyes fluttered open, and everyone held their breath, obviously eager to hear who his attackers were.

He seemed slightly disoriented at first, and gazed at the sea of faces surrounding him in bewilderment, but then his eyes settled on Dumbledore.

'Mr Perkins, could you please tell us who did this to you?' Dumbledore's voice was calm, but Lily could feel the anger beneath the surface, and was glad she was not in the culprit's shoes.

'I'm not sure, Professor Dumbledore.' Perkins said, slowly. 'I was following two students – they had their face covered with paper masks, and I thought it suspicious. I called for them to stop, but they just laughed. Then I don't remember anything else – someone behind me threw a stunner at me. It was a trap, Sir.'

He rubbed his head ruefully, and sat up straighter, helped by Erica. His eyes swept the now sizeable crowd of students around him, and stopped on the tall, elegant form of the Headboy, Lucius Malfoy, who had pushed his way to the front.

Perkins face contorted with a sudden rage.

'Oh – yes, Professor Dumbledore,' he said, struggling to sit up, but still glaring at Malfoy. 'One of the one masked students was tall and blonde! It was Malfoy, Sir, I'm sure of it!'

The stunned silence that followed his words was broken by Malfoy himself.

'Perkins' head must still be dizzy from hanging up there so long,' drawled Malfoy 'if he's hallucinating about masked Death Eaters running around Hogwarts' corridors! I think the explanation is something more – uh – _mundane._ A quarrel with his girlfriend, perhaps? After all, Headmaster, Erica Jenkins was the only one nearby, and everyone knows how jealous she gets. Or perhaps she just didn't want a would-have-been as a boyfriend anymore!'

Erica Jenkins leapt up from where she was still kneeling by the mattress, but her indignant protests, as well as those of Perkins, were cut off by the Headmaster.

'Mr Malfoy, Miss Jenkins, please follow me to my office. Bring your wands. Mr Perkins, Professor Mcgonagall will take you to the Hospital wing now. I will speak with you later on. The rest of you – return to your classes, and pack your things, for I believe the bell is about to ring.'

True enough, the bell signalling lunch break went off, and Lily pushed her way through the dispersing students back into the DADA classroom. When she got there, there was no sign of Severus. His place on the desk next to hers had been cleared already. She glanced round at the rest of the class – some were packing away their things, but many others were in groups excitedly discussing the events they had just witnessed. She noticed with some disquiet, that among the Slytherins, the only desks that had been cleared away were those of Rosier, Wilkes and Severus.

With a sigh, she packed her things and went over to where Alice was recounting once more what Perkins had told her about his suspicions.


	64. Chapter 64

**Finally, my work is being made more presentable by a beta! Many thanks to TuesdayNovember for the great work!**

**Chapter 64: Message from the Past.**

'I've started to get the _Daily Prophet_ – look!' Lily shook out the newspaper on the Library table she and Severus were sharing. On the front page was a moving photo of the Minister, Cyril Trout, shaking hands with a neatly-dressed wizard with a toothbrush moustache. '_Bartemius Crouch__, has been confirmed as He__ad of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – drastic internal changes recommended by the new Head of Department_' the title read.

Severus pulled the newspaper towards him, his eyes flitting over the front page.

'Huh, getting scared, aren't they?'

'What d'you mean?'

'Even though they're still playing down the importance of this war, they haven't caught the Dark Lord yet, have they? This Crouch has a reputation as a Dark Wizard Catcher – he's already sent loads of people to Azkaban, besides drafting some pretty stiff legislation against whoever even dares breathe anything good about the Dark Lo- … about You-Know-Who and his followers! So I guess the Ministry's getting scared, if they're putting _him_ in charge.'

'How d'you know all this?' Lily asked suspiciously.

Severus shrugged and pushed the newspaper away.

'I started to get the _Prophet _because Alice said it's good to keep up with what's happening about the war and stuff.' Lily told him.

'And you think _that_ rag's reliable?' sneered Severus.

'Then tell me what other sources of information are reliable, Severus!' she answered, fixing him with a direct stare. But he backtracked immediately.

'People talk, you know' he said irritably.

'Oh. I'm sure.' Her tone of voice clearly indicated that she did not believe him.

'Look, Lily, if you're accusing me of reading the stuff Dumbledore prohibited, then yes, I did! Satisfied now?' He snapped.

'Dumbledore said it could brainwash you!'

A snort of disgust was her only answer.

'Ok, forget about that, then.' the thought that Severus could be brainwashed, somehow, did not sound believable anyway, 'But I don't trust that Rabastan bloke you hang around with sometimes. Fred Perkins said he thinks he was the other masked student who attacked him!'

'Fred Perkins is a pompous, big-headed, could-have-been, who's so sore at losing his post as Head boy that he thinks he can just throw around accusations, just because someone like Dumbledore is ready to believe him!' Severus spat angrily

'Well Lucius Malfoy accused Erica Jenkins when she _clearly_ would never have done anything of the sort!'

'Really? Well, let me tell you something –' Severus's voice dropped down to an acidic whisper 'There's a spell that can reveal a wand's last magic: _Priori Incantatem_. That day, Dumbledore used it on Lucius's wand, to see if _he_ had been the one to cast the spell on Perkins. And Lucius told me that only spells he had practised in his last lesson came out. When Dumbledore tried the same thing on girl's wand, though…'

He paused.

'What?' Lily found she was whispering, too.

'A skull came out and –'

'But that's the sign of a Death Eater!'

'It wasn't the real thing. Maybe she pinned him to the roof, and then tried to frame Lucius for it! Maybe those two came up with that idea to discredit Lucius' position!'

'Or maybe she was framed herself! Maybe they made her do it. They hypnotised her or something-!'

'They _what?_ You're thinking like a muggle again, Lily- '

'I don't know, but Melchior Abbott, from Hufflepuff, told me she was really upset that day. If she'd been guilty, Dumbledore would've expelled her, – or she'd have got a detention at the very least. But he didn't, so he must believe her! Maybe there's a spell or something that makes you do stuff against your will, and remember nothing afterwards. Alice said there's a curse that does that.'

Severus said nothing, but the now-familiar closed expression told her he was hiding something.

'Is that what happened? Do you know anything about it?' she insisted, feeling her temper rise, though she did not know exactly why.

'And why should I know about anything about it, exactly?' his voice was as brittle as ice, but she didn't care.

'Maybe Rabastan told you, or Rosier, seeing they're as thick as thieves!'

'Or maybe Dumbledore excused the girl, seeing as she's his old favourite's girlfriend! Perhaps Perkins is doing some spying work on his behalf, and he doesn't want to upset him. But the guilty wand was _not_ Lucius Malfoy's!' Severus's voice rose angrily.

The sound of Madam Pince's footsteps silenced Lily's retort. The librarian came round the corner, and they pretended to be engrossed in what they were doing, though Lily's face was flushed, and Severus was scowling at his labelled drawing of a Hippogriff, as though the beast had offended him in some way. Only the sound of birds, chirping outside the Library windows in early May sunshine, could be heard.

'If I hear you talking once more, you're out of here!' The Librarian told them.

Lily knew she was not easily fooled, and could smell out even a whispered conversation, if she prowled close enough. With a mumbled apology, she returned to her book on Ancient Runes, though her concentration had flown out the window.

She could not believe Dumbledore would excuse any student's behaviour without good reason, and nor could she believe Severus's wild theories either. Ever since the Fat Friar had told them about what happened between Dumbledore and his great-grandfather, Severus Prince, he had persisted in saying Dumbledore had betrayed him. His attitude towards their Headmaster had correspondingly become more vicious.

This irked her, and hurt her even. She thought Dumbledore, apart from being a famous and powerful wizard, was a kindly old man. He had always been extremely nice to her, and other muggle-borns, which was more than could be said for Lucius Malfoy, and others of Severus' friends.

She could not help wondering, however, why Dumbledore, or any other Head of House, had not meted out any detention to whoever was responsible for the attack on Perkins.

They must have found out what happened, surely…

It was the end of May, and although the sun was shining brightly in anticipation of the summer days ahead, Severus was not aware of it, for he was down in his dungeon hideout, sitting at an old but sturdy desk, with his the Ancient Runes textbook book open before him. He leafed listlessly through the pages, his mind drifting off elsewhere.

The dust had settled on the Fred Perkins affair. As nothing else had happened to him, his girlfriend, or any other student, most had thought it an isolated incident, perhaps brought on by house rivalries, with the added complication of Perkin and Malfoy's obvious dislike of one another.

Of course, half the school knew what had happened in the Headmaster's office, though the version of the story tended to change according to each House's loyalties. However, the girl was not expelled, Lucius was cleared of all accusations, and Fred Perkins returned from the hospital wing, none the worse for his experience.

Severus wondered why Dumbledore had not used Legilimency on the girl, to find out the truth. Madeira had said he was one of the few who knew the art well. But Lucius was there, he would probably have noticed, and he had every reason to be wary of anybody prying too deeply, for indeed, the man behind the mask was none other than the Head boy himself.

Rosier and Wilkes had suspected it, and that same night Rabastan had called a meeting of the old crowd and told them the whole story.

Apparently, Perkins had become exceedingly annoying in his determination to uncover something about Malfoy, probably hoping to discredit him as Headboy, or even get him expelled. So when he started following him even to Hogsmeade, Lucius Malfoy had had enough, so he had decided to teach him to back off. He had enlisted the help of Rabastan, and together, the two had set a trap for Perkins and his girlfriend.

Rabastan had glossed over how, exactly, they had used Jenkins's wand to cast the spell. According to Mulciber, it had been the Imperious Curse, but that would earn them a term in Azkaban if caught. Probably they just snatched her wand and used it. A Memory charm would have sufficed to make her forget what actually happened, and Severus was sure that Malfoy knew how to perform such a spell.

One way or another, the whole affair had ceased to be of interest among the main mass of Hogwarts students. With the approaching exams they had other things on their minds. Even Lily had stopped badgering him about it. Though they had argued a few times over it, for Severus could not see what all the fuss was about – students jinxed each other all the time, didn't they? Especially when an important Quidditch match was on, opposing team members often found themselves the target of spells intended to put them out of action.

But Lily insisted on seeing something more sinister in the incident. The pseudo-Dark Mark had upset some students, and their parents, who saw it as evidence of the indirect infiltration of Lord Voldemort in the school. This was not helped by an article in the _Daily Prophet_ which criticised the way Dumbledore allowed such behaviour among his students at Hogwarts.

'_Students posing as Death Eaters run amok at Hogwarts.' by Rita Skeeter, 23' w_as the title on the article. Lily made him read it, but was chagrined when he just shrugged, and said that it was sensationalist rubbish, and that, if anything, whoever was responsible may even be glad to see their antics in print.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, some light did manage to filter through the small, barred window at the top of the dungeon room, sending a small beam of light through the gloom. Severus glanced at the mountain of books and parchment piled at one end of his desk, and sighed.

Exams were approaching, and now he was in third year, there were more subjects to study. Because of Madeira, he had neglected his schoolwork. Not that he was going to see her anymore now, for she had mysteriously declared the lessons over for this year, since she would be 'travelling' in June.

He had been disappointed at first, for they had not yet started Legilimency, though he had become very proficient at Occlumency. He did not particularly miss the language stuff, though he had to admit that Madeira's unorthodox, and rather painful, way of teaching did actually work. He was now fluent in Russian, Spanish, Italian, and Romany, and well versed in some of the dead languages like Armenian, Phoenician and Ancient Runes. The latter languages gave him access to some of the written works of the old sorcerers like the priestess Amastarte of Sidon; Diviciacus the Druid; and many others, so he was reasonably pleased with his achievements, but despite what Madeira had said, he still could not quite understand the importance of the living languages. More so because he knew no-one who spoke them.

During the few other enforced magical language lessons he had to endure, Madeira had once again been careful not to allow him to see much of her past memories. In these strange trips into her mind, he never glimpsed her, and any conversations he heard were mostly about mundane matters. She refused to answer his questions about anything he saw, though he had been curious to know who the 'Grandmaster' was, and she never, ever, allowed the portrait of her young self to remain uncovered again.

Severus often thought about the exotic beauty in the portrait. Whenever he remembered her mysterious words, and the way she had looked at him…It had been a shocking experience. More so when he discovered that it was Madeira herself. She hadn't actually admitted it, but he was almost sure of it.

This made it even more bizarre – not only because portraits were supposed to start walking and talking only when their subjects were dead in real life, but also because the girl in the portrait seemed to be _in love_ with him - or, at least, liked him immensely. He had precious little experience of such matters, but he could hardly mistake that look. It made him hot around the collar every time he remembered.

If it was really Madeira, and given his resemblance to his great – grandfather, then he could only conclude that she must have been in love with…

Severus's mind veered away from that thought – it was just too strange for words. And his mind still could not quite reconcile Madeira's ravaged, scarred face, with the youthful, ripe beauty of the portrait. Perhaps she had used exotic or dark magic to make her own portrait come alive before she herself was dead. He would not put it past her to do that.

He sighed once more. Somehow, today, he could not concentrate. The beam of bright sunlight cutting through the dark dungeon hideout mocked him. He wondered what Lily was doing. Probably in the Library, fighting a losing battle with her books too. She could never resist a sunny day like this.

He suddenly wished he was with her in the Library. He had seen her looking for him at breakfast, but had avoided her. Another misinformed article about Death Eater activities had appeared that morning in the _Daily Prophet_, and he did not feel like arguing with her about it. Since she started getting that stupid newspaper, Lily tended to take for granted that everything in it was the truth.

Which was why he was now sitting alone in his dungeon hideout, pretending to study Ancient Runes. Actually, he was tired of Runes, having spent his last lesson with Madeira learning the secret Runic Codes the ancient Druids. Another pointless lesson, according to him.

He pushed away Professor Clynderwen's textbook, and turned to what was for him infinitely more interesting – his great-grandfather's leather-bound Book of Dark Arts.

However, today, for some strange reason, he did not find it as stimulating as usual. His mind was uncharacteristically restless and unfocused. He pondered whether he should go back to the Slytherin common-room and bully Marcus Wilkes, who never studied, into buying more Wit-Sharpening Potion. As a result of his own ignorance, Wilkes panicked easily in exams. It might even do him some good.

He was about to close his book on Dark Arts when he noticed something at the back of the book. There seemed to be some blank pages, stuck rather clumsily to the back cover that seemed to be coming undone. It seemed the humidity in the dungeons was not doing the book any favours.

Severus had always noted the rather clumsy and amateurish binding, but he had assumed it was because like him, his great –grandfather knew that the content of the book was far more important than any fancy gilt binding. He did not judge a book by its cover.

But something had caught his eye. The thick pages that were peeling away from the back cover had words written on them.

He carefully slid his silver knife between the pages and exerted a gentle pressure until more of the page came away. Feeling the thrill of discovery, he realised that the words were quilled in his great-grandfather's hand.

All the languidness of the moments before was forgotten as he searched his desk feverishly for something to loosen the pages. He told himself that it may be nothing more than scribbled spare parchment his great-grandfather used for binding the book, yet somehow, he knew that this was something else, something exciting.

Finding some of the mist-producing potion that he used to use to hide his boat during his clandestine lake crossings, he mixed a minute amount with water, and a small version of the misty vapour formed around back cover of the book. This seemed to help loosen the glue that was holding the pages together without making the ink run.

Finally, after more delicate probing with his silver knife, the page finally came loose and Severus opened it flat.

There were, in fact, two pages hidden away at the back of the book, and they looked newer, -the parchment more pale and crisp than that of the other pages

Severus fanned the remnants of the mist away impatiently and bent down to examine the book closely.

There were words, certainly, and they were written using Ancient Runic script, but they were not in any runic language he recognised. Then it hit him – it was a runic _code_! A secret runic code, just like the ones Madeira had forced him to learn during their last lesson! But there were so many of them…

He ran his finger down the ancient symbols, frowning. On the opposite page however, were words in English, penned in his great-grandfather's old-fashioned curlyesque script:

_Grand-daughter,_

_You will soon be the first Prince since myself to start your education at Hogwarts. _

_I wanted to wait until I was sure you had been sorted into Slytherin before sending you a letter telling you how to open the secret compartment of my school trunk. If you are reading this, then you will know what to do. You will also know why I insisted so much upon your having my old Hogwarts school chest, for you are now holding in your hands a book – my first - that I have written and compiled: 'The Dark Arts'._

_And there is a reason for this. _

_I have groomed you well for the task that is ahead of you. A task of which you are not yet aware, but a task of utmost importance to me._

_You may soon be joined by your sister at Hogwarts, before the year is out, for your father deems it prudent to have you both closer to home, given the circumstances. But I must warn you, Eileen,- let this book fall into no other hands but yours, for you alone have been instructed, and __you alone__ are thus worthy of completing this task!_

_When I was at Hogwarts, I discovered many wondrous things, uncovered many secrets, in the depths of the castle, its' Library, its hidden passageways and rooms. _

_I wrote three books on my discoveries, painstakingly compiling and collecting much of the ancient magical lore of our forefathers. _

_One of the books, the earliest, is the one you hold in your hands. The other two were taken from me, and placed in the restricted section of the Library. The Third and last book, by far the most precious, I managed to retake back into my possession._

_I hid that book in a safe, secret place, known only to myself. I intended to come back for it many years later, but my plans came to nought. _

_This is your task, Eileen. I want you to return to me this third, most precious book. There is magic in this book, ancient magic that is both rare and precious, but also exceedingly dangerous._

_Do not open it! It is cursed!_

_I have many enemies, Eileen, greedy for the knowledge within that book. Do not let anyone know what you are doing, or let your childish curiosity open its' pages, for I will know. There are rare dark spells within it, and even rarer counter-curses that I covet._

_Let your eyes wander down this page then. You will understand now, why I spent so much time teaching you Ancient Runes codes, or the 'silly Druid alphabet' as you sometimes called it. _

_The words you will understand here on these pages are for me and you alone to know._

_May the spirit of Merlin himself watch over you._

_S.P. _

Severus remained for several minutes in silence, gaping at the old message in front of him. _Eileen?_ His _Mother_? The witch he had seen tremble before his muggle father's wrath! The witch who hid her wand, and practised magic furtively? He could hardly believe she had been the one chosen by Severus Prince to retrieve something so important.

Perhaps he had no choice. Or perhaps…. He remembered some of the memories Madeira had called forth during Occlumancy lessons. Perhaps his mother hadn't always been so downtrodden. After all, he himself had seen glimpses of his mother's magical skills, and even her mettle, though on ever more rare occasions.

But then – what had happened? Did she ever find that third book? He wracked his brain, trying to remember what she had told him about his great-grandfather. It was nothing much - only that he was well-respected within their family.

On Rosier's book on wizarding genealogy, he knew that Severus Prince died in the summer of 1950. A quick mental calculation told him that that was the year his mother started school at Hogwarts. Her grandfather died just weeks before!

He would never have sent the letter telling her how to open the secret compartment of the trunk! He couldn't have known she was sorted into Slytherin! Eileen never knew about the secret task that had been set to her!

He gazed down at the last desperate message from his Great-grandfather. By some strange twist in fate, it had fallen to him, to read the words from the past, decades after they were written.

'_May the spirit of Merlin himself watch over you.'_ The words seemed, somehow, to be meant for him now. Through his mother, to him. He would complete the task. It seemed as though it was fate itself that made him discover that book in the old trunk in the attic in Spinner's end, that summer's day, so many years ago now.

He was also curious as to what the 'third most precious book' was about. Severus Prince himself would be proud to know that his own great-grandson found it, albeit too late for it to be returned to him now.

But to find it he needed to decipher the runic code. That would not be easy. Apparently he had given his mother the key to this particular code. But would she remember after all these years? And would she tell him, even if she knew?

He growled in frustration, and bent to examine the book closer. Turning over the page, he looked at the second hidden page. There were no words written on this one. Instead, there was a large, red-brown blot, several inches wide, in the middle of the page. For a moment, Severus thought it an ink stain, but he knew, of course, that no-one would bother to painstakingly hide an ink stain.

It was dried blood. Dark, roughly round in shape, slightly caked and flaking on one side, where it had oozed downwards. It was right in the middle of the yellow parchment, with no description or inscription.

Severus gazed at the mysterious red blotch, wondering whose it was. The two carefully concealed pages behind the back cover of the book had been added much later than the bulk of the original book, which was dated 1900. Probably this was the book mentioned in Filch's cards –the one that had never been found. He had long suspected it. His great-grandfather left school in 1897 so he must have completed it a few years later. Probably Severus Prince had prepared these extra pages half a century later, the summer he died, so that Eileen, his granddaughter would find them.

But she never did.

Yet she unwittingly held the key to the code. Madeira had shown him examples of Druid codes – but there were endless numbers of different codes. She had, in fact mentioned that Severus Prince favoured the ones based on the lunar calendar. But that was not much help. One had to have the key to the code if there was any hope of deciphering it at all.

Severus read the old letter message again and again. He even played around with the runic codes for over an hour, though he knew it was pointless.

Finally he gave up, realising bitterly that he would have to wait until summer before he could even hope to decipher it – if his mother remembered what she had been taught over twenty years ago.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65: Slytherin Common-Room**

The green light from the underwater windows of the Slytherin common room fell in rippling waves on the hair of many a bent head seated on the low marble benches, or at small tables. The lamps had not yet been lit, because although it was evening, the June days were longer, and the light filtering through the lake was still strong enough to read by.

And reading was something that students were doing a lot of recently, for exams were fast approaching.

Severus was sitting in one of the alcoves – the one with his Great-Grandfather's initials carved on the marble skull supporting the column. He considered it somehow as 'his alcove' because of this. Furthermore, it was slightly quieter and darker- one was less likely to be noticed, and disturbed, here. And Severus was spending more time in the common-room now that his lessons with Madeira had stopped.

He was glad of it, since he had rather neglected some of his Hogwarts subjects. He frowned down at the book on Transfiguration in his hands. He was studying wand movements for changing a hedgehog into a pincushion. He had failed this abysmally in class. _Why would anyone want to change a Hedgehog into a pincushion, anyway?, _he thought in frustration. Despite its reputation as a difficult subject, Severus could really not see the importance of some of the practical applications of Transfiguration.

Unlike Potter and Black, though.

According to Lily, they were getting to be really good at Transfiguration, and McGonagall was always singing their praises. He scowled, and with a muttered incantation and a vigorous jab with his wand, he managed to transform a small Bishop from a group of wizarding chess pieces on the table in front of him, into an empty glass phial.

An overall more useful transfiguration, he thought, than hedgehogs and pincushions.

However, he noticed with dismay, that his phial still had little slippered feet, and the stopper suspiciously resembled the Bishop's mitre too closely. The little phial started walking around the table, like a drunken penguin, on its little feet.

'Trying to sell mobile potions, Severus?' said a low, rather gravelly voice behind his back.

It was Rabastan. His broad face was almost russet coloured, from spending a day out in the sun. He was grinning widely as he watched the meandering phial on the table. At that moment, with a lurching wobble, it fell over and shattered.

'_Reparo!'_ mumbled Severus, and the phial repaired itself. He shoved it unceremoniously back into the chess box, unwilling to try and transfigure it back to a chess piece in front of the burly fourth-year, just in case he didn't get it right. He hated appearing less than perfect with any spell he attempted.

'What d'you want, Rabastan? I'm busy!' he said, churlishly.

But the older boy ignored him, and threw himself down in the chair on the other side of the table.

'Who isn't? Rosier told me even Wilkes was spotted reading a book!'

'_You_ don't seem to be bothered about studying…'

'There are more important things on my mind.'

Severus knew that his older brother had been accepted as a Death Eater, but he would not be going to the initiation ceremony this coming summer, despite the fact that he was fifteen years old now.

His father had said no-one underage could attend, and that meant he had to wait till he was seventeen. Severus knew that Rabastan was brewing up a plan to ask the Dark Lord himself. He had told them so at their last meeting, but exactly how he would be doing that was still unclear…

'Nonetheless, I need to pass my exams, so, unless you're calling another meeting, or something…' Severus said, hoping to get Rabastan to leave.

Rabastan shook his head. 'No. No more for this year. But I need you to do something for me...'

He turned round on his seat, and looked towards some low benches where a lone boy sat cross-legged, absorbed in some books that lay open before him on the bench.

'Hey, Black!'

The slightly-built boy looked up, shaking his long hair from his eyes. Seeing who was calling him, he flushed slightly and stood up, knocking over his books as he did so.

'Come over here a minute, will you?' Rabastan continued.

Regulus almost fell over himself to comply. Severus frowned, and observed him closely, remembering what Madeira had taught him. The boy obviously stood in awe of Rabastan Lestrange.

Judging by the shy, but nervous smile and nod the boy threw in his general direction, the younger of the Black brothers considered him someone to be reckoned with, too.

He smirked, feeling smug. He knew that ever since he had used dark spells to defend himself from Potter and Black back in first year, he had gained himself a somewhat notorious reputation among students for knowing the Dark Arts., and he suspected many in Slytherin had refrained from passing snide comments about his half-blood status because of it.

But the outright admiration in Regulus's eyes was something that always surprised him, for he did not expect to see it in a face that so resembled that of Sirius Black.

It made him uncomfortable, but did warm him up slightly to the younger boy. After all, he was not to blame for who he was related to!

'Yes?' The younger boy was standing in front of their table, looking expectantly at Rabastan Lestrange, and trying to appear nonchalant.

Severus knew he was hoping Rabastan would ask him to join their group, for the boy suspected, fairly accurately, what was going on. He was always asking covert questions about Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord's ways, whenever he managed to get Severus alone. Questions Severus never answered, or answered with information that was common knowledge, much to the younger boy's annoyance, and Severus' delight.

'During the November match we were slaughtered by Gryffindor, because you fumbled the Snitch –' began Rabastan.

Regulus Black's face turned a deeper shade of scarlet, when he realised what Rabastan wanted to discuss.

'That was because he hexed me!' he spluttered, indignantly 'Lots of people believe me, even if that yellow-eyed bat, Hooch, doesn't! If you don't believe me, what're you -?'

'Oh, but I _do_ believe you! That is why Severus here, is going to teach you how to block hexes, and perhaps even throw a good one yourself!'

He leaned back in his chair, enjoying the look of stunned disbelief in both their faces.

'And why do you think I would agree to your hare-brained scheme, Rabastan?' Severus said, glaring at him. 'For that matter, why don't you teach him yourself!'

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Regulus turn white, and then red, with suppressed anger. But Severus didn't care. He wasn't going to babysit any jumped-up, second-year Quidditch player!

'Oh, loosen up, Severus! You want a Slytherin victory next year as much as we do, don't you? Of course it's got to be you! I don't know anyone who understands hexes and jinxes better than you do – even among seniors!'

'That's not going to work, Rabastan!' Severus spat angrily.

But Regulus suddenly cut in across them in a furious voice.

'You can go to hell, both of you! I'll get that snitch by myself, I don't need any help! And I'll curse whoever crosses my path, if I have to!'

Rabastan and Severus looked at him in silence for a second, as he turned to storm off, but then Rabastan, laughing, got up and placed his arm round his shoulder, dragging him back.

'That is exactly the spirit I want to see, Black! That's the spirit that will lead Slytherin to victory next year! And what makes Slytherin the best House in Hogwarts! Determination to reach your goals, whatever the cost! Even cursing your opposition out of your way, if you have to!' he winked at him, and added: 'Like the Death Eaters do, you know!'

Regulus Black stiffened at his words, and the angry scowl on his face vanished quickly. Severus shook his head in amused exasperation. Lestrange had a shrewd knack of knowing exactly what to say, to get people to do what he wanted.

'What do the Death Eaters do?' said a drawling voice behind them.

Lucius Malfoy appeared at the opening to the alcove. He was taking off his bag, having apparently been outside somewhere, despite the fact that he had his NEWTS coming up.

'Overcome all opposition through sheer determination.' Rabastan answered, coolly.

Severus wondered how much Lestrange knew about Malfoy's attempts to become a Death Eater.

Certainly, the tall Headboy had appeared more confidant recently.

It was quite a noticeable change – the surliness and brooding silence at the beginning of the first term had disappeared, and the suave and elegant demeanour was firmly back in place. Now he almost swaggered round the Slytherin common-room, as though it was his personal kingdom.

Severus, in obedience to Madeira's instructions, and also because he wanted know more about Malfoy's Death Eater aspirations, had studied him carefully. Malfoy unwittingly complied, for he had always liked Severus, and besides, he was an easy person to read, engaging readily in long conversations that sometimes dragged on late into the night.

Severus gleaned a lot about his character from these conversations, but Malfoy was always careful to give nothing away about his Death Eater aspirations.

He noticed too, that, like Rabastan Lestrange, many in Slytherin were in awe of the tall Headboy. More so, because his good looks, and sheer presence, commanded respect. It had always been so, to a certain extent, but now it had increased tenfold. Girls tended to blush and giggle when he spoke to them, which seemed to please him immensely, and many of the senior boys sought to curry favour with him.

'We were discussing Quidditch tactics for our seeker.' Rabastan was saying, bringing him back to the matter at hand. 'He's got the right attitude, but needs to be taught some offensive- defensive tricks to avoid what happened in the November match. Severus here is an ideal teacher, but you know how possessive he gets over his spells…'

Before Severus could retort, Malfoy said:

'But Severus would love to see Potter's face rubbed in the mud in a Gryffindor loss! Wouldn't you, Severus? And Regulus here, would certainly love to get a turn at shouting insults to his own brother across the Quidditch pitch!'

He saw Regulus's face turn white at those words.

Severus had left that particular match early; he hadn't heard Sirius insult his own brother for losing the game.

Severus felt a twinge of sympathy for the younger Black. Perhaps he could show him some basic defence spells, after all…

'Why don't you invite him over to your house this summer, Regulus?' Lucius Malfoy was saying.

_What!_

'I'm not staying anywhere where Sirius Black is! It's enough I have to share Hogwarts with that…that…!' He reigned himself in, before he called Regulus's brother something he might regret. They were still brothers after all. Besides, he had already promised Rosier that he'd spend a week at his place this summer.

' 'T wouldn't work, Malfoy!' Rabastan said, laughing 'They'd destroy the Black residence by duelling the moment they met!'

'Actually, Sirius is off to visit Potter this summer.' piped up Regulus, suddenly.

It was as though the idea of Severus coming over pleased him.

'There you go. It's settled then.' And Malfoy, giving Severus a hearty slap on the back, picked up his cloak from the table and turned to leave. 'Come with me, Reg, I've got a really good book on Quidditch I could lend you.' And throwing his cloak over his shoulder, he put his arm protectively around the small boy's shoulder, much as he used to do with Severus back in first year, and led him away.

Severus, not sure what he had just agreed to do, stared at them as they were waylaid by a group of simpering fifth-year girls. Regulus slunk off, and minutes later, he heard Lucius tell them he was off to bed.

The girls dispersed, looking rather disappointed, and Severus was left staring at the icy-blue eyes of the only person left near the fireplace opposite. They had both been looking at Malfoy. Narcissa Black's eyes flickered for an instant on his, then she looked away, glancing for a moment at the small figure of Regulus, hunched once more over his books, then roved over the mostly deserted common room, to settle again on Lucius Malfoy, who had been waylaid for the second time on his way to the boy's dormitory, by two seventh-year boys. She watched them intently from her seat near the fireplace, as still as a statue carved from ice.

'Very popular, now, isn't he?' Rabastan said, breaking the silence.

'Wasn't he always?' Severus answered, his eyes still on the small group of young men.

'But now he has something to be really proud of.'

'And that is?'

'He is of age now, and the Dark Lord has promised him that he could become a Death Eater.'

'That's just rumours…'

'Not according to him.'

Severus said nothing. He knew that becoming a Death Eater, and who, exactly, the Death Eaters were, was something shrouded in mystery. He knew Rabastan's brother, Rodolphus, was a Death Eater now, but Rabastan had given that information only to the six regular members of their secret group, and sworn them to secrecy.

Severus knew that if that information had to get out, it would mean a term in Azkaban for his brother.

Severus watched the sleek, blonde head of the tall Headboy as it towered above that of his companions. They were huddled together, discussing something in low voices, then, with sudden, loud guffaws at some secret joke, they broke apart, and went back to their table in one of the alcoves, leaving Malfoy to continue on his way to the dormitories.

There was a soft, rustling sound from the fireplace, and to his surprise, Narcissa Black got up and, after checking that no-one was looking, silently disappeared through the door Malfoy had just left through.

'I think he met him last month. But he won't say how, or when.' Rabastan was saying, glumly.

'He met the Dark Lord?'

Rabastan nodded. 'Or so he says. But I believe him. He's always disappearing off to Hogsmeade now, whenever he can. But I don't know if that's where he met the Dark Lord. He can apparate now, you know.'

'Hi there, Rabastan, fancy a cauldron cake?' A curly-haired girl in his year, called Nyneve, had come over, holding a bag of the little cakes. 'Oh, hello Severus, didn't see you in there!'

It had finally grown dark, and the alcove was, as usual, in deeper shadow than the lamp-lit room.

Rabastan, smiling broadly, took a cake from the bag and thanked her in his low voice. She turned to Severus, her face rather flushed, but he shook his head at the proffered cakes, and turned to gather up his things.

'Off to bed!' he muttered, leaving Rabastan to it.

He had an idea that if Lucius was considered interesting enough for Narcissa to follow, then he might hear something interesting. Perhaps she might entice the answers out of him, that he had not been able to.

He made his way to the corridor that led to the boy's Dormitories. It was not very far, and unless Narcissa was foolhardy enough to actually go into the dorms, he would find her soon.

Sure enough, a bit further on, he heard the sound of voices. They were coming from a small arched niche several yards ahead. There were many of these intercommunicating recessed spaces in the dungeons. They had been built to provide circulation of air to the underground passageways, and some were as large as small rooms.

'…shouldn't have followed me here, Narcissa!' Malfoy was saying. 'You know how rumours can spread.'

'I don't care! I wanted to see for myself, Lucius!' she replied.

Her voice was calm, but there was an underlying breathlessness that made it seem less distant than usual.

Severus crept closer, intrigued. He had always got the impression that Narcissa Black carefully nurtured exactly what kind of rumours should, or should not, be flying about her.

'Wanted to see what, exactly?' Malfoy's voice sounded guarded, almost afraid.

'You know what! Show me your arm!'

'No!'

'My sister told me!'

'Your sister knows nothing! And she would do well to stop sending owls with such false information! If letters like that fall into the wrong hands…'

'She didn't send letters, she… we have other ways of communicating!'

'Well, her messages are going a tad awry, if she's been telling you that…' he lowered his voice to a whisper, so that Severus could not hear.

' … not now, not ever, if Bella is to be believed!' Narcissa's voice rose in volume once more 'The Dark Mark is everything…!'

'Hush! Lower your voice, for Merlin's sake, Narcissa! I don't know why you came _here,_ of all places to ask me such things! And anyway, what is it to you? Why should you want to know?'

There was silence from the alcove.

Then, after a minute, Narcissa's voice spoke softly, a mere whisper.

'You have your answer, I think.'

'You... Narcissa, I –' Lucius's voice came thickly '- I will let you know this summer, if – if it happens, ok? Now please, leave!'

'But , Lucius –'

'Narcissa, if I stay one more minute longer with you in this small space, your reputation will be ruined by the very man who should protect it! Now get out! And go straight to the girl's dormitories, if you know what's good for you!' and with that, Lucius suddenly burst out of the recess and strode off towards the senior's dormitories.

He did not even notice Severus at the far end of the corridor, but Narcissa, who followed him out a moment later, did.

She walked towards him, calmly, her long blond hair lighting up the gloomy corridor.

He stood his ground.

After all, this was the corridor that led to the boy's dormitory and he had every right to be there.

When she came close, she gave him a searching look. He was almost her height now, and he stared steadily back into her pale eyes, trying to determine her reaction to being caught in the boy's quarters.

She was slightly flushed, which in itself was rather unusual for Narcissa. He narrowed his eyes, wishing for the hundredth time that he had started Legilimency.

Narcissa said nothing, but she closed the gap between them, and laid her hand softly on Severus's arm. Looking intently into his eyes, she gave him a small smile.

Then Severus understood.

Her flushed face was not a blush of shame, but of victory, and her smile was one of triumph. He knew that she had got what she wanted from Lucius, and was silently telling him so. But there was something else – something far more surprisingly rare in Narcissa, for beneath the smugness, the triumph, there was an undercurrent of barely-controlled excitement, a look that he had never seen on her face before…

In that brief instant, although no words passed between them, he knew they had come to a silent understanding. She had allowed him to see something few other people had ever witnessed, and she was asking him to keep her secret.

And Severus knew that he would.

He would not tell anyone where she had been,; what she had said, or what Lucius had said; but most importantly, he would not tell anyone that the cold and imperturbable Narcissa Black, had fallen in love with Lucius Malfoy.

With a final gentle squeeze of his arm, Narcissa let go and made her way back to the common-room.

Severus stared at her slender figure as it disappeared in the gloomy corridor, wondering what, exactly, it was about Narcissa that made him seal an unspoken pact with her.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66: Girl Talk**

'Good luck, Sev!'

Lily rolled over to her stomach on the soft green grass and watched Severus gather up his books from where they had been strewn around them.

They had sacrificed their lunch break to get in some last minute studying in the shade of some trees by the lakeside, before exams that afternoon. Exams were in full swing now, but thankfully, they would be over by the end of that week.

'You coming?'

He had moved a few paces then stopped, waiting for her and squinting in the bright sunlight.

'Oh, no – not yet. I forgot to tell you, McGonagall postponed our exam by two hours.'

'Bit unusual, that. Did she say why?'

Lily shrugged. 'Dumbledore needed her, she said. Anyhow, you'd better get a move on – you don't want to be late for Flitwick!'

Severus looked as though he was about to say something else, but glancing up, he seemed to see something that made him change his mind. Twisting around, she saw a group of girls making their way towards her along the lake's edge.

She sat up, shading her eyes to get a better look.

They were Thalia Swanson, Mary MacDonald and Jenny Trimble. They all carried books, presumably to study, but the giggling and chattering belied their intentions.

'Look, Sev, it's –'

She turned around, but Severus was gone. She saw his thin figure already half-way across the lawns towards the castle doors. She gave an irritated sigh. Lately, he had taken to avoiding her if she was in the company of her room mates, especially Alice Walker.

Granted, exams were a serious business with Severus, and he always became unreasonably irritated with any overt displays of stupidity from anyone at this time of the year.

'….and Jake Brodie's dress sense is so _awful'._ Thalia's voice drifted ahead.

' 'Awful' is an understatement.' Mary's voice answered 'D'you know what he wears under his robes?'

Mary whispered something that made the other girls burst into fits of laughter that rang merrily over the lake.

Lily grinned.

'And what does Brodie wear under his robes?' she asked as they drew up.

'Oh, hi there, Lily! Didn't see you under the tree. Where's Severus?' Mary said as she threw herself down beside her, her face flushed with the heat. The other two followed suit, Thalia sitting primly in the shadiest part, and Jenny cross-legged near her. Lily wordlessly pointed at the small black splotch making its way to the castle.

'Well?' she asked

'Well what?'

'You were discussing Brodie's dress sense, I believe?' Merlin knew she wanted to take her mind off studying for a while now.

Mary grinned, rolled over on her elbow and said: 'Well, I have it from a good source that he wears pink long-johns under his robe!'

'What! In this warm weather?'

'No silly, no one wears anything under their robes in this heat! I - I mean –' Mary looked momentarily confused, then blushed, but her words were drowned out by the loud laughter of everyone around her. Lily laughed too. It was rather silly, but it was as good a way as any to relieve the exam tension.

'You know what I mean!' Mary said, petulantly 'Hogwarts robes are too heavy for summer. It's too damn hot to stay in anything but your bra and knickers under your robes in this weather!' she fanned her flushed face with a piece of parchment.

'We should have a light-coloured summer uniform, not this heavy black stuff.' Thalia said, picking distastefully at the material of her robe. 'I heard that at Beauxbatons they have two sets.'

'Ours is ok for winter…' piped in Jenny.

'Humph. Better, perhaps.' Mary conceded 'But in the worst days of winter here at Hogwarts, you put on more than your cloak. I've seen you wear two sets of jumpers and trousers under your robe, Jenny.'

'…_and_ mittens, _and_ a scarf.' Jenny nodded.

'I wonder what boys wear under their robes.' Thalia reiterated, with a mischievous look in her eye. Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation. This was the direction the conversation always took recently, with her housemates. But she decided to go along.

'Apart from pink long-john's, you mean?' she said, setting them laughing again.

'That's obvious. They wear exactly what girls wear' Mary answered, 'And no – I don't mean bras, Thalia' she added, as fresh giggling broke out. 'Padded out in extra clothes in winter, and underwear in summer. I have a _brother_, you know. '

'I wish I had a brother I could ask those kind of things to.' said Thalia, ruefully 'but I'm an only child, worse luck!' her eyes settled on Lily, and she grinned. 'or perhaps a close friend. A _boy_-friend, like Lily here has Severus.'

Lily flushed.

'Severus is my friend, my _best_ friend, so don't you go on saying –'

'Oh, keep your hair on, Lily!' Mary interrupted 'You get so touchy about Severus! No-one's implying anything! What makes you think so?' she accompanied this with an obvious wink in Thalia's direction. Before Lily could retort, Thalia had edged closer to Lily and whispered conspiratorially-

'So tell us, Lily. How is it to be best friends with a bloke? Especially someone like Severus. Do you ever talk about – you_ know_- ?'

'What d'you mean 'someone like Severus'? ' Lily answered sharply ' and talk about what, exactly?'

'Thalia fancies Lucius Malfoy!' Mary said, as though that explained everything.

'Well, he's tall and so _terribly_ good-looking! Have you seen the colour of his eyes? And I love the way he wears his hair long! It's even the muggle fashion, did you know?' Thalia said rapturously.

Mary shook her head in exasperation.

'He's a seventh year, a pureblood, and a Slytherin Headboy to boot!'

'Well, I'm fourteen and a half!' Thalia protested, but Mary ignored her.

'I still don't see what this has to do with –' Lily interrupted.

'Severus is Lucius Malfoy's friend.' Thalia explained. 'They often sit together in the Great Hall, talking. But they always shut up when anyone else comes up. Mysterious, isn't it?'

'How did you- ?'

'Thalia spends her time ogling Malfoy in the Great Hall, and everywhere else, for that matter, that's why she knows! ' Mary said, rolling her eyes. 'Anyway, you haven't answered us. Does Severus tell you anything about what boys talk about? What he and Malfoy talk about?'

Lily shook her head numbly. She hadn't asked. Perhaps because she knew he would not answer her. Perhaps because she would not want to hear the answer, even if he did…

'Severus frightens me sometimes…' burst in Jenny, unexpectedly.

_'What?'_

Jenny flushed guiltily.

'Haven't you seen the look in his eyes, when he's angry? Like darker than dark?' she mumbled, nervously. 'I made the mistake of asking him something in the Library the other day. He didn't answer me, but I felt like he was a nanosecond away from cursing me to smithereens!'

'And with the curses _he_ knows…' continued Mary.

'Have you been listening to Alice's conspiracy theories again?' Lily cut in, angrily.

Mary and Jenny exchanged guilty looks, but Thalia grinned widely, and patted her arm.

'Don't listen to them! I like Severus, Lily. He's a sort of dark version of Lucius Malfoy – only perhaps, not so well-built, but he's getting pretty tall, isn't he? And he's got fascinating dark eyes! _Very _expressive!'

'If you consider looks that could kill, as '_expressive'_…' muttered Mary darkly, rolling onto her stomach once more, and pulling at blades of grass.

'Oh, come off it, Mary!' Thalia cut in, impatiently. 'You admitted he's got nice eyes yourself!'

'Sirius Black's eyes are more fascinating!' Mary mumbled, keeping her eyes carefully on the grass in front of her. Lily saw a blush creep over her cheeks.

She resisted an urge to laugh. She had been feeling increasingly irritated at hearing her friend analysed as though he was someone from their stupid _witch weekly_ magazines, but now, hearing Mary describe that jerk, Sirius Black, as 'fascinating', made her want to laugh out loud.

Didn't any one of her friends ever bother to scratch the surface of mere looks?

Not that she was completely immune … a flash of memory, come and gone like quicksilver, of black eyes, half-shaded by long lashes, entered her mind.

She shook her head, feeling herself reddening slowly. This was getting bizarre!

' …and so never you mind, Lily' Thalia was saying. 'you're lucky to have someone like Severus as a friend, so fascinating and –'

'Dangerous!' burst in Jenny.

'Look, Severus isn't dangerous! 'Lily said huffily. 'I know he's interested in Dark Arts and stuff, but he hasn't hexed any of you, has he? It's just that he gets jumpy during exams. He's like that.'

'No, Lily, he hasn't hexed any of us.' Jenny answered 'But then he's different with you, isn't he? So you wouldn't know. As for me, I get the feeling that he _will_ hex me one of these days, whether there are exams or not…'

'What on earth for?'

Jenny shrugged.

'He's dangerous.' She repeated.

'There you go, Lily. Mysterious _and_ dangerous.' cut in Thalia. 'What more fascinating combination could a girl want? You're one lucky girl –!'

'Thalia, have you been reading those rubbish vampire stories again? For I can assure you, there's nothing mysterious _or_ dangerous about Severus, he's just….well, _Sev! _And I won't have you speaking of him like – like - he's either some soppy romantic hero from your novels, –' There was a sound of snorting laughter from Mary, ' - or a dangerous curse-hurling wizard, ready for a trip to Azkaban!' she continued, glaring at Jenny and Mary.

She got to her feet, dusted her robes and picked up her books

'Anyway, I'm off to the Library! You're getting me all weirded out with your talk! Can't you lay off Severus for a moment, and stick it into your head that he's just my friend? '

'Why, of course, Lily.' said Thalia with a big grin, and a voice that indicated exactly the opposite.

'I've known Severus since we were kids! It's – it's so weird to think of your best friend like he's your - your –'

But she couldn't get herself to say it, and she felt herself blushing furiously, which would only make it worse.

They were all looking up at her with wide grins now.

'Oh, forget it!' and she whirled round, and marched across the lawn towards the castle doors, longing, for once, for the cool, dark interior rather than the bright sunshine outside. Perhaps she would cool down, for she could still hear her friends words echoing in her head : '…_a dark version of Lucius Malfoy… mysterious and dangerous... fascinating dark eyes…' _

She shook her head, feeling her cheeks aflame. She wasn't going _there _again.

She never knew her friends had ever paid that much attention to what Severus did, or who he spoke to before, except perhaps Alice, who thought him practically as bad as a Death Eater.

But her room mates' fascination with boys had grown stronger this year, and they had all but abandoned their _Witch Weekly_ and _Bewitched_ magazines in favour of the walking, talking, versions of boys available in their own common-room and beyond. Perhaps Severus had just been caught up in the whirlwind of their new-found hobby, if they had started to notice details such as how dark his eyes get when angry.

After all, she thought, Severus _did_ have very expressive eyes, although there were fleeting occasions when what she saw in them, both confused and frightened her, though not in the way Jenny described …

Then, with a sudden _whumph, _she collided with something huge and solid blocking the corridor. With a gasp of surprise she found herself on the floor, her books scattered about her.

'Merlin's beard! Sorry lass!'

She looked up to see Hagrid looming over her. She had not seen him coming, for her eyes had still not adjusted to the gloomy half-light of the Entrance Hall and she had just walked straight into the large gamekeeper.

'Oh, it's yeh, Lily!' he said ' 'ere. I'll 'elp yeh!' and he started rummaging around for her books.

'Sorry, Hagrid, I was distracted. I didn't see you.' She said as she struggled up.

'I 'aven't seen yeh down by my hut fer some time, Lily! Last time I saw yeh was in Professor Kettleburn's class, when we did Kneazles!'

'Well, yes. We've got exams now, Hagrid.'

'I know 'yeh're busy an all tha', but I want ter show you something wunnerful, Lily. I jus' know yeh'll appreciate it!'

What is it, Hagrid?' she was curious in spite of herself.

'The most beautiful little fawn yeh ever saw. Los' its mother some days ago. Yeh'll jus love it. Why don't yeh come help me feed it after class?'

'I have my transfiguration test – but, yes, I'll come. It'd be a break from- from – studying.'

'Tha's a good lass. I'll expec' yeh then.'

And with a gentle tap on the back that made her buckle at the knees, he made his way out towards the front door.

She watched his huge figure disappear into the glaring sunlight. She would like to see the fawn, obviously, though she would be cutting it close with her exams the next day. But the real reason she had accepted to go was that if she was invited to Hagrid's, she would have an excuse not to see Severus that evening.

She felt she needed some time to push from her mind all that she had heard that afternoon.

She supposed it was inevitable that being best friends with Severus, or any boy, for that matter, would make everybody think he's her boyfriend. Especially with her room mates' penchant for seeing potential mates in every boy their age or , who attended Hogwarts.

But they didn't know how far from the truth they were. Had Severus heard them talking the way they did, he probably would have acted just like Jenny was afraid he'd do, and hex them to a million pieces.

She smiled fondly as she imagined his scowling face, had he to even get an inkling of what they had been saying about him! Then she wondered whether anyone from Slytherin had ever teased him in the same way her friends just had.

Somehow that was an uncomfortable thought. She pushed it from her mind, trying to convince herself that perhaps the boys he hung around with were far less interested in girls, than girls were in them.

With a sigh she climbed the grand staircase and made her way to the Library.

Two weeks later, Severus was down in the dungeon hideout, making last-minute checks on the bottles, phials and ingredients he would be leaving behind in the hope of finding everything intact when he started school the following Autumn. Till now, the simple protective charms he used to black out the window had worked, and every new school term he would find everything in its place.

But his collection had grown, and the room itself looked clearly used. He had to find better protective charms to ward off unwanted visitors, should they ever come. Only Lily knew about this place. Perhaps she could come up with some idea – she was better at charms than he was. He had mixed feelings about Lily knowing about his secret hideout – much as he loved working alone with her down there, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the school, he could not help but feel scared that she might one day come unexpectedly, and find him practising a spell from his book on Dark Arts – especially now that he had discovered the clue to finding another, apparently more dangerous, Dark Arts book.

He pushed the thought from his mind. He would not be coming down here again. Tomorrow the Hogwarts Express left for London, and he had all summer to think about what to do with the book, and how to protect his hideout better with Lily's help.

Lily had been acting a bit funny, on and off, during the previous week. He was sure she was even avoiding him.

'Exam stress' she had said, when he asked.

But Lily was always easy to read – even if he did not yet know Legilimency. He recognised the lie, but said nothing. Exams were over now, and to his relief, Lily was behaving normally. Or as normal as possible for her, for, in the post-exam euphoria, she had suggested several hare-brained schemes to go gallivanting into the forest during the summer solstice days - suggestions that were sheer madness. Something about taking a baby fawn for a walk.

He had dissuaded her with difficulty.

Now the only thing that remained was his book. Taking it down from its hiding place on the topmost shelf, he made sure the pages were wiped magically clean, put a sticking charm on the last two hidden pages, and stuffed it among some other innocuous books in his bag. With one final look into the room, he stepped out into the dark corridor outside, and shut the heavy door.

In silence, he proceeded carefully along the dark corridor, not even lighting his wand. He knew these passages like the back of his hand now, anyway. But one could not be too careful – with the joy of starting holidays tomorrow, and the lengthened days following the summer solstice, he knew a lot of students would be up and about, brazenly flouting the school rules on curfew.

Not that any of them ever came this far down into the chilly depths of the castle. They preferred the upper levels…

A strange noise stopped Severus dead in his tracks. It was coming from a passageway that led off from the main torch-lit corridor. Strange – there were only small dungeon rooms down there, some completely empty, and some with broken and disused desks.

He heard the noise again – a low moan. He had been thinking of the bloody Baron – he was one of the few ghosts to roam the dungeons, and he also had a propensity for groaning, but the voice he heard was undeniably female.

He decided to explore. Carefully making his way silently but swiftly across the main passageway and down the smaller, narrower one that led off it he slowed down and listened again. A barely audible scraping noise came from the room at the bottom of the passageway – it sounded like someone moving furniture.

Then it was definitely not a ghost. Peeves? He doubted it.

Could it be that perhaps there were other students who had a hideout like him? Could it be that this was where Malfoy and his other seventh–year friends held their meetings? But it was a female voice – perhaps girls were part of it too? Like himself and Rabastan, and the rest of the gang did? But why the groaning?

Burning with curiosity, Severus approached the door carefully. To his disappointment, it was locked. He heard shuffling noises from within. Then he noticed that there was an enormous keyhole – one of the biggest he had yet seen on any internal door at Hogwarts. If the key was straight in the lock, he would not see anything, but if it was turned…

Eagerly, he bent down and placed his eyes to the keyhole.

The key was turned, but what he saw made him freeze in surprise.

Malfoy was in there, and in his arms was Narcissa Black! She was pushed up against an old desk, her back arching backwards as Malfoy kissed her passionately. There was only one small candle, and in the gloom of the dungeon, Narcissa's long, white-blonde hair and pale, long neck seemed to shine with a light of their own. A low moan escaped her lips.

Severus tore his eyes away from the keyhole and took a step backwards, his heart beating. The initial shock he had felt, like a cold shower, was giving way to something totally different, and he could feel the heat building up in him, his face burning. He was irresistibly drawn to the keyhole once more.

Narcissa had her arms round Lucius Malfoy's neck and his head was bent close to hers. He was whispering something. Narcissa's eyes closed for a split second, then opened again, looking up at him fully. Then one arm came down from his neck and her hand sought his, found it, and slowly drew it up to lay it on her breast, over her heart.

_Shit! _

Severus drew back once more from the keyhole, took a deep and rather ragged breath, and took off at a run down the corridor, towards the main passageway. _What the hell was wrong with him?_ He should've left as soon as he realised what was going on! After all, it was none of his business, and he had seen plenty of senior students snogging in the darker corners of the common room, or in the Hogsmeade pubs. He couldn't understand why what he saw down there shocked him.

Given what he had overheard them say a week ago, he should have expected it, after all. Perhaps it was just the fleeting look he had caught in Narcissa's eyes, perhaps it was seeing Narcissa so … so …

He couldn't put his finger upon it, but it was _not_ something he associated with Narcissa. Was it sincerity? He wished he had the experience Madeira had in interpreting people, even without Legilimency.

Remembering how Lucius Malfoy had enveloped Narcissa's slender figure, how his arms had drawn her close to him, how Narcissa had so willingly, so yieldingly, brought his hand to her breast, he could not help but wonder what had made Narcissa change her mind about Malfoy. Without a shade of doubt he knew that becoming a Death Eater had had something to do with it. Again and again, he had gone over the conversation he had overheard between the two of them just weeks prior. Narcissa had wanted to see Lucius' arm. It would have seemed strange to him, had he not seen the same thing happening seven months ago, in Hogsmeade. Only, on that occasion, it had been Malfoy who had been shown something on Selwyn's arm. Perhaps it was a code, or mark, that identified a Death Eater.

He had asked Rabastan, but the older boy could not, or would not, explain.

Arriving at the Slytherin common-room completely out of breath, he muttered the password, stepped inside, and, ignoring Rosier's greeting, headed straight to the dormitories. He wanted to pack his trunk, especially his book on the Dark Arts, and its newly discovered secrets, but he also wanted to avoid Rosier commenting on his flushed face and ragged breathing.


	67. Chapter 67 summer 74

**Chapter 67: Eileen's Regrets.**

Severus stared at the open letter in his hand. The parchment was of a fine quality and there was a crest at the top with the motto _'Toujours Pur'_. He had hardly been home two days, and Regulus was already writing to him, determined to hold him to his promise of coming over.

'… _I managed to get my Mum to agree to your staying over for a weekend, come August. I wanted the whole first week of August, but she wouldn't hear of it. They're inviting some of their stuffy old friends then, worse luck!' _

_Anyway, owl me if it's ok by you._

_Reg _

_PS: Sirius will be at the Potters for all but the last week of August._

Like Rosier's invitation, he had to admit it held a certain appeal. He had been long curious to see how pureblood families lived, especially those with a reputation for being rich and important.

Much like his Prince relations.

Since he had no hope of ever seeing the latter, except through his mother's erratic ramblings, he could at least see first-hand what he had been denied at birth.

He had accompanied his mother on rare occasions, when she had flooed to other wizarding places, to get ingredients for potions, or similar supplies. But the visits had been brief and secretive, confined mainly to the shop or house, so that he did not even know whereabouts in England he had been taken to, and, although by his standards then, they had been strange and remarkable places, they were certainly nowhere near the mansion-style building Rosier boasted of, or the big London house that Regulus had mentioned.

He folded the parchment carefully, went to a small ramshackle table near the window in his bedroom that served as desk, and chose a plain sheet of parchment on which to write his answer.

Alghior, Regulus Black's Tufted Owl, looked on with interest from the window, the entire breadth of the small bedroom reflected in his large, amber eyes.

He wrote:

_I will come on the 3rd of August._

_Severus_

It was time he broadened his horizons a bit.

Attaching the rolled up parchment to the owl's foot, he watched its silent flight over the roofs of the red brick houses of Spinner's End and beyond.

When it had disappeared, he closed the windows carefully, making no noise. It was still very early, so his parents were asleep, and Severus preferred it that way.

His father had largely ignored him for the two days he had been back and Severus wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He didn't know how long it would last, for he had caught his father looking at him once or twice with a look of undisguised resentment on his face. What caused it, Severus could not be sure, but after all, nothing ever pleased Tobias as much as finding fault with him, it seemed.

'Yer hair's too long, boy! D'you have hippies, or whatever they call 'em nowadays, in that freak school of yours, too?' were the only words his father had growled at him, the night he had appeared on the worn hearthrug back home.

He had flooed back to Spinner's End from the Leaky Cauldron, having adamantly refused to take a lift from the Evans. Although Lily had repeatedly insisted he should join her, and her parents, on the car ride back to Castleforth, he had slipped away unseen the instant the Hogwarts Express reached King's Cross station, so that her parents would be spared the awkwardness of having Lily cajole them into giving him a lift.

He did not want a repeat of what happened last year.

Lily had been upset, of course.

She had met him next day, by the river, as they had previously planned to do on the train.

'I know why you sneaked off, Severus!' she said 'But I really don't see why! I don't care about –'

'But your parents do!' he had cut across her, tersely.

Something shifted behind her eyes, then. It was enough to tell him that they did not approve of him and his neighbourhood anymore, and had told her so. Well, hardly a big surprise. He was a fool to think Lily's parents would be any different…

Lily had not spoken about it again. There was a pained look in her eyes – whether because of him, his neighbourhood, or her parent's attitude, he did not know.

That was the day before yesterday, and none of them brought up the subject again. They had met again by the river, and then gone to buy a cold drink from Harfield's, the local grocer, which they then sipped in the park nearby.

Neither of them wanted to dive back into schoolwork, and the past two days had been pleasantly occupied doing nothing. With his clandestine lessons in Hogsmeade and extra third-year subjects, it had been an intense and tiring year at school, and Severus had forgotten just how much he had liked these summer days with Lily, so he had been glad to hear she was not going anywhere this year for holidays.

Apparently, Petunia was dating someone, and she had absolutely refused to leave Castleforth. Her parents had given in, opting for a smaller weekend holiday instead.

For once, Severus was glad about Petunia's actions. It meant that he would not have to endure living for over whole month at Spinner's End without Lily's company, like last year.

A noise from the room next door interrupted his musings, and brought him back to his surroundings. A door opened, and he heard heavy footsteps down the short corridor and landing outside his room. He froze as the footsteps paused, just outside his door, but then they retreated, and he heard the bathroom door slam.

It appeared his father was already up, and rather earlier than usual. Severus knew he had been up during the night too, for he had heard his father's loud, complaining voice, and his mother's shushing, pleading one, through the walls of his room, sometime during the early hours of the morning.

He could not hear what they said, but he could feel the familiar heaviness surround his heart, as he waited for the explosion of voices and sounds from his parent's room.

But none came.

The muffled voices had died down, and he heard the creaking of his parent's bedroom door open, followed by soft, padding footsteps going down the stairs – his mother. And then, a few minutes later, back up again. Their door closed, and there was silence.

The silence made him more uneasy than the expected angry outburst. Anger, he was familiar with, but this silence had an ominous note to it, and he had not been able to sleep.

That was why he had immediately heard Regulus Black's owl as it tapped on his window a bit before dawn.

Yes, Reg's invitation. He needed to speak to his mother about that before his father came downstairs. Probably she would not object – the Blacks' pureblood status would be something she approved of.

He threw on a pair of jeans and delved into a small pile of muggle shirts his mother had got him yesterday from the second-hand shop. Gingerly selecting a solid black, though rather faded, T-shirt, from the mound of garishly-coloured clothes, he shrugged into it and dumped the rest at the bottom of his wardrobe where, as far as he was concerned, it could rot. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing that eye-watering mixture of clashing colours and shapes, muggle-fashion or not!

Not that his mother had ever grasped the concept of muggle clothing particularly well, despite living as a muggle. That, and the fact that she could only afford second-hand, ill-fitting clothes, had always ensured he was pointed at, and made fun of, by other kids when he was little.

He pushed those thoughts from his mind as he went downstairs. At least she had noticed he had outgrown all his muggle clothes, and had made an effort to find him something. He went through the small living room to the kitchen at the back, where his mother was preparing breakfast.

She looked up as he came in.

'What are you having?' she asked, looking tired and wan.

'Just tea.'

'You may as well have this too,' she said 'Your father won't be having breakfast, he's not feeling up to it.'

'What about you?'

She shook her head mutely, as she overturned the contents of the frying pan onto a plate.

'Anyway, Severus, you've not only grown taller since I saw you last, but you've also become as thin as a rake! You take this!'

It always surprised him whenever Eileen noticed anything about him, so Severus sat down at the small kitchen table, and quietly accepted the plate.

At that moment, his father came in the kitchen. He threw Severus a sour look from blood-shot eyes and walked heavily to the kitchen counter. He hadn't bothered to shave, and a grey stubble was on his face.

'Where's me bag?' he muttered in a low voice.

Eileen handed him a small, black, carry-all with a broken zipper.

'The potion's in the side pocket, make sure you take-'

'_Medicine,_ dammit, Eileen! Medicine!' his father ground out suddenly. 'I won't have ye saying anythin' about those poisons ye feed me!'

Severus waited for his mother to retort back, to tell him to go stuff muggle medicine down his throat, if he thought that would do him any good! But the idea of her brewing potions for his father took him by surprise, and even more, the fact that his father was willingly taking them! He had always adamantly refused to touch potions before.

Eileen reddened, but bit her tongue.

' '_Medicine_', then! No more than three drops, or you'll keel over-'

'Bet you'd like that! Bet you'd –!' Tobias Snape stopped short. There was a fleeting hurt look in Eileen's eyes, but it was gone before Severus could even be sure what he had seen. She scowled as she turned her back on her husband, and busied herself with the kettle.

'Well, I'll – I'll be off, then.' Tobias said gruffly, looking at his wife's thin back as she poured the tea.

Eileen did not turn round.

Tobias snatched the shabby black bag from the kitchen counter, and marched out of the room without another word. Severus heard the front door bang shut.

'What's the matter with _him_?' he asked.

' '_Him_?' ' his mother said sharply, turning round to face him. 'He's your father, Severus. And you will address him as such!'

Had she slapped him would not have been so flabbergasted.

He had felt something strange since he came back, His parents still generally snapped at each other, and though there had been no huge rows yet, their manner was as dour as ever. But he had sensed something different between them – a subtle change that he could not quite put his finger on. It seemed as though there was a shift in the power struggle.

But to ask him to call that man 'father' when he had long ceased to do so, and had ceased to think of him as such for even longer, was unthinkable! She knew this, so why was she objecting now? After all, considering the pejoratives she hurled at her husband during their rows, she was a fine one to talk!

He realised he was still looking, astounded, at his mother. She came over to the small kitchen table and set down a mug of tea in front of him.

'Your father is in pain, because he has a liver problem.' She said when she realised Severus was still speechless. 'That's what you get when you drink too much! And even the potions can't fix the damage now.'

'Damage?'

'He said he'll stop. He – he promised. But the potions only help, they can't undo the damage, and I'm not a healer. Not that he would ever allow any strange wizard near him...'

Severus was still trying to process this information, when Eileen got up, went to the kitchen hob and got the kettle to pour herself a cup of tea. She came back to the table and sat down, hunched over her cup, gazing, unseeing, at the brown liquid inside.

This in itself was unusual.

Eileen never lounged about with cups of tea. She drank her tea while cooking, dusting, or doing other chores, or while brewing, or even while muttering imprecations at an absent Tobias. If she ever sat anywhere, especially when her husband was around, it was as though she was a tightly-coiled spring, sitting on the edge of her seat, ready to fly into action.

Severus looked at her closely, trying to read the signs there.

She was tired, but that could be explained by a sleepless night. There were small lines around her eyes, her brow was furrowed, and her long, black hair carelessly twisted into a knot that left several strands coming loose around her face. Still very black hair, with no trace of grey, but she looked older than her thirty five years.

She was worried and sad, Severus realised. There was no trace of the bitterness and resentment that were her habitual expression.

But what was she worried about? Her father's drinking? His sickness? Was she worried about what she'd do, if he had to kick the bucket?

He would have thought she'd be glad of it! He certainly would be! There were many nights when he'd lain in bed bruised and bleeding, and secretly wished for it!

He considered, quite dispassionately, what he would do if Tobias had to drink himself to death. They would be practically destitute, probably, at least until he came of age. Perhaps his mother would go on the dole, something she had always proudly refused to consider, even when his father had lost his job.

Perhaps that is what she was worried about.

He looked at his mother as she raised the cup to her lips, drinking deeply, eyes closed. He wondered why she didn't put some Cheering Potion in that tea. She put the cup down in front of her, empty, and gazed dully at the brown sludge of tea leaves inside. Looking at her expression, Severus doubted whether even Cheering Potion would work.

The worry he could understand, but where was the sadness coming from? Not that he remembered his mother ever looking happy... unless...

He suddenly saw the vision of a young, happy woman with long, sleek black hair smiling up at the man he now refused to call father. This memory had been locked away inside his head, and he had been unaware of it, until the forced recollection during Madeira's Legilimency attack on his mind.

He had not been able to take that vision out of his head. It had recurred to him again and again, during sleepless nights in the Slytherin dorm. And even more so now, back home, with the subjects of that memory right in front of him. He found it difficult to reconcile the broken, hunched man with greying hair, and face permanently twisted in a scowl of anger, with the tall, youthful, warmly-smiling man in his vision; or his bitter and careworn mother with the happy, radiant young wife who had kissed her husband so passionately.

'Did my father know you were a witch when you got married?'

The question had burst from him before he could stop it. He must have been thinking out loud. Eileen looked up from her cup, her brows furrowed in puzzlement, as though she thought she hadn't heard right.

Severus waited for an angry, its-none-of-your-business outburst, but none came. Eileen raised the empty cup half-way to her lips, as though for something to do, then, realising it was empty, she set it down again.

'Why do you want to know?' she said, in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Severus shrugged.

Eileen just sat there and stared at him, her eyes almost glazed.

'You always said he tried to take your magic,' he explained, when she didn't appear about to say anything soon, 'But you never said exactly when he found out, –'

She blinked. 'He knew I was a witch before we were married.' She said, in a flat voice, 'But he was ok with that. Fascinated him, even. We had our wedding announcement printed in the _Daily Prophet_, in fact.'

'So, what...why...?' he didn't know what to say.

'What went wrong?' she said, with a rueful smile. 'I wish I knew, exactly. It started slowly. We had been cut off without a penny. He wasn't used to it, and neither was I.'

Severus listened, hardly daring to breath. He did not know why she was telling him this, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to hear it, now that he had asked for it.

'He was ambitious, Severus, and he wanted more. He thought if I had been disinherited, I could at least use my magic to get rich. He did not understand that it does not work that way, and he would not take no for an answer...' She scowled. At this point he expected her to go off at a tangent and pour vituperations on his father, his laziness, and so on and so forth. But she took a deep breath and continued:

'It wasn't so bad the first year. He had a good job with one of the consultancy firms that served whatever remained of the old mill industries, and was making progress, got promoted, too. He stopped insisting on using magic, and when I had you, he was over the moon-'

She stopped as Severus made a noise of disbelief. Despite what he had been forced to recall within his own memories, he found the idea of his father being 'over the moon' at his birth rather difficult to imagine.

'Yes, Severus! Tobias was happy to have a son.' She said, emphatically. 'It was a year or two later that – that –' Eileen stopped.

'...that he discovered that I had inherited your magic, and that I was different, too!' Severus continued the sentence for her, bitterly. He remembered that in his buried memory, Tobias had seemed keen to find his own traits in his infant son. So it was his fault. He had always known…

Eileen was looking at him with a mixture of sorrow and regret.

'It – it wasn't only that, Severus. The company he worked for went bankrupt, and he was made redundant. He was a proud man, and it hit him hard.'

Severus could hardly believe his ears. He shifted uncomfortably. His mother, making excuses for his father's behaviour? If it wasn't impossible, he'd have thought she'd been Confunded! And why find excuses now? If she knew all this, why couldn't she have bitten her tongue, when her bitter accusations acerbated her father's temper, and earned her the dark bruise marks she later tried to hide under long-sleeved clothing?

Something of what he was thinking must have shown on his face, for Eileen's eyes narrowed, the sour expression back on her face again.

'Why aren't you wearing the clothes I bought you?' she snapped at him.

He realised their conversation was over. But this felt like more familiar ground. Her anger he was used to, and he could deal with, more than the strange, uncomfortable realm of her sad regrets.

'I am.' he said, shortly.

'You know what I mean. The muggle fashion is colourful, now, and –'

'Since when have you been interested in muggle fashion?' he looked pointedly at the drab skirt and blouse under her apron. 'And since when have you cared what I look like?'

This came out rather more harshly then he intended, but childhood memories of shouted insults at his 'freak clothes' weren't easily forgotten.

Eileen lowered her eyes to the empty cup in front of her. Then, with a sigh, she got up, collected his half-eaten, and now cold, breakfast and her cup, and took them over to the chipped old stoneware sink in the corner.

Then she turned to face him.

'I need you to blend in, Severus! I don't want you to-'

'_Blend in_? Last summer you went through the roof because I got a lift from London with muggles, and now you're telling me to _blend in_ with a bunch of –of -!'

He got up from the table, almost knocking the chair over.

'Look, Mum, can you tell me what's going on?'

They had to stop treating him like a child to be ignored! He knew there was something going on, and he didn't even need Legilimency. As Madeira had said, it was written all over her face.

His mother was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

'Dementors.' She said grimly.


	68. Chapter 68

C**hapter 68: The Patronus Charm**

'Dementors.' His mother said grimly.

'Wha – ? _Dementors?_ Where?'

'In Bramham, a bit further north.'

'How d'you -?'

'How do I know? Oh, I've decided to renew some of my old acquaintances. There aren't many I can trust, but under the circumstances…'

Severus remembered that even last summer, she had been using the floo network, though he never found out who she was talking to.

'There was nothing in the _Prophet_', he said evasively.

'Of course not!' his mother said disdainfully 'Minister Trout wouldn't want there to be chaos. Even that very first mention of an attack, back when war on you-know-who was declared, had people panicking. It was mostly hushed up after that. Or rather, they are blaming he-who-must-not-be-named. They say _he_ is inciting them to rebellion!'

'That's not true! The Ministry is just blaming the Dark Lord for their own incompetence! After all, Trout keeps assuring everyone that Azkaban, and its guards, are loyal to the Ministry, doesn't he?'

'Ah, I see that you've been keeping up to date at school! But Severus, you may be too young to understand, yet, but when there is a war, one's allies may determine the outcome. And I can see the attraction of having Dementors on your side, weakening the enemy…'

'So you believe that rag of a newspaper then? Well, I don't! And I'm old enough to know that there are two sides to every coin! Have you ever considered that it could be someone like that Barty Crouch, Head of Law Enforcement, who's sending out Dementors to do his dirty work, and then blaming it on the Dark Lord's followers?'

There was a stunned silence. He saw his mother studying him. He bit his lip. He shouldn't have said that. He knew she would not approve of his taking part in any clandestine meetings at Hogwarts, which is clearly where such a piece of information would have come from.

'I see you have your own sources of information. What have you been reading, then?' she asked.

'I have acquaintances, too. People talk.' He said, sullenly.

'Barty Crouch has been making quite a name for himself, recently. Quite thorough in hunting down 'criminals', as he calls them.' She admitted, grudgingly, though she was still looking at her son with narrowed eyes.

He did not answer her, but threw himself down on his chair again, and pulled his mug of tea towards him.

She sighed and went to sit down opposite him.

'Look, Severus, I don't know, and I don't care, who the Dementors are obeying right now. In either case, it is bad news for everyone. All I know is that they are among us! And Dementors are not creatures that can be controlled, if they find someone – _anyone_ – they can feast off! If they're being sent forth by you-know-who, it will look grim for us, because they will be sent here with a purpose! They will be sent to weed out any muggle blood from non-wizarding families, do you understand?'

Severus looked sullenly at her, unwilling to listen. She did not know. How could she know? But he knew better.

During the last few meetings, Rabastan and Mulciber had brought plenty of reports about Crouch's increasingly brutal retaliations to Death Eater activities. The Auror office was at his beck and call, and the Dementor attacks had been ordered by him on both the Death Eaters and those wizards and witches who had preached moderation. Got rid of his opposition, and at the same time discredited the Dark Lord. Convenient.

'Damn it all, Severus! _Do you understand?'_ his mother shouted, when he did not answer.

He looked up and saw that there was terror in her eyes.

The Dementors were sent out by Crouch, she had no reason to fear. But he could never convince her of that.

Had it been the Dark Lord to control them, then they would probably target his father. He would deserve it, he thought darkly. But now, he wasn't so sure his mother would be grateful. She was behaving oddly…

'Is that why you want me to blend in with the muggles? Do you think it would escape either the Dementors', or the Death Eater's notice, if I was to wear those garish things?' he said sarcastically.

'No, perhaps not, if they were sent purposely. But if not, I don't want you to draw attention to our existence here. It's bad enough that that Evans muggle-born knows! I hope you warned her-'

'You keep Lily out of this! After all, Spinner's End isn't unplottable, or - or secret –'

'It is as low-key as it can possibly get, and I've added some protective charms…! No, listen to me, Severus!' she said, as he prepared to interrupt with further protestations 'I've been meaning to tell you this for months now –'

He shut up.

She took a deep breath and leaned forward across the small table. 'There is a spell. It is rather advanced magic, but I want you to learn it. Now. Here.'

She had his undivided attention.

'I – I was never much good at it,' she continued, '...even when I did my NEWTs , and now, it's worse, for I can't seem to….'she shook her head wearily, 'Anyway, it's called the Patronus Charm, Severus. It will keep Dementors away, should they ever appear-'

'Mum, I there will be no Dementors…'

'Shut up and listen to me! I don't care what your friends say! You need to know this! Now get your wand, I want to finish this before your father gets back!'

He left the table and ran up the stairs to his room. He scrabbled under the broken floorboards for his wand and the two-way mirror. Luckily Lily was still in her room and heard him. He mumbled a quick excuse about having to help his mother, saying he could not meet her today. She looked slightly puzzled, but did not protest.

His wand in his hand, he hurtled down the stairs to the kitchen. Though he had helped her before, she had never knowingly allowed him to use a wand before.

It was underage magic, and she knew it! It would be undetectable because of her presence, yet definitely not allowed. She must actually believe in the Dementors if she was willing to go this far.

Well, he had read enough about the mysterious Dementors in his Book of Dark Arts, to know that they would be a very unpleasant encounter. But he did not question his luck. If her irrational fear got him to learn advanced magic, so be it!

In the kitchen, his mother was waiting for him, her wand in her hand.

'The Patronus Charm' she explained '… is the distillation of your happiness into a pure force that repels the despair engendered by the Dementors. The strongest Patronus is a corporeal one, and can drive the Dementors away. I seem to have lost that ability. It was always difficult for me to produce, anyway, though there was a time…'

'What's a corporeal Patronus…?'

'It is a spirit of light, a sheer joy, and takes the shape of a being that inspires such feelings in you.'

Severus wasn't sure he understood. The concept of a force of pure happiness conjured by his mother was hard to get his mind around.

'What was your spirit of joy shaped like?' he asked, eyebrows raised sceptically 'And why did you lose the ability? I thought once you learnt a spell, you'd always know it.'

'It was a buck.' She said, unsmiling. 'Now concentrate! The words of the incantation are '_Expecto patronum'_ and the wand movements are thus…'

She demonstrated the words and gestures accordingly, and a strange mist, like vapour came out of the tip of her wand, but it was so intensely bright, that Severus blinked as the small kitchen was flooded. A second later it was gone.

It is not a corporeal patronus,' his mother explained, 'So it will not drive Dementors off, but it will keep them at bay, giving you a chance to escape. Now try it yourself. You have to summon a thought that sends surges of happiness through you. Those you must channel through your wand to summon your Patronus! Now try.'

Happy thoughts? She sounded like the 'love and peace' hippies he used to see in his childhood lounging about in the park close to Lily's house. Severus gave her a dirty look before closing his eyes, trying to think what made him happy.

Thinking about nothing special, he waved his wand, muttering the incantation.

Nothing happened.

'Merlin, Severus! Is that the best you can do?' Eileen said, crossing her arms and scowling at him. 'Don't you have any happy thoughts?'

She closed her mouth quickly, realising what she had said. Spinner's End could hardly hold very many happy thoughts for her son.

He closed his eyes, trying to think of occasions that had made him happy. Going to Hogwarts? But he always knew he would be going… Discovering who his mysterious Great-Grandfather was? He had certainly been elated about being connected to such a great wizarding personality…

He concentrated hard and waved his wand muttering the incantation. He felt at his very core, a shivery feeling of magic pass through him, and a faint silvery light came from his wand.

'That's better', Eileen said 'But it's far from being anything strong enough to protect you. Try again. Something happ…better.'

Grimly noticing her change of phrase, Severus closed his eyes once more – as much to blot out his mother's tired, anxious face, as to be able to concentrate. He knew what he had to think about, of course. It was just that he was leaving it as a last resort, for some reason that even he could not explain to himself. Perhaps just the notion of _her_ spirit here, on the worn, dark-green linoleum, and shabby cupboards of the kitchen at Spinner's End, was something he could not bring himself to think about. Perhaps he could not trust himself to think about her, anyway.

With a sigh, he lifted his wand and thought about the first time when the girl with the coppery red hair, and emerald-green eyes had openly called him '_my friend, my _best_ friend_!'; he remembered the warm autumn-berry smell of her hair; her green eyes seeking his over a cauldron of potion in Slughorn's class, winking and smiling at him for the shared secret knowledge from their days of collecting ingredients by the river….

'_Expecto patronum_!' he said, and felt once more the shivery feeling of magic deep within his chest, then spreading outwards till it infused every cell in his body. This was powerful magic, and he knew it. The evidence of its power penetrated his eyes, for a blinding, silvery light had left the tip of his wand and was flooding the small kitchen once more.

He opened his eyes and blinked, surprised.

The light faded immediately, and he his eyes fell on the figure of his mother, opposite. Her face registered amazement, but also something else.

Something close to fear.

He had expected at least a minimal approval for his accomplishment.

_'What?_' he snapped.

She started at the sound of his voice, but then frowned, and asked :

'What were you thinking of, when you cast the incantation?'

'Leaving here and going to Hogwarts!' He lied promptly, and harshly.

She scowled, 'Well, you should've kept it up! You let go too quickly! You have to practise more, and it will get easier and better. There will be no need to concentrate so hard on the thought, for it will come naturally. And perhaps you might manage a Corporeal Patronus-'

'No.'

_'What?_'

'I've had enough. Besides, I'm sure no Dementors are skulking around Spinner's End!'

'Don't be a fool, Severus! This is _real life_, not the safe haven of Hogswart! And you're too naïve, or listening to the wrong crowd, if that's what they're telling you!'

'I'm not naïve! And I know no-one is going to bother about this backwater dump of a place! Beside, I've got other things to do.'

And with that, he made his way towards the kitchen door, with a prickling feeling down his spine, as he waited for his mother's rage to wash over him.

Somehow, what he had been so eager for a few moments before, now seemed like a very bad idea. His mother appeared both eager, and fearful, of what form his Patronus was going to take. He had to learn more about it, before he attempted _that_ again in front of her!

'Severus! Come back here! I haven't finished with you!'

'Well, I have!'

Suddenly a whiplash-like force threw him against the door jamb, crushing the air out of his lungs at the same time.

He whirled round, gasping, furious and aghast, to face his mother, even while at the back of his mind, he was wondering where she had learnt that useful piece of magic.

But she had never, ever, used magic on him like this before, like she had, sometimes, used on his father.

Something of this must have shown in his eyes as he glared at her through the strands of dark hair covering his face. He steadied himself against the door.

Her face, twisted in fury a moment before, crumpled suddenly, and she turned away from him, pocketing her wand with a trembling hand.

'Get out!' she said, her voice muffled, as her hands flew to cover her face. 'Go where the hell ever you like, Severus! Just – just take your wand with you, that's all!'

He watched her for a second more, feeling the rage ebbing out of him.

Then, without another word, he walked out of the kitchen through the small living room, and out of the front door.

By the time he had reached the next street, he had gone over the conversation with his mother over in his mind several times, and his anger was coming back in earnest: seething, turbulent waves of it.

He couldn't understand what the hell was happening back at Number 117, Spinner's End! Why couldn't his parents just snarl and snap at each other, and at himself, just as they had always done? That, though tense, was something he understood, was comfortable with, sort of.

But this!

He had tried to apply Madeira's teachings and observe carefully what was written on the faces in front of him, but he had come up with such unexpected and contradictory findings, that he felt like giving up, like he hadn't understood anything at all.

He kicked a rusted tin of corned beef several yards down the street in frustration, wishing he could take the wand, now in his pocket, and hex the next person to accost him into oblivion. But the rubbish-strewn street was deserted. A crumpled-up fish-and-chips paper rolled desolately past him, pushed along by a rather stiff breeze. A scrawny, dust-coloured mongrel tipped over a dustbin with a clatter and rummaged inside, sending even more rubbish flying down the street in the cold wind.

Severus looked at the dog as he walked past it towards the next, identical, dirty street. The dog, its head still inside the bin, ignored him.

Perhaps Madeira had been right. Perhaps he was too young to understand all the confusing thought-processes of adults. Especially adults like his parents!

He wandered aimlessly down the streets, not quite sure what to do with himself until he found he had arrived near the small park close to the Evans house. He had told Lily he couldn't come earlier that morning, but now he regretted his words. He wanted to see Lily. Anything to take his mind off the events of that morning.

However, he did not want to go up to the Evans door and knock, even though it was a short walk away for somehow, he did not want to have to speak to Mr and Mrs Evans, or, worse still, Petunia.

He dug his hands into his jeans pocket and came up with a few coins. Just enough. Walking over to the far end of the park, he went towards a red phone booth, hoping it was not out of order again. Last summer, Lily had insisted he take her phone number, despite him saying they didn't have a phone any longer. He had memorised it, never really thinking he would need it, just because it was 'Lily's number'.

With some trepidation, he lifted the receiver and dialled, hoping it would be Lily who answered the phone.

He did not know what to say if she asked him why he was phoning from just outside her house.

'Hello?' said a disembodied voice in his ear.

Relief washed over him as he recognised the warm, familiar voice.

'Lily!' he said, his voice deep with pleasure.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69: Muggle Fight.**

Lily had been rather surprised at Severus' phone call. She had thought, at first, they'd got a phone again at Spinner's End, so he had been forced to tell her he was phoning from the Phonebox in the park. She didn't ask any further questions, but simply said she'd meet him in fifteen minutes.

Elated, he wandered off through the gravelly, meandering pathways underneath the shady trees of the park, thinking once more about the events of that morning. He had to admit his mother _did _seem genuinely scared – even more than last summer, when she thought it possible that Death Eaters might come visiting.

This year it was Dementors.

Severus shook his head. Even the _Daily Prophet_ was quite restrained when reporting anything about the Azkaban Guards. Declarations of You-Know-Who's supposed incitement to rebellion were always tempered with assurances that the Azkaban Guards remained faithful to the Ministry. Bartemius Crouch made sure that reports of any Dementor activities were hushed up, unless the attack was on Death Eaters 'criminals'. And, as yet, there had been very few of those.

As for the possibility that the Death Eaters might come calling at Spinner's End... he had to admit that it was far more plausible. Even Madeira had said so. To investigate unhappy muggle-pureblood marriages, she had said. Well, they would certainly find a good case of it at his house! He would rather they didn't, for his mother's sake, but as for his father…! He pictured with grim satisfaction the surprise on Tobias Snape's face, had he to come face to face with the terrible masked wizards! He'd have to show _them_ some respect, for sure!

He sighed, though a niggling feeling of worry was growing at the back of his mind. Perhaps the Death Eaters had stayed away from Castleforth because he was at school with their sons!

It was something that he had often thought about during the previous months at Hogwarts, and it was something that he intended to find out more about, if possible without asking direct questions, in case it was not true.

Another thing that was bothering him was the question of muggle-born witches and wizards. Rabastan had said that investigations were being ordered on the latter, to try and find out the source of their magic, when none of their family, or even their ancestors, had ever showed the slightest trace of it.

That they had 'stolen' it was patently ridiculous! Severus did not believe that for one second. But then, how on earth did it happen?

He had reached the centre of the park, where a few sparrows were fluttering their feathers over an ornamental bird bath filled with greenish water. He glanced beyond the park boundary in the direction of Spencer Street, where Lily lived.

The feeling of unease deepened.

Lily was not like that – she had far stronger magic than other witches he knew, muggleborn or otherwise! Even without a wand, he remembered how, when they were children, she could control her magic, much as he himself used to do!

He had to find out more. Mulciber had hinted that in the new order of wizarding society as proposed by the Dark Lord, when witches and wizards would be able to shed their shameful, enforced hiding, and muggleborns would be given a second-class status, like common muggles, unless someone discovered an answer to the mystery of muggleborn's magic.

Or unless muggleborns could be rendered somehow respectable by marriage to a true witch or wizard, and produce children with magical abilities. It was actually Phil Avery who had come up with _that_ particular aspect of the proposed new order of wizarding society. Since it was not on any of the prohibited literature known to have been written on the Dark Lord's orders, Severus doubted whether there was any truth in it. He could not imagine _Purebloods_ advocating mixed marriages, though perhaps halfbloods… He paused in his walk, then shook his head angrily. Wilkes and Avery had been sniggering when they spoke about it. Probably it was something they dreamed up as a lascivious joke!

However, the niggling doubt remained. There had never been anything very concrete as to what, exactly, the new order of things in the wizarding world would be like, though rumours abounded. For the umpteenth time, he vowed he would find out more.

Girlish, giggling laughter broke through his thoughts, and a shout brought him abruptly out of his reverie.

'Oy, Snape! What're you wearing this summer? Charity shop rejects?'

A young man in tight orange pants with flaring bell bottoms and strange shoes was sitting on the back of a park bench with some other kids. Severus recognised him as Deacon Thompson, one of the children he shared a class with for the brief time he attended the local Primary.

It was unusual that he should dare speak to him at such a close range. Usually, he shouted insults at a safe distance.

As did many others in the neighbourhood.

They were scared of that 'freak kid', and Deacon had never forgotten the time when Severus had set his younger brother's jacket on fire. At that old muggle school, though Snape, with his sullen ways and ill-fitting clothes, had been fair game for school-yard bullies, they had somehow all ended up the worse.

Childhood memories, and persistent rumours, rendered more fantastical with time, had ensured that they did not pick on him again so obviously, for the few months every summer that he returned to Castleforth.

What had changed now?

Severus stopped and turned round slowly, observing Deacon coolly. The answer was obvious. He had his arm around a curly-haired muggle girl in a short, ruffled dress, and clunky shoes just like his. Another girl with bright blue, painted eyes and miniscule shorts, stood behind the bench.

That explained the giggling and the cocky attitude.

Three other neighbourhood boys in similarly tight trousers and garishly coloured shirts completed the group.

So Thompson was showing off for his girlfriend, wasn't he? He stared unblinkingly at the youth's stupid face. Perhaps the number of years that had elapsed since he attended muggle school had blunted his memories. With a satisfied smirk he saw Thompson's leer slip off his face as his eyes bore into him, silently willing him to repeat what he said.

But it was his girlfriend who spoke:

'Charity shop? More like Funeral Parlour rejects, if you ask me!' she said, disdainfully.

A shriek of laughter from the other girl, and the boys' guffaws greeted this witty remark.

'Hear that, Snape freak? My girl here thinks you're something dragged up from beyond the grave!' Deacon said, grin firmly back on his face again.

'Well, perhaps I am. Interesting place, beyond the grave.' He answered softly. 'You, on the other hand, seem to have escaped from a troupe of circus clowns, Thompson!

'Don't you call my Deedee a clown, you freak!' said the girl with the ruffled dress, belligerently. She shook off Thompson's arm and stood up, hands on hips.

'Oh, I'm sure 'clown' is quite an improvement on 'Deacon', isn't it, _Deedee_?' Severus replied, with a smirk, looking past her at the colourfully dressed adolescent.

The other boys looked at each other, and then at Thompson, as if waiting for directions.

Quite the leader of this small group, Severus surmised. He would be easy to goad, easy to manipulate into a fight, and right now he felt like blasting his stupid face into a pulp.

Deacon scowled and heaved himself off the bench. He strode towards Severus, pushing the girl aside.

'You say that again, you- you-!' he said, jabbing a finger in his direction.

'Why? Didn't you hear me the first time, _Deedee?_'

Severus didn't know why he was doing this, why he was so hell-bent on – on what? Teaching muggles to respect their betters? He could not use his wand, though he could feel it in his jeans pocket! And he could not use wandless magic, even assuming he still remembered how!

He was being entirely unreasonable, and he knew it. This could only end badly for him.

But there was such a surge of seething anger boiling inside him, that he knew, even as he saw comprehension dawning slowly on Thompson's face, that he would see this through, and do his bloody best, muggle-fashion, if necessary, to wipe the stupid sneer off these muggles' faces.

Not that Deacon Thompson was smiling any more. Even his blustering anger at being called 'Deedee' had faltered somewhat, as Severus continued to stare at him.

The youth looked round uncertainly at his three cronies who had got off the bench, and were gathering around him.

'You gonna let this slimy git speak to you like that, man?' said the tallest of the boys.

'No. I'm going to change the shape of his big, ugly, nose for him, the skinny freak!'

'Far out, man!' guffawed the tall youth.

Severus saw Thompson's face harden, and he braced himself.

It was almost half an hour later that Lily saw Severus. She had wandered up and down the street several times, thinking he ought to be waiting there for her, but there had been no sign of him. She even searched the phone booth near the park, and was about to leave the park and start off towards the river, when a rustling of dead leaves behind a low-lying hedge attracted her attention.

She crossed the gravelly path of the park, and looked over the hedge. There, leaning against the trunk of a Poplar tree, stood Severus. He was hunched over, and for a minute, Lily thought he was sick, but then she realised with horror that he was spitting blood. His mouth was covered with it, and his clothes were torn.

'Oh my God! Sev!'

She jumped over the hedge and ran to him, grabbing his arm and looking into his face with concern.

He had straightened up as soon as he heard her call his name, and his eyes darkened momentarily, but he quickly hid it. He wrested his arm out of her grasp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

''S alright, Lily. It's nothing!' he muttered

'_Nothing_? You're spitting blood, and it's _nothing_?'

However, on closer observation, she saw that it was not as bad as she had first thought. Apart from a cut lip and a blackening eye, there seemed to be no other damage.

'For Merlin's sake, don't fuss!'

'Did he – Did he do this?' she said, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

''He' who?' he asked sharply.

'Your- your father. D-did he hit you again?'

'Even if my father is a bloody bastard, it doesn't mean you always have to jump to the same conclusions! And it's none of your business what my parents do, I can handle –'

'Oh, come off it, Sev!' she snapped back angrily. 'And stop biting my head off every time I get concerned about you! It's useless, because I can't help it, so you might as well get used to it!'

He glared at her for a moment, out of a very rapidly-swelling eye, but said nothing.

She raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot impatiently. 'Are you going to tell me? If you think it is none of my concern, why did you call me twice this morning, first to say you couldn't come, then to say you could, from a phone booth a few minutes' walk from my home? Is this why you didn't want to come to my house?'

He shook his head.

'Then what happened?'

'Got into a fight. After I hung up.'

'Oh.' It wasn't the answer she expected 'And who -?'

'Muggles. They got smart with me, and I lost my temper.'

Lily looked down the Park, but it was almost deserted.

'Didn't anyone -?'

'See? I guess that's why they left, eventually. But there was no-one around, at first.'

A woman with a pram and a toddler on a tricycle crunched down the path beside them. Lily saw the woman give her and Severus a primly disdainful look.

Severus glowered at the woman until she looked away.

'C'mon, let's get out of here!' he said.

They clambered over the hedge and set off towards the river. Lily rummaged around in the small bag she had brought with her, and silently handed Severus a clean handkerchief, for the blood smear across his face and arm had started to attract attention. He wiped the worst of it off and thrust the blood-soiled handkerchief into his jeans pocket.

Then they walked in silence until they reached the deserted houses on the outskirts by the river.

'Was it - was it that boy? The one who teased us once, before we went to Hogwarts?' she asked, when Severus showed no sign of wanting to say anything else.

Severus looked blank.

'You know – the one who was trying to break the swings. You had used wandless magic on him then, remember?'

'Oh, him!'

'Well?'

'Wasn't him. His older brother and his mates. They had a couple of tarts with them, so they had to keep up appearances. Wouldn't have dared otherwise!' he said, with an ugly look.

'You mean there was a whole _group_ of them?'

'Look, I already told you, I can handle those bloody muggle –'

'Did you – did you use magic?' she said her eyes wide with fear. 'Because you know what happened to me last year –! '

'Just because I can use magic to shrivel their rotten muggle bodies into twisted corpses, it doesn't mean I don't know anything about muggle fighting!' he said, raising his voice again; 'I gave them what they came for! They had it coming!'

Lily raised her eyebrows, looking pointedly at his blackening eye. To her, it seemed that he had taken a fair beating too, especially if he was set upon by a whole pack of idiots. But in her experience, boys never admitted defeat, whether in a muggle or wizard fight. His talk of leaving them as 'twisted corpses' was a bit more shocking, but he must be feeling pretty sore at them, and perhaps even at her, for finding him licking his wounds. After all, he hadn't used magic on them, and that, in itself, was remarkable enough. She herself had been sent a warning letter last summer for turning her sister's teacup into a rat in a fit of anger!

As though Severus was reading her mind, he said:

'Look, ok! So I got the worst deal of it, but I managed to change the shape of Thompson's face before the other three barged in to help!

'How come you know about muggle fighting, Sev?'

He squinted at her out of one eye, as though to determine if it was a trick question.

They had come to the patch of waste ground just before entering the grove by the river's edge. The sun was high up in the sky, but the patchy grass in this area was still verdantly green, perhaps due to the heavy rains of that morning.

'Well?' she prompted him again.

He shrugged.

'You don't grow up in and around Spinner's End without learning to defend yourself the muggle way, too. The hard way.' He said after a while. 'Besides, idiots like Thompson have a low pain tolerance. That works to my advantage.'

Whereas, from what she had found out, her friend's tolerance to pain must have been honed to be far higher than it should be.

She thought the better of mentioning that, though.

'Unless you're outnumbered four to one, like today.' She said instead, shaking her head in exasperation. 'It's not like you to pick a muggle fight, Sev. What on earth could they have said? After all, name-calling is something that idiots do, even at Hogwarts-'

'Look, I shouldn't have lost my temper, ok? But it's been some time since any of those muggle bastards dared come near me, and….' He gave a frustrated sigh 'Well, let's say I need to improve my muggle-repelling skills a bit better, now that I can't use magic. When I'm of age, though …'

He left the threatening sentence suspended, and threw himself down on the thick layer of dead leaves beneath the trees of the grove, for they had arrived near the river.

The trees gave a cool and shady respite from the strong sun. There was a pleasant breeze rustling the leaves above, and thus drowning out even the distant sounds of the town. Lily breathed a sigh of relief and sat down cross-legged on the soft springy ground, observing her friend.

He lay on his back, a dark, thin figure prostrate among the dead leaves. He seemed even longer and thinner in that position, she mused. He had his right arm thrown across his face, in a bid to shut out even the dappled sunlight, or perhaps to hide his swollen face. Probably both. Only the pallor of his arm, and a tiny part of his chest as it showed through his torn shirt, relieved the blackness of his clothes and hair.

She scrutinised the pale skin of his arms, trying to see if there were bruises there too. Despite the fact that he had said it was a muggle fight, he still had not explained why he had called her twice that morning, once from right outside her house.

'It was my mother.' said a muffled voice from beneath the pale arm. 'She's acting all weird and stuff. That is why I called you first this morning'

Had she been talking out loud, or had he read her mind?

'Er …your Mum? Behaving weird in what way?'

He shrugged. 'Dunno. Lots of ways. For one, she thinks Dementors are coming down the next street corner! Wanted me to learn a charm that keeps them off…'

Lily felt like she had stepped into a cold shower. Then all the things she had been reading about in the _Daily Prophet_ were true! You-Know-Who wanted the Dementors of Azkaban to rebel! Mrs Snape was a witch. The only qualified witch around. She would know, surely…

She saw Severus had lifted his arm off his face just enough to look at her out of his undamaged eye. Something of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, for he said:

'Surely you don't believe that stuff about Dementors leaving Azkaban!'

'The Ministry has always maintained that despite everything, they are loyal, I know. But if You-Know-Who is inciting them to rebellion…'

'Then they would leave en masse, don't you think? The only other time the Dementors leave Azkaban is when they are ordered to capture, or escort, a prisoner…

Lily looked at him sharply, but his arm was completely obscuring his face again. She had to admit he had a point though. Even the _Daily Prophet_ reported Azkaban Guards as being present during court proceedings.

But if his mother was worried about it…

'Sev, maybe your mother has the right idea. I don't care why and how, or even _if,_ they're on the loose, but we should learn to defend ourselves.'

'Mmm?' he answered her, sleepily.

'Learn to defend ourselves.' She repeated.

She knew she could never ask Mrs Snape for the protective spell, for she seemed to think her undesirable company for her son. She had got that message clear enough last summer. Whether because she was a muggle-born, or because of other, more sinister, misgivings, she did not know. Having married a muggle herself, she could not understand her objections. Unless, given the outcome of her marriage, she thought that perhaps Severus might be following in her footsteps.

She felt herself reddening and glanced guiltily at her friend's prone figure. But although Sev's arm had slipped off his face, he was not seeing her, for his eyes were closed and he had fallen asleep.

His chest rose and fell gently in even breathing, and she stared at him for a moment before shifting over to lie on her stomach beside him. She propped herself on one arm and observed him closely.

She felt a guilty kind of pleasure at doing this, for Severus had never ever let down his guard so much before. Through the many summer days in past years, though they had often lain on their backs watching the dappled light coming through the leafy canopy above, in that same grove, or, other times, as they had relaxed and talked in her room at home, she never remembered him falling asleep before, though she herself had been guilty of it several times before.

His face was somehow different, she mused. Despite the discolouration around his eyes, and some spots of dried blood he hadn't quite managed to take off, he looked … she searched for the right word. Angelic? She almost laughed out loud at the image conjured in her mind. If Severus had to hear himself described that way! But at least, he looked peaceful and innocent. She suppressed another giggle.

Probably it was just that when awake, he always had a wary, don't-you-dare-mess-with-me, and, many times, a keenly calculating, expression.

If he had any expression at all.

She sighed softly at the levity of a moment before disappearing.

She was one of the few who could see that beneath his closed expression, sometimes a seething, turbulent anger was hidden, sometimes apprehension, or worry, or even fear. However, on increasingly frequent occasions, she could sense emotions that even _she_ could not interpret.

She sighed again as she noted how thin he was. Beneath the flimsy material of his torn black t-shirt she could almost count his ribs as his chest rose and fell in slow rhythm.

She knew there were things he kept from telling her. She knew he was worried and tired, both at Hogwarts, and here at home, for she could see that the dark circles under his eyes were not only due to his earlier fight. He must have lain awake last night.

Perhaps that was why he fell asleep.

She felt a familiar prickle of disquiet whenever she thought about Severus these days. Why didn't he trust her? Why didn't he just tell her what was bothering him so much?

She worried about him, damn it! She worried even more about him than her own father's health, for the reason behind it was unknown.

For that matter, even her father had tried to hide his heart condition, and make light of it. Even though these last few days she had noticed a slight wheezing that hadn't been there when she'd seen him last, at her Grandfather's funeral.

Perhaps, like her father, Severus did not want her to worry. She wondered what he had meant about his mother behaving weirdly. She hoped he had not faced any more trouble at home, as he had last year.

She looked again at his face, frowning, and wondering what lay in that dark head of his.

He was still very pale, despite the couple of days spent in the sun with her, and his long hair seemed darker by contrast as it fanned out in limp strands on the ground behind him.

She noticed the knuckles of his right hand were bruised, probably where he had hit that Thompson bloke, and his fingers were ink-stained. A smudge of the same blue ink was on his neck, near his jaw line. She smiled. Severus had a way of impatiently pushing back his long hair when writing, or doing something that demanded his undivided attention. Just as he hid behind his curtains of long hair, when he did not want attention on himself.

She smiled fondly again, feeling an irresistible urge to tuck away a stray black strand of hair across his forehead, but just then, a sudden gust of wind blew some dead leaves about, and one of them, already reduced to a brown filigree of webbed veins, landed softly on his cheek. His thick, black eyelashes, like smudges of ink across his pale cheeks, quivered and flew open.

She found herself staring into a pair of black eyes that focussed immediately on hers, and she found herself drowning in their dark depths. Then they burned with a barely-understood emotion.

It scared her.

Swirling indistinct images suddenly filled her mind, and she gasped and blinked.

In that split second, Severus propped himself up on his elbows. The dead leaf fluttered gently down to his chest. Judging by his wide-eyed look, he was just as surprised as she was.

'Wh – what just happened there?' she asked, shakily.

She saw a fleeting look that was unmistakeably fear cross his face. He propped himself up further, his arms behind his back.

'I must have fallen asleep, sorry!' he mumbled, wilfully misunderstanding her.

'I don't mean that, I mean just now, when this leaf woke you.'

She reached out to grab the leaf, which had now fluttered further down. Her fingers brushed his belly, and she felt him tense.

She snatched her hand away, suddenly shy.

'I dunno what you're talking about. I just woke up to find you looking at me. What exactly did you mean?'

She felt herself reddening. He was doing this on purpose. He knew exactly what she meant!

'There was a funny sensation. I saw or-or-felt things, I'm not sure what…' she insisted.

The momentary relief she saw in his face, was followed immediately by a blush so intense that she felt herself grow even more awkward in return.

Suddenly. she didn't want to pursue the conversation any further.

Severus mumbled something about 'dream-induced insubstantial wandless magic', and then changed the conversation quickly.

Perhaps that's what it was, just dream-induced whatsits. If she had had a glimpse of Sev's dream-emotions, if that was what it was, their intensity was something even she, who knew him so well, had never imagined. It had shocked the life out of her, though it had been so brief! A few seconds, at the very most, but it scared her.

'We should get started on our school work.' he was saying. He was sitting up and fiddling with some dead leaves. His hair was covering his face in long black curtains.

'Yes.' She said, forcing her voice to sound even. 'We have the astronomy project coming up in August. The Perseid shower. That will take up all our time next month.'

'Shall we start tomorrow, then?' He mumbled this, and bent even lower, so that his face was completely invisible.

Lily smiled. Perhaps he thought she wouldn't want to, but, despite the niggling sense of unease, she wasn't going to let something like this spoil their friendship. After all, magic behaved a bit weirdly for her and Severus sometimes, as had happened once when they had inadvertently used the same wand to cast a spell.

They had never found out why, and now this…

Her smile faltered. But then after all, one could not help what one dreams, could they? If she had somehow sensed his emotions, even though she hadn't understood them, then it was hardly his fault.

Smiling more warmly, she said:

'Yes. We should definitely start tomorrow. I'll meet you here again, so we'll make the most of this glorious weather.'

He did not answer her, but looked up briefly at her through the dark hair covering his face. A fleeting smile, gone almost before she was sure it had been there, let her know that he was pleased.

She grinned. Though she missed Hogwarts and her friends there, it was good to be back here too. Perhaps she'd use this opportunity, when he was far from the influence of some of those snobbish Slytherin Purebloods, to get him to open up a bit about what was worrying him, for she was fairly sure it had something to do with them.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70: Falling.**

It was almost a week later that Severus and Lily were making their way across the waste ground by the river's edge towards the small grove of trees.

Unseasonably cold and wet weather had kept them indoors, mostly at Lily's house, for she wasn't so comfortable any more with entering the derelict houses that used to be Sev's refuge in inclement weather. That meant that Severus had to endure the pointedly disdainful looks, and snide remarks, of Lily's sister Petunia, and the probing, anxious questioning of her parents, who, although they did their best to disguise it, were increasingly wary of him.

Thus he was glad that today the sun was shining and they could get away from them all. Although it was still morning, it was already quite warm, and it promised to be a hot day. It would probably dispel all the strange, heavy mists that had lain over Castleforth in recent days.

'You didn't tell me you're going off to London!' Lily was saying.

'I forgot, ok? It's just for a weekend. After all, I was going for a whole week to Rosier's place, but it got cancelled, 'cause they're off to France.'

Lily scowled, but did not say anything.

'What? You were off for a whole month last year!'

'It's not the same thing.'

'And why not?' but he clenched his teeth, for he thought he had an inkling as to what her objections were.

'Well then, Rosier's a stuck-up, pure-blood maniac prat, if you want to know!' she said angrily, tossing her books and quills on the ground. They had arrived beneath the trees of the little grove. Holding on to a low branch, she unbuckled her sandals and kicked them off, sinking several inches more below his height as she did so, for they had unnaturally large, wedge-shaped heels.

'What's Evan ever done to you?' he retorted loudly, his eyes following her as she grabbed her sandals and placed them in a patch of sunlight to dry.

There had been very heavy mists that morning, and the grassy area they had walked through was very wet, unlike the soft, but dry, leaf-strewn ground under the trees.

'He never _did_ anything, or I'd have jinxed him! But he looks at me as though I don't exist at best, and as though I'm something that crawled out of the gutter, at worst!'

'You mean like your friend Alice Walker looks at me?' he retorted acerbically.

She looked up at him for a moment, scowling, then sat down on the ground, her tiered white dress billowing out around her.

'Alice is a bit of a firebrand, but she's ok, really. And I always tell her off, when she gets carried away about your knowledge of Dark Arts and stuff! Which is more than you do for me with Evan Rosier, I'm sure!' And with an offended sniff, she pulled a book towards her and pretended to find the page they were supposed to be working on today.

Severus could feel his temper rising.

'Don't you speak about Evan that way!' he said, trying to control the anger in his voice, 'He never mentions you to me, whether in one way or another! Whereas your friend Alice, and her sidekick Trimble, are quick to shout out false accusations about me to all and sundry! '

'That's not true, Severus and you know it! She's right in saying what she does about your knowing dark spells! And she doesn't even know the half of your fascination with _books_ on Dark Arts!'

Lily was glaring up at him from her cross-legged position on the ground.

'I was referring to her accusations of me being involved in the Perkins incident, when I was right there in class with you all! She loves painting me blacker than I am!'

He tossed his books under a clump of ferny plants and walked over to the pool's edge, hands in his pockets, and his back to her.

'You're not black, Severus.' she said more quietly, after a while. 'But though they may not have told you to your face, I know what your friends call me, and it's ... it's…' her voice trembled and faltered.

Severus froze.

She took a deep breath and continued:

'It's horrible and degrading. _Mudblood_. I overheard Wilkes calling Jenny that after our Charms test, and…'

'Wilkes behaves like a brainless gorilla sometimes, but I believe on that occasion, he had been compared to precisely that animal for his abysmal Charms work, by the Trimble – Walker duo.' He answered coldly, turning round to look at her.

'But he shouldn't call any muggle-born that, Severus. It's bad enough to miss out the real magical world for more than half your life, and struggling to fit in without having be told you have tainted blood!'

She looked up at him, the hurt in her eyes unmistakeable. He turned back to the pool to avoid looking at her, kicking at a loose stone near the water's edge and sending it plopping in.

He felt unreasonably angry with her, and yet he couldn't stand to see the hurt in those green eyes. If Wilkes or any of the morons that surrounded her, ever dared call her that, he'd curse their stupid mouth shut.

Lily was not like that! Lily's magic was too strong, too special, to ever be considered on the same level as that puny Trimble, or any other of those stupid Mud-. He stopped himself from thinking about that name.

But after all, damn it, it hadn't been easy for _him_ to fit in, either! Not with _his_ background, and certainly not in Slytherin! Any hard-earned respect he had there was due to his much- maligned knowledge of dark spells, and the tenuous connection to the Prince family. A connection that some Slytherins, like Malfoy and Rosier, had considered important enough to extend him a friendly hand!

At least she must have had it easier in Gryffindor, with their authentic Dumbledorian 'love-your-muggle-neighbour-better-than-thyself' guiding principles! He gave a snort of disgust, and slouched over to where Lily had busied herself with a parchment and quill. He threw himself inelegantly down beside her, and reached out for his own books.

Lily looked up briefly as he sat down beside her, but then turned her gaze downwards again, a half-smile on her face. His scowl deepened.

Probably she thought she had scored a point, but he still felt resentful.

He flicked open his textbook on History of Magic. They had decided to get Binn's essay on Giant Wars out of the way first, for it was a history that spanned several centuries, and more than one country, and would be at least two feet of parchment long.

The worked in silence for some time, stopping only to check out some fact or date from their books, so the only sound was the scratching of their quills, the birds overhead, and the soft, barely perceptible sounds of the flowing river nearby.

The sun was climbing in the sky and glinting off the surface of the water. Even in the dappled shade of their leafy grove, Severus could feel that it was going to be a hot day, hotter than they were used to in that northern town, and certainly hotter than any other day this week.

He looked over to the large pond a few feet away. It had been formed by storm water floods several years ago, and had grown steadily, a few inches at a time, over the years, so that it was now quite wide, reeds and broken logs choking its connection to the river, but probably quite deep in the middle.

Severus could see that this year, several tree roots of a nearby willow had been exposed, perhaps due to the soft earth, the fallen logs, or the unnaturally wet weather of recent days.

He felt his attention wandering, and with an effort brought it back round to his books again. He looked down at his essay. He had only managed to write 5 inches of parchment, and the last paragraph ended in a big blot of ink. Wishing he could use his wand to siphon off the dark blotch, he tried to concentrate, for it was unlike him to lose focus so easily. But Lily's words had set his mind seething with thoughts about Hogwarts, about what was happening in the wider wizarding world.

This safe little cocoon of natural beauty seemed unreal - a fantasy world, almost. The tall trees shut out even the tall mill chimney, the dingy broken houses surrounding it, and the even shabbier people inside them.

A fantasy world.

He glanced over to where Lily was still scribbling away enthusiastically, lying on her stomach like him, her bare feet in the air, swinging back and forth. One pale, freckly hand was on her book, to keep the pages from flipping over in the light breeze that had come up, and the other scratching words steadily down the parchment. He was surprised to see that her essay was already a foot and a half long.

It was as if their roles were reversed, and he was the one to be distracted by a bright sunny day, not Lily.

He followed the gentle swaying movement of her bare feet for a minute, his eyes travelling down their slender length, and along her prone figure. The white dress complimented her fair skin, paleness on pearly pink paleness, but there was a small smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, remnants of past seaside holidays, and her hands had a more generous helping of the tiny brown dots. They disappeared further up her arm, in less exposed areas, and Severus found himself looking at the milky whiteness of her skin beneath the slim straps of her dress; at the smooth little depression made by her collarbone as she propped herself up on her elbows; the reddish pink patch on her cheek where her hand had pressed a second before, still visible.

He loved observing Lily when he was sure she wasn't watching. He felt he needed to imprint each little instance; each quiet little moment alone with her; into his brain, for they were drops of happiness in an ocean of uncertainty, of pain and shabbiness and filth, here at Spinner's End. And happiness was something very tenuous for Severus - it could be here one day and gone tomorrow. Or earlier, for that matter!

The breeze that was trying to flip over Lily's book grew stronger, sending some dead leaves tumbling across the little clearing and into the pond, where they floated gently in the eddies and current. It blew Lily's coppery red hair across her face, obscuring her view. Severus looked at the dark strands, remembering how he had once touched her hair without her noticing, and it had felt so warm and vibrantly alive, smelling of wild flowers… He longed to touch it again, and the pale, soft skin of her neck, where the shimmering dark red strands, softly coiled there by the wind, were the only thing that relieved the whiteness…

Suddenly, he noticed another vivid colour competing with the coppery tones of her hair. Her green eyes were staring at him, wide-eyed, and he saw confusion and something else, like fear, in her expression. He tore his eyes away and focussed on his parchment, but to his mortification, he felt himself reddening.

'You've written almost nothing.' she said, after a few seconds of silence.

His eyes flickered over to her parchment, which was almost full of her rather large, round, handwriting.

She put her hand to her hair, pushing the wayward strands behind her ear. There was a faint rosy tinge to her cheek that hadn't been there before.

_Bloody hell! What must she be thinking of him, now? She must have caught him ogling her, like some stupid schoolboy! _

Well, he _was_ a schoolboy, but Lily was the most beautiful, talented witch he had ever seen, and he'd be damned before he would scare her away! With his shabby, second-hand clothes; the lousy mediocrity of his background, and hardly more than a few galleons to his name, he'd cut a pretty unimpressive figure! He'd have to do much better than that, must have something much better to offer, before he'd dare reveal the feelings he struggled so hard to hide from her.

'I've worked it all out in my head!' he answered tersely, his eyes firmly on his book.

This was true, partially. He had all he needed about Giant Wars, right there in his head, plus some other choice facts about the Giants' own version of events, that didn't quite tally with the textbook versions. That was the advantage of knowing someone like Rabastan Lestrange, whose brother Rodophus had had direct contact with Giants.

He started scribbling furiously, hoping to convince her that he had just been thinking about the essay.

He had to stop sneaking looks at her! Besides the obvious embarrassment of being caught out, he did not want a repeat of what had happened last week, when he had fallen asleep by her side, dreaming that her brilliant green eyes were watching over him.

Only it wasn't just a dream. He had woken up at some point, and there was this strange sensation … as though his feelings, his dream, was shared.

Shared with Lily.

For one heart-stopping moment he thought he had unwittingly performed Legilimency. But from Lily's words, and to his relief, it hadn't been that!

Whenever Madeira performed Legilimency on him, or shared her own memories, the images had been clear as crystal, like watching a film. This was different. It was something he had never experienced before with Madeira. It was difficult to describe – it had felt like a shared emotion, like Lily had been part of him somehow. The thought made him feel uneasy. He hoped it was just unconscious magic brought on by a vivid dream or something, and Lily had somehow caught the tail end of it. It had all been so fleeting.

'_Shit!_'

The sudden exclamation brought him back to his senses. He looked up at Lily and saw her scrambling hastily to her feet. Her foot-long parchment had been caught by a sudden gust of wind, and it was fluttering towards the pond.

He leapt up and took off after Lily, determined to catch it. The wind blew the long parchment higher, and they both lunged for it, but missed. With a last midair cartwheel, the parchment flew out of their reach and then fluttered gently down into the middle of the pond, where it swirled in gentle circles with the wind-stirred ripples and dead leaves.

'Oh, no! I had just finished it!' groaned Lily, looking mournfully at the floating paper.

'It's not too late.' Severus said 'It's floating right side up. If we get it before the ink starts to run, you could copy it at least…'

'How can we get it? It's bang in the middle of the pool, and I'm not going to use magic….'

But Severus was already walking round the edge of the pond searching the ground. He returned with a long twig that tapered to a crooked tip.

'This'll do.' He said, and walked round to the deeper side of the pond where some large, fallen logs protruded over the dark green water. If he could snag it before it became waterlogged… Parchment was thicker than muggle paper; it gave him just those few extra seconds.

He edged along the fallen log, noting uncomfortably that it was sodden and friable. He reached out towards the floating parchment with the stick, but he was still about a foot away. Cursing under his breath, he looked at the maddeningly twirling piece of parchment, willing it to float closer.

'Here, take my hand!'

Lily had come up behind him and was proffering her hand. He hesitated for a second, but then reached back and grabbed her hand.

He leaned forward once more, much closer this time.

Just a few more inches…

The tip of his twig touched the edge of the parchment, stopping its whirling motion.

Almost there…

Suddenly, there was a cracking, splintering noise as the log beneath his feet gave way, and Severus fell head first into the green cold water! For a second, there was silence, as the cold water closed over him, shutting out the noisier world above surface, and he could see nothing but the blurred green and white lights of the underwater world of the pond.

He kicked out desperately towards the surface. He had let go of Lily's hand when he felt the log give way, but it had been sudden!

He broke the surface of the pond, gasping, and trod water.

The silence of the underwater world gave way to the sound of laughter!

He shook his sodden hair out of his eyes, and squinted round. To his dismay, Lily was standing in the pond, up to her shoulders in the green water! She was holding on to the broken log, laughing hysterically! She had not been pulled under at least, for her hair was dry.

'Oh, Sev! That was so funny! You should 've seen the look on your face!' she giggled.

He scowled, wondering what was so funny. She was standing in water herself after all!

Throwing her a dirty look, he turned round, searching for the parchment. He spotted it on the other side of the pond, caught between a clump of reeds. Probably it had been thrown there by the splash when he fell in.

'This is all your fault!' he grumbled, as he struck out for the opposite side.

'Oh, stop being a wet-blanket, Sev! This is wonderful!' and she let go of the branch and swam up to him, grinning, her dress billowing around her like a pale green, graceful jellyfish. 'And where did you learn to swim? You're good!'

'Fell in the river a couple of times trying to catch gillyworms. It was sink or swim.' He said, feeling rather disgruntled that she should think he couldn't swim, just because he couldn't afford seaside holidays.

They soon reached the other side, and Severus pulled the sodden parchment from its bed of reeds, cursing as his feet got entangled in the reeds and rotting branches at the edge of the pool.

'Ruined.' he declared, examining the surface of the parchment. Most of the ink had run and only a few words were visible in Lily's handwriting.

Lily seemed unperturbed, however, and she smiled as she glided back to the middle of the pond, avoiding the mud cloud that Severus had stirred up at the other end. He followed her, holding the parchment high out of the water, for whatever it was worth.

Reaching the part where the log had broken, he pulled himself out of the water, and dumped the sodden paper in a patch of sunlight. He shook water from his hair, sending small droplets flying everywhere, then he turned back to where Lily was still treading water, in the deepest part of the pond.

For a minute he stood looking at her pale arms and her flowing dress, ghostly and pale green in the pond water.

'This is lovely' she said, swimming closer and grinning up at him.

He looked at her exasperatedly.

'Lily, this is not Scarborough! The water is cold, is likely to be polluted, and…'

'Not so much here, upriver. You said so yourself. You said there wouldn't be any gillyworms if the water was so bad!'

He scowled down at her, though secretly pleased she should have remembered so much from what he used to tell her when they went fishing for those semi-transparent, illusive worms around the edges of this very pond.

'Besides, we're only going for a short weekend trip this summer.' Lily was saying 'So probably this is the only swim I'll be getting this year anyway!'

She looked for a foothold in the soft mud beneath her and grabbed part of the broken log to pull herself up, for the water was deep, and the bank high, on this side of the pool. However, the waterlogged piece of wood she had grabbed broke off, and she landed back in the water with a soft plop and another giggle.

'Here, grab hold of my hand.' Severus said.

He was shivering already, and if she stayed there any longer…

Lily took hold of his hand and put one foot on a submerged root. He heaved, perhaps harder than necessary, for Lily came out of the water quite suddenly, so that he almost overbalanced, as she fell against him. Just then, the soggy, friable root beneath her feet gave way. He was still holding her, or she would have fallen in again, but his arms were under hers, and he held her up.

'Oh.' She gasped and looked up into his face.

It was an infinitesimal second, not more than that. But it seemed as though time had stood still.

She was so close, he could count every freckle on her nose – he could see every single droplet of water that fell from his wet hair, onto her upturned face as he held her.

_Merlin! He was holding Lily Evans in his arm! Her weight was warm and wet against him! _

_And he did not want to let go._

And for that infinitesimal second, she had not pushed him away. Not immediately. There was a look of wonder, not horror, in her green eyes. Even as the thought crossed his shocked brain, he felt a tremor pass through him that was not due to the cold. Horrified, he realised she would notice…

Lily broke away, taking a step backwards.

'It's c – cold.' he said, tearing his eyes away from her face, not wanting to see what was written there. Perhaps she'd noticed. Perhaps she was shocked, and thought he'd taken liberties!

But taking his eyes off her face had been a mistake. For now they settled on the rest of her, and her white dress was clinging to her like a second skin, transparently pink where it rested on the bare flesh beneath, and more opaque, lacy white, where her bra showed through. His brain froze, but his eyes seemed to have a will of their own and they travelled down the gentle swelling of her breast, and over the slender narrow waist with the darker spot marking her navel.

He swallowed, his throat dry. Suddenly he felt hot. His heart started beating faster, his face felt flushed, and blood pounded through his head, to settle a second later down in his lower regions.

_Fuck!_

He tore his eyes away and cast a fleeting look at Lily's face. Her eyes were wide, frightened. One hand moved protectively over her breast. She had just realised that her clothes were transparent! Or perhaps she had just realised what he'd been staring at!

_Fuck!_

He bit his lip to keep himself from swearing out loud, then whirled round and stomped off to a patch of sunlight. He threw himself down in it, sitting with his back to her, cross-legged and hunched over.

He took several shaky, deep breaths, willing his heart to slow down, and determinedly resisting the temptation to turn round and see what Lily was doing. That would not help his condition, and if she noticed _that _also… he had made a fool of himself enough, where she was concerned recently!

It was some minutes later before he could trust himself to look round at where he had left Lily.

She was not there. She was nowhere under the trees. Had she run off ? He cursed himself inwardly. Why did he behave like such a twat? He had probably scandalised and frightened her, ogling her like that! Just when, for a brief second, it had been so blissful, just to hold her in his arms. He had just been surprised he hadn't repulsed her, but he must have been mistaken. The frightened look in her eyes told him that.

But where could she have gone, with her clothes sodden wet and see-through? He determinedly pushed that thought out of his mind. He wasn't going to go in that direction again.

Her books were still scattered around on the ground, where they had been studying. He started to get worried – Lily was impulsive and thoughtless sometimes. What if someone else saw her like that? He hastily gathered their stuff from where it lay scattered, including Lily's sandals, and the sodden parchment that had caused it all. The sun had almost dried it now. Even his clothes, though very damp, were not dripping wet.

He set off through the trees, wondering where to look for Lily, and half-doubting whether he should anyway. Perhaps she wouldn't want to see him again.

But he didn't have to go far. As soon as he came out of the grove, he found Lily sitting in the sunniest spot on a patch of grass on the bit of waste ground that led to the grove. The ground sloped there, so he hadn't seen her. She was sitting cross-legged and had her back to him so she did not hear him approach.

The hot midday sun glinted in coppery tones on her bent head, causing Severus to squint and shade his eyes to see better. She was staring absent-minded at the ground in front of her, fiddling with a twig. _What was she thinking?_

Feeling as though he was about to face execution, Severus took a step closer.

He must have made a noise for Lily looked round and up at him.

'Y- You forgot your stuff.' He mumbled, holding up the books under his arm.

'Oh.'

It was not much, but at least she hadn't upped and slapped him hard in the face, as she had every right to do. She had gone back to fiddling with her twig again, her head bent so he could not gauge how angry she was with him.

He decided to take his chances, and sat down beside her. He'd apologise if necessary. He'd do anything to erase what had just happened. He didn't want to lose their friendship, for it was all he had for now. At least until he could prove that beneath his shabby clothes, his ugly mug, and his shameful home, he was really somebody worthy to call Lily Evans his own. Somebody impressive, someone who commanded respect! Then she would understand. She would look at him with that something in her eyes that he had seen in Narcissa's, when she looked at Lucius, and yielded herself to him that last day at Hogwarts!

But Lily wasn't saying anything. Her head was still bent, and her hair shielded her face from his view. Her hair was dry now, he noted, as well as her dress. Good. He didn't want further distractions.

He held out the spoilt parchment with what was left of her handwriting.

'I think I may be able to fix some of this at home, if you'll let me take it.' he said, tentatively.

Lily looked up then.

He had expected an angry look, or a disgusted one, at the very least. What he had not expected was that Lily was blushing so furiously, that her cheeks seemed to be on fire. He stared at her, but she would not meet his eyes.

'Sure. Take it.' She mumbled.

He did not know what to say, but felt himself getting awkward, in return. He placed their books on the ground before him, and felt her edge slightly away, as his knee inadvertently made contact with hers. _Damn!_ _This was all his fault!_

'Listen, Severus.' She said, finally. He heard her take in a deep breath. 'I-I'm sorry. I have to go now. My dress is in a bit of a mess now, and I'll have some explaining to do, if I don't get back home before Mum comes from shopping-' her face turned redder as she said this. She slipped her feet into her sandals, her hair falling across her face again.

'Lily, I- '

But she grabbed her books from the pile in front of him and stood up, dusting her skirt. True, it was crumpled, and its whiteness discoloured by the mud in the pond water. He scrambled up after her.

'Look, Severus, you stay here. It's still early. I'll see you around, ok? And I'm sorry. Really sorry. I – I shouldn't 've – ' She paused, glancing fleetingly up into his face, but not quite meeting his eyes.

Then she turned and left, her unfinished sentence hanging in the air between them. He watched her as she walked away from him, almost at a run. He felt something tighten inside him. What did she mean? Her words had an air of finality, of dismissal. Was it the end, then? Would things be different between them now?

He felt the familiar feeling of anger welling up inside him.

Anger at himself, for causing the accident, for forgetting himself so much as to dare to look at her in _that_ way, and embarrassing her; anger at her, Lily, for -.

For what, really? He had pulled her into the pond. It was not her fault.

But she was clearly shocked, and uncomfortable at his behaviour.

_Just showed what she really thought about him, didn't it? _

Anger burned inside him.

_A guttersnipe peering at an angel. Well, it was time, perhaps, to leave the gutter!_

He stood looking darkly at the distant figure of Lily as it reached the first of the dilapidated and abandoned houses that stood at the edge of the clearing. He had seen squatters recently in some of those houses. Muggle trash even worse than those that inhabited his street.

With a sigh, he bent down to gather his books, realising that Lily's ruined parchment was still in his hands. He set off after Lily, fingering the wand in his back pocket, which he now always carried around with him. He would make sure Lily reached home safely, she wasn't aware of the dangers a young girl faced in this neighbourhood.

He made his way silently towards the distant houses. There was no need for her to see him.


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71: Rainy Days.**

A drizzling rain was forming tiny rivulets that snaked down the Evans' kitchen window relentlessly. Lily looked out at the dreary sight and sighed, toying with her breakfast. It had been like that for three days now. The wide street outside was either washed out in a creeping white mist, or washed out in a persistent drizzle.

The last time the sun had shone that summer was when she had gone to the river with Severus.

She sighed again and pushed her plate away. She suddenly did not feel at all hungry.

She missed the forest and grounds of Hogwarts, she missed her friends and their lively chatter, she missed being able do magic – or even talk about it – without Petunia jumping down her throat.

But most of all, she missed Severus.

He hadn't contacted her since that day. Nor could she blame him. She had been rude, going off like that, and – worse than rude. That day, she had shamelessly, thoughtlessly, pranced around almost stark naked before him.

Why didn't she _think_, before fooling around in the water like that, damn it? She felt herself blush with embarrassment as she remembered how he had stared, shocked, at the sight of her. How he had been decent enough to turn away, and let her gather the shreds of her dignity back.

Her falling into the water hadn't been entirely her fault, of course. But she should've got out immediately, and headed for some bushes or something! She should have realised! She wasn't a child anymore, for heaven's sake! Had her mother found out, she would have probably told her off for her foolishness!

Then she remembered how, before she had realised just how exposed she was, Severus had helped her up and stopped her from falling in again, and for that split second, she had thought she saw a look in his face that thrilled and frightened her in equal measures!

But she had been mistaken.

Probably, he had just been shaken at seeing her like that. Any boy would have been. And Severus was, after all, a boy, as well as her best friend. That thought made her blush even more furiously, for she never thought of Severus being like _that._ With his scathing, sarcastic comments about anything so unpractical and unreasonable as romance, (not that the subject was even broached much, between them), it was unthinkable. It was an attitude that had rubbed off on her too, and he probably relied on her to have the same levelheadedness and control as he did.

Not to go jumping out of pools starkers, and making a fool out of herself! What must he have thought of her?

She felt her cheeks burn in shame. Probably she had shocked even someone like Severus into realising his best friend was not only a 'best friend', but very evidently, a _girl_!

That was a very uncomfortable thought! What if he had thought she was being forward, that she was coming on to him? And in such a brazen way, like some cheap slag or something!

That is why she had run away that day, and why she hadn't tried to contact him since. Judging by his silence over these last few days, probably it was exactly what he thought of her. She had unwittingly scared her best friend away.

'Is anything wrong, dear?'

Lily started, and looked up. Her Mum had just come in with a laundry basket and noticed her flushed face.

'No. No, nothing.' She lied.

'You don't seem yourself, Lily, and you've been inside for days.'

'It's raining.' she answered, rather pointlessly.

'That's never stopped _you _before.' Petunia said unpleasantly from the other end of the table, where she was taking off some garish red nail-polish from her fingertips. 'You never had a problem with bad weather, whenever you were off to meet that awful boy!'

'And that's none of your business, Petunia!' she snapped.

'Oh, but it is! What would Vernon say, if he found out my own sister is hobnobbing with – with a boy from _that_ part of town? And a freak to boot!'

'Why don't you go tell him, then? Why don't you go tell him your sister's a witch, and see what he thinks?' she shouted, springing to her feet.

'Girls, stop it this instant!' Rose Evans intervened, as Petunia was about to retort angrily. 'Petunia, I won't have you speaking to your sister like that! She's entitled to her friends, just as you are to yours!'

'But Vernon's a decent, hard-working, young man from a respectable family, not just a lazy, good-for-nothing freak with a drunken father and-'

'_Petunia!_' her mother said, warningly.

Lily fumed. She did not have her wand with her, and Petunia knew it, that was why she being so provoking. She may even have suspected that she was not allowed to do magic out of school, after last summer's warning letter, though she had been careful not to let her sister, or her parents, see the contents of the Ministry of Magic's warning letter. She had turned her teacup into a rat on that occasion, and right now, if her wand had been in her hand, she'd probably hex her again.

Petunia went back to her nails with a disgusted look, and Lily threw herself back into her chair and resumed staring out of the window, her breakfast had gone cold before her. She suddenly felt her mother's hand on her head.

'Mum, I'm _fine_!' She said exasperatedly, pulling herself away.

'You looked so flushed a moment ago, and now you look pale.' Her mother said. 'Are you sure-?'

'Look, I'm not sick or anything! I just felt like catching up on some reading these days.'

'Yes, but usually you're reading, or whatever it is you're _really_ doing, closeted up together with that Snape freak in your room. Or God knows where else you go.' Petunia said, primly, with an unpleasant emphasis on the word.

'And what is _that_ supposed to mean?' Lily said.

'Well, you know what part of town he comes from. There are loose women there, and Vernon said that-'

'How_ dare _you!' Lily's voice shook with rage.

'Petunia, enough!' Rose Evans turned to her youngest daughter. 'Lily, dear, you know I trust you and your judgement of Severus, but I do hope you're careful about where you go. There have been unconfirmed reports on the telly, of people disappearing up in Bramham.' she paused, 'I know you can do magic and protect yourself, but…'.

'But what?' Lily thought she knew what was coming. Last summer she had been cross-examined as to where she spent her time with Severus. Luckily enough, they hadn't rumbled how she was so strictly prohibited from doing magic out of school. They thought it had to be _preferably_ under a teacher's supervision.

'Well, look, Lily, you're growing up, now.' Her mother continued, her voice anxious and worried 'You – you'd tell me if there was anything wrong, won't you? Between you and Severus, for example?'

_What on earth were they thinking?_

'Perhaps you'd both love it, if there _was _something wrong, wouldn't you?' she shouted, 'Well, there isn't!'

And she stormed off to her room, feeling their eyes following her.

She knew she was being childish and unreasonable, but she felt the prickle of tears in her eyes as slammed the door of her room thankfully shut behind her, and leaned against it. What she had said wasn't true. There _was_ something wrong, and she knew it.

She missed him terribly. And this dratted rain was making her feel even more miserable. She wished the sun would shine, for it seemed as though it had deserted their town forever.

She dried her eyes with the back of her hand. Perhaps she should try calling Mary Macdonald again. She was always so irrepressibly cheery. But Petunia hogged the phone every day, and their father was angry enough with her sister, without adding long-distance phone calls to Oban, in Scotland, to the bills.

Perhaps next time, she'd accept her friends' invitation to stay over for some time, next holidays. After all, even Severus was going over to the Blacks in London for a weekend. She pushed that thought out of her mind. From what she had overheard Sirius say, and complain about, his family were staunch upholders of pureblood traditions and ideals.

She felt her stomach clench painfully. What on earth was Severus going there for? He was a half-blood himself after all. If what Sirius said was true, that practically disqualified him from the Blacks' circle of acquaintances. As for muggleborns – they were not even entitled to breathe the same air they did!

He must be really good friends with young Regulus to have been invited. She felt the tears rise again, and blinked them back sharply. She was being stupid and selfish. Severus was entitled to his own friends too, she supposed. She just wished they weren't so… well, such purebloodedly snobs!

She sniffed and sat down on her bed, staring blankly at the shelves with jars of dried leaves, roots and seeds she had collected over the years with Severus, at the Hogwarts books standing in a jumbled pile, and at her wand sticking out from under a sheaf of blank parchment.

She had been invited over for holidays to her friends' house on several occasions before, but she had refused because of family holidays, or family commitments, and also because…..

She drew a shaky breath. Because she had not really missed them, when she had Severus by her side during the holidays. Holidays for her were pottering around with Severus in the small grove by the river's edge, concocting pretend potions as children, and dreaming of Hogwarts; listening to him fervidly explaining all about the hidden magical world; doing their homework together as students; or reading quietly in her room, with no need even to speak.

After she had found out the shocking truth about his home life, there had been another reason, perhaps, but one she had carefully concealed from him.

She had thought that, perhaps, if he stuck around with her, there would be less need for him to go home, and thus, less chance of him getting into trouble with his father.

She still remembered with a shudder the murderous look on his face as he spoke about his Dad, and the barely-concealed contempt in his voice, on the rare occasion he mentioned his mother.

It was so sad. She could not understand why they treated their son so badly. They didn't even care what he did, or where he went… He rarely spoke about them, but she had deduced that much about their relationship.

If only she could make it better for him. But if he even knew she was trying to 'interfere', as he would call it, he'd probably not speak to her again!

Not that he was doing so now. With a sigh, she took out the two-way mirror from her bedside table. She had caught herself laying awake at night, hoping to hear his voice calling her.

Now, her father had decided take the family on a small holiday. A weekend break, not more, just to escape the constant drizzle, and see some sunshine on a southern beach in Devon.

She suddenly remembered the month-long holiday in France, last summer. The increasing and unexpected loneliness, as the days wore on. Strangely, she had missed her silent and uncouth best friend, more than she had missed Hogwarts, her housemates there, or her home.

Grabbing her Gryffindor courage with both hands, she took a deep breath, and whispered into the mirror:

'Severus!'

Nothing happened at first. Her breath misted the mirror, but only her pale face peered anxiously back at her. Probably he would already be outside somewhere already, and would not have the mirror with him. Severus' haunts were many, varied, and probably some were precisely as dangerous as Petunia liked to paint them.

Then she bit her lip in excitement as the mirror clouded up momentarily, and then cleared to show Severus's face.

'Yes, Lily?'

But she entirely forgot what she had to say.

His face was gaunt, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was unwashed , plastered to his head, and strands of dark hair clung damply to his cheeks. She had expected him to be terse and angry with her, after she had disappeared without explanation last time, but though his expression was guarded and closed, she detected a bit of nervousness, and his eyes were trained keenly on her face.

'I – Look , Severus can I come over? I need to talk to you. Where are you?' she peered at the room behind him. 'Oh, you're in that dilapidated old house we used to shelter in!'

She thought she recognised the broken furnishings of the small kitchen there.

She saw him nod, and open his mouth to speak, but she cut across him before she lost her nerve.

'I'll be there soon, ok? Wait for me.'

And she broke contact before he could say anything to make her change her mind.

She needed to fix things. She couldn't go on like this and let him think god knows what of her. She'd apologise for her appalling behaviour, she'd let him know she had been thoughtless, that she hadn't meant to lead him on, or anything, and that she'd certainly behave with the decorum that he obviously expected from her.

She grabbed her raincoat and dashed off downstairs, pulling it over her jeans and T-shirt, subconsciously buttoning it up to the very top. She'd wear nothing that could so treacherously betray her when wet. As a second thought, she grabbed her wand off the shelf and slipped it into the pocket of her raincoat.

She had just grabbed her umbrella from the Hall stand when she was waylaid by her mother, who wanted to know where she was going.

It was more than a quarter of an hour later that she escaped.

She set off down the street, splashing through puddles as the rain dripped remorselessly from the end of her umbrella. There were very few people about, and they all wore morose expressions, reflecting the weather's mood. She reached the park near her house, which was completely deserted, and broke into a run, her boots scrunching wetly down the gravelly paths.

The path curved sharply around a clump of bushes, and suddenly she noticed that a dark figure had just come running into the park from the opposite entrance.

She faltered, halting. It was Severus.

He was drenched, for he carried no umbrella, and so he did not see her immediately, but ran full tilt in her direction until he noticed her standing there. Then he skidded to a halt a couple of metres away from her, sending gravel flying in all directions.

He was wearing the old coat he used to wear once, as a child, when attempting to hide the shabbiness beneath with its overlarge cover. It fitted him well now, though still wide at the shoulders. His hair was sodden wet, and plastered to face in long, dark, rat's tails, dripping rivulets of water down his neck and clothes.

She stared at him silently, suddenly feeling very awkward standing there before him. She knew that last time he had looked at her, she had been practically naked. Her eyes fluttered down to her booted feet in confusion, as she sensed his nearness and presence.

It unnerved her.

'Lily, I –'

But it seemed he did not know what to say, either.

Her eyes flickered up to his face again.

He was out of breath, for he had been running, but his eyes sought out hers, and what she saw there was not the accusatory anger, or even the disgust, that she had expected.

Instead there was a shy, almost hopeful look that spoke volumes.

She knew then, that he had missed her as much as she missed him; that he had forgiven her.

Relief flooded over her and she grinned, feeling an irresistible urge to go up to him there and then, as he stood there in his overlarge coat, dripping wet and drenched to the skin, and hug him tight.

She resisted that particular desire, but went up to him instead, smiling broadly, and silently offered him to get under her umbrella.

'You'll catch your death running around like that, Sev.' she said. 'And don't tell me because its summer! Why didn't you wait for me over there?'

'And what on earth possessed you to come alone?' he said, doing his best to scowl angrily at her.

Lily smiled. He did not fool her one bit.

'There's been some attacks recently there.' he continued 'No-one had ever bothered with those houses before, but squatters moved in some time ago. Those bloody muggle bastards thought they could do what the hell they like! Them, and their dope-brained, useless muggle carcasses, shouting and screaming and fu- going at each other like the animals they are…!'

He stopped. Lily knew that her face must have betrayed her shock at his vitriolic outburst, but more so at the fact that despite the squatters, he had just come from there. Then she remembered that, after all, he had come to meet her to avoid her going there alone.

'Look, I'm not that stupid. I – I've got my wand with me.' She said, patting the pocket of her raincoat. He glanced sideways at her briefly, and she thought she detected a look of relief on his face. 'But how – how can you stand it in there, if – if well, the place is infested with – with all these bad characters…'

'You'll see.' He said grimly.

'Sev, what -? Did you-?'

'Use magic? Yes and no. I cannot use magic. But there are other ways.'

She saw his eyes darken, and felt a small thrill of fear. What had he done? She reminded herself that there _were_ some aspects of Severus that she clearly did not understand.

Or perhaps she did not want to.

She glanced at him again, and he noticed, for he met her eyes briefly. They were close together under the umbrella. It felt strangely intimate, and therefore slightly awkward, now. They walked in silence for some time, then Severus spoke:

'There is no law saying you can't possess charmed objects when you're out of school.' he offered in explanation, 'Loads of people go back home loaded with stuff from that new shop, Zonko's , and –'

'So, what did you do? Lob some dungbombs through the windows of the houses there? Anyway, I never saw you go into Zonko's –'

'I traded with Wilkes. Stronger stuff than dungbombs!'

Lily's eyebrows arched apprehensively, but he just smirked.

'Oh, let's say it put a damper on their wild nights! And they won't be back in a hurry!'

Lily still looked at him quizzically.

'Bottled Sadness, Lily.'he explained. 'Not a potion, exactly. More of an enchanted gas made from…. Well, you wouldn't want to know. Has everyone in tears for weeks. That, and some imitation ghosts from Zonko's. They left the place swearing it was haunted!'

'But won't the Ministry find out? I don't think you're supposed to use stuff like that on muggles.'

'The effects are not easily traceable to magical objects. Besides, I didn't stay to find out, did I? I sneaked in and left them there to do their job.'

Won't you be affected by your own stuff?'

'I got the antidote gas too, of course. And the ghosts don't last long. They're not real. Anyway, we're almost there now. You'll see.'

They walked in silence the rest of the way. When they arrived, Lily saw that the row of dilapidated houses looked even shabbier than before. Not that they had ever been anything but broken down shells before, but there hadn't been so much rubbish strewn around, walls covered in garish, rude graffiti and nameless filth.

Severus pushed open the creaking door of the least dilapidated house, and they went in.

She sat down gingerly on the broad wooden table in middle of the small room, eager to get her feet off the ground, and the rubbish and filth spread around on the floor. There was a general air of moroseness about the place, but she felt no inclination to cry, so Severus' antidote must be working. However, she was finding it difficult to ignore the obscenities spray-painted across the furniture and walls, the smells of decay and dirt pervading the place.

She had come here before, but although the place had been shabby, abandoned, and mouse infested, it had not been sleazy.

It made her squeamish and uneasy now.

She looked over to where Severus was rummaging around, his nose wrinkled distastefully, for something to put a candle stub on. Finding a broken saucer he stuck it on, fished some damp matches from his pocket, and lighted the candle.

'Sorry about this place. Those bastards gave it a beating. Without magic it's difficult to clear up.'

Something of the disgust she was feeling must have shown on her face, for he said:

'It's just that this weather won't clear up, and – and –'

She was sure he was going to say he had nowhere else to go, so she forestalled him.

'You know I told you that you can come over any time you want, Sev, day or night.'

'I didn't come because –. Well, anyway, I don't think your parents would appreciate. Being disturbed, that is.' he added, hastily

'But _I _would. That's what friends are for.' She answered quietly.

He stole a quick look at her from between the strands of dark wet hair, but said nothing.

She looked at him as he fiddled with the waxy droplets of the candle. She knew they were both skirting the issue of what happened back there by the river, but she was glad of it. She didn't feel she could muster the courage to tell him she had meant nothing that day; that she had just been thoughtless, and stupid.

She wanted things to go back to what they were between them.

'How's your mother?' She asked, to cover the awkward moment. 'Is she still adamant about the Dementors?'

He shrugged 'I don't see her much lately. I'm out at dawn, and back late. Anyway, she's … busy.'

'Busy?'

'Looking after Dad. He's damaged his guts with all the drinking. She brews potions for him to stem the damage.'

'Then she cares about him! From what you said last summer, it seemed…'

'No, she doesn't! She doesn't give a damn about –'

'How do you know that, Severus? She wouldn't be doing it if she absolutely hated your father! Perhaps -'

'Perhaps she's doing it because she'd be left destitute, if he'd kick the bucket! Perhaps she's doing it because she's FORCED TO!' he shouted 'You've got to stop seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses, Lily!'

She drew in her breath. She had touched a raw wound evidently.

'Just – just drop it. Ok?' he said, forcing himself to speak in a level voice. 'Bad enough they're both behaving so weirdly.'

'You've said that before. Weird in what way?'

She thought he would not answer her, but after a while:

'They don't argue so much anymore. But it's not what you think', he added quickly, 'They just seem…preoccupied.'

'Sometimes sickness brings out the best in people…'

He snorted disdainfully. 'Or the worst.'

'But you've got to admit it's good that they stopped arguing …'

'Probably it's the potion. Perhaps she slipped something calming in it now he's forced to take it. Or because he because he's stopped swigging beer. For now, at least.'

'Either case, it's good news, Sev. Whatever you say, they must have liked each other a bit, once. They had _you_, didn't they?' a snort of disbelief was her only answer, but she persevered. 'Perhaps not all couples have such a strong bond, like my Grandfather and Grandmother had, before he died. But there must have been something, if your mother was ready to give up her home, her life among wizards, and, from what you said yourself, even her inheritance, just to be with this one man. Severus, there _must_ have been something there.'

He blinked at her and she saw with some surprise, that he had never thought of it that way before.

'You always speak of your Prince connection, Severus.' She continued quietly. 'But you completely ignore the other half of who you are. I know that the _muggle_ part of your blood may not be your most enhancing characteristic, in the eyes of some of the boys you hang around with in Slytherin,' she tried to keep the bitterness of her voice to a minimum, but he did not contradict her, 'but you, Severus, are one of the most intelligent people I have ever met, both muggle and wizard, and so I do not believe for one instant, that this all comes from your Prince side, despite your resemblance to your Great-grandfather.' She paused.

Severus was staring, unseeing, at a bit of candle wax which he was rolling back and forth between his fingers, but still he remained silent.

'Anyhow, Severus, she continued, a bit lamely 'I would bother to dig up a bit on your father's side of the family, speak to him a bit, before you give it up as a lost cause.'

'So he's a 'cause' now, is he?' he sneered, 'You think that perhaps, I should try and fix him. Perhaps you think that he'll become a docile lamb, my mother a happy witch, and we'll all live happily ever after,'

'No. I just-'

'Well, let me tell you something, Lily. It just doesn't happen that way. Not in Spinner's End. Not to my parents. This is _reality _you're talking about, not some stupid fairy tale!'

'But I just-'

'Drop it!'

She stared at him. The look in his eyes was cold and hard as he tossed the bit of candle wax away from him, angrily.

Why was he so determined not to see the possibility of making amends, and building bridges? For that matter, why was _she _so determined to see that such a possibility existed? After all, she had had a glimpse of his family life. It had terrified her, but mostly, it had saddened her. His parents deserved nothing but punishment for the suffering and neglect they had shown their only son. But she knew that would not be the solution. It would be so good if he had even half of the love and support she had grown to depend on in her own home.

If only he would try and speak to his father, perhaps he would come round, especially if now he was sober and reasonable. Perhaps if was not so obsessed with the wizarding side of the family…

'Look, Lily, even if I found out all the history of ten generations' worth of my Snape ancestors –'

'That is not what I meant.'

'- it would not make a difference to my father,' he continued, as though he had not heard her, 'But whatever's wrong with my parents, - it's not bothering me!'

That was a lie and she knew it. Something must have shown on her face for he said:

'Anyway, forget them for a second, can't you? Here, I've got something for you.' And he abruptly put a hand in an inside pocket of the jacket he was wearing, and pulled out a rather crumpled parchment.

She recognised it immediately. It was her essay on Giant Wars for History of Magic.

But it had been miraculously restored. Her round, rather large writing covered the whole eighteen inches of it, and, except for the slightly crumpled, wet-then-dried look about it, it looked perfect.

'My essay! How did you-?'

'A variation of the '_reparo'_ spell, using potions instead. My mother's brewing a lot recently, so I had all the ingredients. The ink I used doesn't match the original, but, on the whole…' He shrugged.

'That's brilliant! And a great potion, too! Thanks Sev!'

She had completely forgotten about her ruined essay. Apparently, he hadn't.

'And this,' he said, fishing something that rustled out of his pocket. It was a cheap muggle plastic copybook cover, magically enlarged to the size of the rolled-up parchment. ' is for you to put your parchment on when writing. It's weighted down at one end. Protects it, and stops it from flying off into the water, you know.'

She looked up quickly, but there was a suspicious twitching at the corners of his mouth.

She laughed heartily then, and knew that everything was alright between them.

'Come on,' she said 'the rain's stopped. Let's go and get some hot chocolate from Harfield's. This place is a bit sordid now.'

With a vigorous nod that clearly indicated that he agreed, he followed her out into the weak, watery sunlight of that strange midsummer's day.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 72: Grimmauld Place**

Severus stared at the silver platter and the gleaming sets of silver cutlery before him, sitting stiff as a poker on the velvety softness of the cushioned dining chair. He stole a quick look across the sumptuous dining table and caught the eye of Regulus Black, who was sitting across from him.

Reg grinned.

A wizened old house elf with large ears was ladling soup into his plate, its head barely reaching the surface of the table.

Severus glanced at the head of the table, where Reg's father, Orion Black, had already been served. The middle-aged wizard, dressed in magnificent purple robes, was a large man with a heavily lined face and black brows that overhung, and shaded, his eyes. He was looking straight ahead, waiting in silence until all had been served.

At the other end of the table sat Walburga, Reg's mother. She was sitting as stiff and straight as he was. Her expression was haughty and her face gaunt, the skin stretched tight and smooth across her high cheekbones, but wrinkled and webbed over her forehead, chin and neck. Her black hair was scraped back under an old-fashioned lacy bonnet and she, too, was wearing magnificent robes, black with trimmings of embroidered gold thread.

But unlike her husband, her eyes kept darting towards Severus, and the look in them was one of sheer dislike.

Perhaps she thought a half-blood slum kid should dine with the house elf in the scullery. Or perhaps she thought he wouldn't even know which fork to use from the vast range in front of him.

Well, in fact he didn't, but he could learn by close observation. Even at Hogwarts, the evening meal was never ever such a formal and grand affair as at the Black residence.

He felt himself redden with anger and humiliation under her relentless hatred. It had been so since that morning, when he had arrived at Grimmauld Place in London, Reg's home. Waves of disapproval emanated from her when Regulus introduced him, and it hadn't abated one bit by evening. He wondered how in Merlin's name Regulus had got permission to have him over in the first place. Probably appealed to his father. Orion Black seemed a bit more approachable.

He forced himself to take several calming breaths. This was the perfect time to put Madeira's teaching into practice, and find a way to control his temper. He needed to last the weekend, for he needed the experience.

'I hear that you are learned in the noble and ancient arts of magic.' Mr Black said, looking at Severus from beneath his heavy brows, 'Our son, Regulus, has declared so.'

They had all been served now, and Severus, after glancing surreptitiously at the young boy opposite him, chose a long-handled spoon from the lot on his side and followed suit.

'Academically speaking, I find the subject very interesting, Sir.' Severus replied.

He knew that Mr Black was referring to the Dark Arts, but had refrained from actually mentioning them. Probably he was testing him, to see how far he could go with him.

'Very interesting, you say.' Orion Black looked up for a minute from his plate, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. 'Well, I say you find it more than interesting, young man. I think you find it useful. Why else would you have thrown the Vinificus or the Constrictus curse, when you had barely arrived at Hogwarts? And I should know you did, for you cast those spells against my own son, Sirius!'

Severus almost dropped his spoon in alarm. He had forgotten! It was so long ago, and somehow, he hadn't imagined Sirius would be bragging about something like that at home. But how did Mr Black know the nature of those spells? He had got them from his great-grandfather's book, and not even the teachers at Hogwarts had known what they were.

'I- I'm sorry.' He stammered.

'Well, I do hope you exercise restraint in the use of those spells against my son. Not that I didn't hope it might teach my eldest a lesson about the power of the ancient arts. But it did not, as Regulus here has told us.'

'Sir, how did you know about the ancient arts – I mean those particular spells…'

Orion Black reached out for the goblet in front of him, and then leaned back in his chair.

'Those particular spells are dark magic, Mr Snape, as you very well know.' he said, smiling cunningly 'I am a …er…_scholar_, let's say, of the Dark Arts , much like you, and I have seen those spells before.'

'You – you have? Er, Sir?'

'I have a far vaster experience than your fourteen-odd years, young man.' Orion answered smugly 'Besides, I knew your Grandfather. We met when he came back from Durmstrang, where he had been educated. He used those spells. Passed down from _his_ father, no doubt. His father, Severus Prince, was very well known, you know.'

'Pity his Grand-daughter had to ruin his reputation.' Said Mrs Black, speaking for the first time. She was looking at Severus belligerently. 'Eloping with a _muggle! _Eileen Prince brought shame and disgrace to the Prince family!'

'Mother, please!' Regulus Black intervened, his face flushed.

Severus could feel the anger build up inside him, but he was not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing how her words hurt him.

'Regulus,' Walburga continued, drowning out his protest, 'You know that we only ever invite true pureblood wizards into our home! I don't know why you insisted so much to have Mr _Snape _here, or why your father intervened - ?'

She glared across the table at her husband, but he ignored her.

That explained a lot however. Probably Mr Black was curious about his knowledge of those spells. For he was sure Mr Black was a Dark wizard, whatever else he pretended. Reg must have heard the stories of what happened to his brother and recounted everything to his father.

He reached out and took the goblet in front of him into his hands. It was heavy, solid silver, with the Black family crest on it. The liquid inside was blood red.

He raised it slowly and deliberately to his lips, so that Walburga would get a good look at him, a half-blood, drinking from Black family heirlooms. He took a sip.

It was, he assumed, some sort of wine, rich with flavours and a myriad different scents. Pleasant. Unlike the sour smell of beer that pervaded the living room back home, when his father came back from the pub.

His father.

He set down the goblet down quickly, with a muffled thunk, in front of him.

'Well, Mrs Black,' he said, fixing the older woman with a direct stare 'You are, of course, right in saying that my mother made a mistake. It was a mistake which she later regretted, but it was a youthful mistake, made when she was perhaps too young to know her own mind. Like your son Sirius did, when he chose to be sorted into Gryffindor. '

Walburga paled, and Orion took a deep breath in. _Ah, it was even worse than he had expected. He had touched a raw nerve there alright._

'It was the sorting hat. It chose the house.' Walburga said, between clenched teeth.

'Oh no, Ma'am. Your son had already decided. He said so on the first train trip to Hogwarts. And the Sorting Hat takes your decision into consideration. Even if it _is_ a bad one.'

He could see Reg's eyes jumping nervously from his father to his mother. Obviously, the subject had been a source of distress to the Black family, but it seemed Sirius may not have told them of the part he played in it.

'I believe that, sometimes, bad decisions can be fixed.' he continued, to mitigate what he'd just said, 'In the long run, if a wizard grows to be powerful and strong, _that_ is what people remember and respect, not whether he was from Slytherin or Gryffindor, ... or whether he was a half-blood or pureblood.'

Walburga, her face a white mask of dislike, looked about to object to the latter comment, but then decided against it, and turned back to her plate.

The meal continued in silence after that. Walburga Black did not mention his mother again, but ate in tight-lipped silence, ignoring him completely. Mr Black, too, was silent, but his brow was furrowed.

'Sorry about that, Severus,' Reg said, as they climbed up the staircase, with its strange plaques of stuffed elf-heads, to his bedroom on the fourth floor after the meal. 'But my mother gets awfully worked up over bloodlines. _Toujour pur_ and all that, you know.'

'I noticed.' he said drily.

Regulus Black was strangely tolerant of his pompous old parents, even when he had been clearly chagrined at their treatment of him, he excused their behaviour. Reg could be quite a fiery little Slytherin with his companions, but with Orion and Walburga, he was unusually complacent for a pre-teen boy.

They turned left at a small landing towards a door with Reg's initials on it and deep gauge marks across its surface.

'Sirius's work.' Regulus said 'Had an argument with him out here, and he tried to jinx me. Hit the door instead. Caught him trying to get into my room without permission.'

'Couldn't you ward off the spell?'

'Didn't have my wand with me.'

'You live in a wizarding house, for Merlin's sake, Reg! Don't you ever…?'

'My mother and father have their own way of finding out if we used magic, even if the Ministry are none the wiser, and they do not approve, unless they have given their permission. Besides, I don't know how to block spells…'

'That can be remedied. I'm supposed to be here for that reason, after all.'

'Well, yes, but-'

'But you wanted to see if you could talk me into telling you what Rabastan and the rest are doing…'

Severus looked at him trying to determine his reaction. They had entered his bedroom now and Severus saw that it was a grand room. A large bed with a carved headboard bearing the family crest stood in the middle of the room. The green and silver banners of Slytherin were hung up on the walls.

'No. I wanted to show you these, instead.' Regulus said, in a terse voice, going over to a chest of drawers and pulling out a sheaf of papers from within.

They were a collection of pamphlets; cut-outs from newspapers and magazines; some letters and a few pages torn out of an old diary.

'They are about the Dark Lord.' Regulus said, with a proud note in his voice.

Severus sat down on the bed to examine them, spreading them out before him. He had to admit it was quite a remarkable collection. Some of it was stuff he had seen before, carefully smuggled into Hogwarts by Rabastan or the others, other literature was nothing more than the _Daily Prophet_ reports, which he skimmed over quickly, but what was most interesting were the letters and pages that appeared torn out of a diary. These were incomplete and crumpled, but one particular page spoke of an initiation ceremony taking place '... _at midnight, in the secret place of standing stone circles. Therein, the Dark Lord will bestow the highest honour upon the initiate, by marking him as worthy of being the conqueror of the last enemy, Death._'

There was no name mentioned, and Severus did not recognise the spiky, thick, handwriting, but he had a fair idea of who the initiate mentioned in the letter might be.

Regulus was looking at him with a bemused smile.

'My cousin is betrothed to Rabastan's brother, you know.' He said in explanation.

_'Narcissa?_'

'No, not Cissy. Bellatrix, her older sister. Went visiting a few days ago, and found that in the fireplace. Didn't burn properly.'

'I take it you did not show her what you pilfered.'

' 'Course not. Bella has a rather bad temper, coupled with a strange sense of humour. She doesn't approve of me knowing anything. She still thinks I'm a ... a… Well, too young.' he ended, a dull flush colouring his face.

Severus imagined that his cousin must have been a bit more descriptive with him. It seemed that Regulus was kept out of things, even out of Hogwarts.

'And do your parents approve of this?' he asked curiously nodding at the papers spread out before him.

'They don't discourage me.' Regulus said, carefully, after a while. 'They think the Dark Lord is doing the right thing by giving wizards the opportunity to stop hiding, as though their natural superiority was something shameful! They think that wizarding blood should be strengthened and preserved. They tell me to be careful who to speak to, however, for many are being sent to Azkaban on trumped-up charges of acting on the Dark Lord's behalf. But they don't mind this. They're more concerned with Sirius. You should see what _he'_s keeping in his room!'

'What?'

'Loads of muggle stuff! Motorcycles especially! He's obsessed with them. Papered half his room with muggle photos of them. And that's apart from all the Gryffindor stuff he has, too. He does it just to provoke mother!'

The door opened just then and the wizened old house elf came in.

'I have brought you fresh towels and perfumed soap, Master Regulus.' Croaked the elf, in a surprisingly thick, bull-frog voice. 'Come on now, young Sir, it's time for bed! And don't forget to brush your teeth with the-'

'Ok, _fine,_ Kreacher! And will you stop treating me like a baby?' Regulus said, flushing. 'I'm almost thirteen years old, for Merlin's sake!'

Severus smirked, but the old elf was unperturbed.

'Your age has nothing to do with forgetting proper, clean, habits, befitting a pureblood wizard, young sir. Now off to the bathroom with you! And I will show this other one here, the half-blood, down to the guest bedroom on the second floor…'

'_I'll_ do that, Kreacher! And he's Severus Snape! Stop calling him 'half-blood! I don't care what my mother says.'

'Do not speak with disrespect of Mistress!' Kreacher said, wagging his finger at Regulus, 'Now off with you, unless you want me to say stories of how I used to wipes your noses, and everything else, when you were a baby, in front of this…_Snape_.'

Regulus made an exasperated noise, but went out of the door quickly, probably afraid that Kreacher would follow through with his threat. Funny how he allowed a house elf to boss him around so. Perhaps it had been a nanny of sorts, though a rather unlikely one. Reg was followed out by the small elf, who gave Severus one last baleful look, muttering under his breath, before closing the door.

A short time later, Regulus was leading him down the stairs to the guest bedroom on the second floor. Severus leaned over the banisters, looking down on the magnificent Entrance Hall below. The gas lights had been turned off, but the elegant candelabra, with thick silver snakes each twisted sinuously around a candlestick, was still lighted up.

He saw Kreacher come up from the basement kitchen below, pad across the magnificent hallway carpet, and make his way to the dining room, from where he emerged, soon after, followed by Mr and Mrs Black.

'He's lighting their way to the drawing room.' Regulus said, peering over the banisters, too.

'I like your drawing room.'

'You like the stuff that's in the cabinets there.' Regulus said, shrewdly, 'But I knew you would. They're my father's, mostly. He collects items with ... er… unusual magical properties. Anyhow, this is your room. I have to go now, or Kreacher'll have a fit! See you tomorrow.'

The room he ushered Severus into, was almost as big as both his parents' and his own bedroom, put together. There were twin beds, tall windows covered in elegant velvet drapes, a wardrobe and a small desk, all of good make and sturdy. He sat down gingerly at the edge of the first bed, besides which there was a small bedside table, and a portrait of a clever-looking wizard with a pointed beard. His small duffle bag had already been brought in. He opened it and extracted a book. He did not feel sleepy at all. On his bedside table was an elaborate candlestick, similar in design to the Candelabra in the hallway downstairs, but it had only three serpents, and their silver heads, with open mouths, had engulfed the top of the candle sticks, wicks and all.

Wondering how on earth he was going to light it, Severus put his hand around the base, and immediately, the serpents, little bejewelled eyes a-glitter, twisted themselves off the candles, closed their mouths, and coiled back around the base. At the same time, a flame appeared magically on each candle, throwing a warm glow over the room.

He was admiring the simple, but convenient, piece of magic, when a small cough drew his attention to the portrait on the wall. The clever-looking wizard was looking keenly at him, now that his face was in the light.

'My word! They were actually right, after all!' he said, in a drawling voice 'I did not believe them at first, you know. But you do extraordinarily resemble him! Though what you are doing in my ancestral home is another matter. The witch my great-grandson married is notorious for her shrewish temper…'

Severus gaped at him for a second before answering

' 'They' who? And are you referring to my Great-grandfather , when you say I resemble 'him'? And who are _you_?'

He was now getting used to people, goblins and portraits mistaking him for his long-dead relation.

'' _They_' are the other inhabitants of the portraits at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They have told me that you greatly resemble Severus Prince, who was one of my students when I was alive, but I rarely leave my portrait in the Headmaster's office, and certainly not to stay observing pupils. I had enough of that during my lifetime.'

'Did you teach my Great-grandfather, Sir?'

Severus thought a bit of deferential treatment might go a long way. The man appeared to expect it.

'I was his Headmaster, and later on, his tutor.'

'You're Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black!' Severus interrupted, excited. Now he might find some answers.

Phineas Nigellus merely raised his eyebrows at his loud voice.

'Sir, is it true that Dumbledore ... _Professor _Dumbledore, when he was at school with my Great-grandfather, did he...? I mean…'

He did not know whether it was wise to jump into the matter right away like this, but the question had been burning inside him ever since the Fat Friar told him about it. Phineas Nigellus raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. Severus remembered that he had liked his great-grandfather.

'Look Sir, it's just that I think my great-grandfather was very knowledgeable in the... the... ancient magic arts, and that he may have been misjudged, because of what he wrote. I know about the books you had to confiscate in his fourth year.'

He paused, but Phineas Nigellus remained silent, though still looking at him intently and calculatingly.

'I – I know that Professor Dumbledore, was his friend, once.' Severus continued, 'But he had quarrelled with him, some time before -'

'Professor Dumbledore was junior student representative to the Wizenmagot, then.' Phineas interrupted suddenly. 'He reported the whole matter to them. They seemed to think I was covering up a student's wrongdoing because the student in question, Severus Prince, was a favourite pupil.'

'So it was him.' Severus whispered, feeling a cold rage grip his heart. 'It was Dumbledore who betrayed him.'

' 'Betrayed' is a strong word, young man. The books in question were, indeed, full of Dark Magic that no fourth year student should even know about, let alone possess the knowledge to carry out…'

'But did he? Sir?'

Phineas Nigellus looked at him and Severus got the impression he was weighing his words carefully.

'If he did, none saw the consequences then. Nothing was ever proven, though rumours abounded, as they always do in such circumstances.' He paused, then: 'Both Albus and Severus were brilliant students. I naturally preferred young Prince, for, though, unlike Albus, he shunned the limelight, he certainly was as clever, but he was also in Slytherin, my old house. As a Slytherin Headmaster, I was trying to redress the balance. I don't know if it was jealousy on Albus' part; or typical Gryffindor squeamishness at anything that might smack of Dark Magic; or something else, for I usually don't concern myself with student's petty quarrels, but fall out they did, and with dire consequences.'

'They duelled, didn't they? The Fat Friar told me.'

'Hah! That was nothing! Unfortunately, illicit student duels happened all the time, though none had destroyed the dungeons so badly. No, what happened was that Albus wanted the books destroyed, and when the story came out, parents wanted young Prince expelled. All the wild rumours had frightened them. But I wasn't going to let myself be bullied into expelling my favourite Slytherin pupil!'

'But – but he left in his fourth year.'

'Well, yes. When Albus had to report the incident to the Wizengamot, as junior representative, the matter got out of hand. The _Daily Prophet_ got wind of it, and started publishing offensive material, besmirching my honour as Headmaster, and my dignity as a member of the old House of Black.'

He paused, frowning, his mind clearly elsewhere, as he absent-mindedly tugged and twirled his pointed beard.

'The Board of Governors called for my resignation as Headmaster', he sighed, 'unless I settled the matter of young Prince immediately, and burned the books in question. They were making a mountain out of molehill, really. But they wouldn't hear any reason, so I placed the books in the restricted section (I refuse to burn books on such ancient magic), but with a heavy heart, I had to invite young Prince to leave. It was a sad day indeed, for Hogwarts to lose such a brilliant mind. It was Durmstrang's gain, for that is where he finished his education, then.'

'You mentioned you had been his tutor, Sir.'

'Ah, yes, indeed. He spent a year at Hogwarts training and assisting Professor Jonathan Pyrites - Professor Slughorn's predecessor - in view of a possible teaching job here at Hogwarts. It was during the first year of this century.'

'If he trained for a year, why did he not take on the job, then, Sir?'

'I don't know. He left to go abroad and increase his knowledge of the wizarding world at large.'

'Sir, about the books, the ones he wrote…'

Phineas gave him a strange look: wary, but crafty at the same time.

'Do not ask me about those, Mr Snape. It was bad enough they had disappeared from the Restricted Section.'

'What?'

'It was a few weeks before your great-grandfather left his tutorship at Hogwarts to go abroad. Luckily only I myself had noticed the disappearance, and kept it quiet. I did not want a repeat of the hullabaloo of some years before. But it did worry me, and for a time, I confess, I thought it might have been Severus Prince himself who stole them back. They had been written and compiled by him after all. But then – they reappeared.'

'They _reappeared_?'

'Many years later in, 1942. I was dead by then, but my portrait was in Headmaster Dippet's Office, and I heard the Librarian report how two mysterious books on Dark Arts had appeared in the restricted section. From her description, they were the same two that had been confiscated from Mr Prince, so many years ago. So you see, it couldn't have been your great-grandfather who stole them, for he never came back to Hogwarts to take up the teaching post he had trained for!'

'And are they still in the restricted section now, sir?' he knew the clever wizard would pick immediately on the barely-disguised eagerness in his voice.

'And why would you want to know, Mr Snape? If you think such books should be yours by right, you are sadly mistaken.'

'No, I was just ... curious.' He said, lamely.

A look of craftiness stole over Phineas's face, and he looked intently at Severus. 'There was a third book, too. Albus Dumbledore always insisted. In fact, he still does.'

'Er, really?' Severus tried to sound properly surprised.

'Yes, but it has never been found, and Professor Dumbledore still insists to this day, that such books can corrupt wizarding youth.' He paused, then spoke again, fixing him with a penetrating stare. 'We portraits are obliged to give our help to the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Mr Snape, but I'd like to give you a fair word of warning. If Professor Dumbledore were to find the missing book, he would have it confiscated, do you understand?'

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Was this a trick question? Did this clever wizard suspect something? His portrait hung in Dumbledore's office after all, and he might just be trying to trick him into giving away its whereabouts.

'The mystery surrounding these books was never solved.' Phineas continued 'Neither myself, nor my successors, Professor Dippet and Professor Dumbledore ever found out who had taken the books in 1900, where they had been hidden, and who returned them over 40 years later.'

Phineas Nigellus fell silent, but continued to stare at Severus, who started to feel uncomfortable under that steady, cunning gaze.

'You are so remarkably similar to the young Severus Prince' he said softly after a while. 'Strange to have such a close resemblance, given that you are only a half-blood Prince!'

'It is the half that counts! And besides, it is how powerful and -'

' – _'how powerful and strong a wizard is that will be remembered and respected_.' Yes, yes, I heard what you told Walburga, downstairs. Well, we shall see if you live up to your words, Mr _Snape_. You are in Slytherin, after all, and I am forced to admit that your magical abilities are quite remarkable. I suppose, if the ancient name of Prince has died, then perhaps you might just be able to reclaim some of the respect that used to be associated with that name.'

'But what about the books, Sir? Where are they now? If they belonged to my Great-Grandfather, would I be able to claim them when I am of age, then? And what do they contain, exactly?'

'You ask too many questions. It is not I who decides the fate of confiscated property in Hogwarts. And I would never relate what is inside those books! Now go to bed and sleep, I am tired!'

Severus knew the conversation was over and he reluctantly got into bed. Phineas Nigellus had disappeared out of the side of his portrait. Probably gone off to report to Dumbledore, Severus thought angrily. Well, he had given nothing away.

He would not allow Dumbledore to do the same to him as he had to his Great-grandfather! He would redouble his efforts to break the runic code on his book. He would find out where his ancestor had hidden them. Probably it was really Severus Prince who had reclaimed them from the Library while under Phineas Nigellus' tutorage and hidden them, intending to come back for them later, perhaps when taking on the permanent teaching post at Hogwarts. Something must have prevented him from doing so, hence the letter to Eileen. Perhaps they were still hidden there, and the two books on Dark Arts that had re-appeared were not his Great-grandfather's.

There was only one way to find out.

He needed to ask his mother some very important questions, and with that thought on his mind he fell into an uneasy sleep.

It was late Sunday night when Severus returned to Spinner's End, having flooed directly from the Drawing room Fireplace at Grimmauld Place. He stumbled onto the threadbare hearthrug to find his father staring at him in disbelief from the armchair opposite.

'Where on Earth've you bin? How many time have I told you not to use the effing fire for visiting them freak places?' Tobias, despite the dark circles around his eyes, seemed determined to at least try to whip himself up into a rage. 'What if you're followed? Do you want us to be burgled, or – or worse!'

'I told you he's visiting friends in London!' Eileen shouted, coming in from the kitchen carrying a small cauldron, 'They're influential wiz - … people, and we might need their support, the way things are going! Now drink this!'

She handed him a mug with some of the contents from the cauldron. Tobias sat up straighter, winced, and accepted it meekly, the fight seeming to go out of him. Muttering something about 'the bloody freak war', he raised the mug to his lips.

'I've placed protective charms over both the door and the fireplace.' Eileen continued, speaking as much to him as to Tobias. Evidently, she did not want him sneaking out without her knowledge.

'This tastes like shit!' Tobias grunted.

Severus went out of the room, closing the door on his mother's angry retort, and made his way heavily up the stairs, remembering with a twinge of regret the splendid hallway he had just left.

He had spent a very pleasant day with Regulus, who showed him a lot of his father's collection of magical things in the dining room. Later on, upstairs in Regulus' bedroom, and with Orion's express permission, he also taught the boy some more advanced protective spells and mild jinxes that would come in useful in a hard-fought Quidditch match. In return, Regulus had discussed the Slytherin team's Quidditch tactics and strategies, about which, to Severus' mild surprise, he was very knowledgeable.

All in all, it had been a very interesting experience. And although Phineas Nigellus' portrait had remained empty that day, he felt he had gleaned some unexpected information, too.

But if his mother thought he had been successful in forging 'support', as she called it, from the Blacks, she had been sadly mistaken. Apart from Regulus, and possibly, Orion, the rest of the inmates of Grimmauld Place were quite hostile, from the absent brother, his mother, and right down to the old house elf.

Walburga barely acknowledged his farewell, and determinedly ignored him for the remaining time he was there.

He scrabbled under his bed for the loose floorboard that hid his book on Dark Arts, and placed his wand carefully on top. His hands came upon something soft and he pulled it out. It was the handkerchief Lily had given him to wipe the blood off his face, when he was attacked by Thompson and his gang. He had cleaned the blood smears off it magically, for he didn't know how to do it the muggle way, and had meant to return it, but forgot. He raised it to his face, recognising immediately that faint flowery smell that was uniquely Lily's.

Lily.

He placed it gently back with the other hidden stuff under the floorboards, and his fingers brushed the cold surface of the two-way mirror.

_I wonder. Would she still be awake at this time? _

He drew the mirror to his face and whispered her name.

The mirror clouded over so fast that he was left staring at it. When it cleared up, Lily was looking at him, her face evidently tear-stained and puffy, even in the dim light of her bedside lamp.

'Lily, what's wrong?' he asked.

She was in her bedroom. He could see the shelves and desk in the background.

'Grandma died.' She said, choking back a sob.

'I- I'm sorry to hear that, Lily, I-'

'The day before you left. And no-one noticed. She was all alone, and -' She covered her face with her hand as fresh tears broke out. The mirror wobbled, and contact was almost broken.

'Hang on, I'm coming over!'

'Wait, Sev! It's -'

'It's all right, I'm not going to wake up anyone! I'll let you know I'm there!'

And with that he broke contact, grabbed his wand from under the bed, and silently opened the window of his bedroom.

Thank Merlin he now knew that only the fireplace and front door had been warded by protective Charms. He swung his foot over the window sill, scrabbled for a foothold on the first floor ledge beyond, then jumped lightly down.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73: Photographs.**

Severus staggered as he landed on the hard cobbles.

He rarely ever used his bedroom window to escape his home. He had been too small at first, but later on there were times when, in a desperate attempt to avoid hearing his parents' arguments downstairs, he had risked his neck by climbing down an old gutter pipe close to his bedroom window. Later still, he had sometimes forced himself to stay when things got out of control, to see if his mother was still alright at the end of it.

The gutter pipe had long gone now, and he had to resort to jumping directly from the small ledge beneath his window. Admittedly, it was only one short storey, and at least his mother had not thought to put protective charms on the upstairs windows, or he would have been trapped inside.

With a quick look down the street to ensure no-one was looking, he set off, moving quickly but silently, and keeping to the deep shadow between the yellow pools of light from the streetlamps. Mist was heavy on Spinner's End, and on most of the more wretched streets parallel to it, but by the time he got to the park near the Evans' house, half an hour later, it had cleared.

He moved cautiously along the Evans' drive. The lawn, kept unseasonably green by the rains, muffled his footsteps. There was a dim light visible between the curtains of the main bedroom, where Mr and Mrs Evans slept, but Lily's bedroom window, at the far end of the house, above the bay window on the ground floor, was dark and silent.

Her parents were definitely awake, he had to be careful. He felt that recently their attitude towards him had faltered a bit. They did not want to find him on their doorstep at such a late hour, or probably even Lily would get into trouble.

He knew Lily would not be sleeping, however. He picked up a small stone from the flowerbeds and lobbed it at her window.

It made a loud, tinkling sound as it hit the glass then dropped down to roll along the top of the bay window.

Lily's face appeared almost immediately at the window, for it was half-open.

'Sev! Hang on, I'll come downstairs and open-'

'Shh! No, don't disturb everyone!' he said in a loud whisper, examining the wall by the bay window 'I'll climb up instead…'

'No, let me come down, I'm used to-'

But Severus had already clambered up on the downstairs window ledge, and was looking for another foothold.

'There! Use the ivy vine to get to the top of the bay window.' Lily pointed at a particularly thick branch of the climbing plant, 'Then grab hold of that gutter to get up here.'

'You sound familiar with climbing up your own house.' grunted Severus, who was already on top of the bay window.

'Petunia locked me in once, and I jumped down from the window out of spite.' Lily answered, holding out her hand for him as he reached her window. 'Had to figure a way of climbing back in. 'T wasn't easy for the vine wasn't so strong then.'

He clambered into her bedroom and stood for a minute blinking owlishly as she switched on her bedside lamp.

'Sev, you had me worried when you said you're coming over at this time. I was looking out of the window every five minutes.'

He could see that she had dried her tears, but her eyes were still red from crying, and he remembered why he had come.

'Why didn't you call me before?'

'I don't know. I suppose I didn't want to spoil your fun. Besides from what Sirius says, the Blacks might not appreciate the intrusion of a muggleborn, even on the two-way mirror!'

He saw that she still displeased with the visit to Grimmauld place, but he bit back the angry retort that sprang to his lips.

'We've – we've just come back from the funeral.' Lily said, changing the subject quickly, as though she knew she had overstepped.

She went and sat down on her bed. She was wearing pyjamas, and judging by the satiny white quilt cast aside, and the rumpled state of her bed, she had not been able to sleep.

'What – what happened?' Severus asked, settling himself on the chair in the dark corner by her desk.

He didn't even know if he should be asking.

Lily was silent for a moment, fiddling with a large book half-covered by the rumpled sheets. Severus noticed it was a photo album.

'A neighbour found her.' She said in a shaky voice 'She had no major health problems. She was just … sad.'

She sighed and fell silent again. Severus did not know what to say, and did not answer her. Perhaps he shouldn't have come. He could not think of any words to comfort her, for death was absolute and irrevocable. He knew no other truth.

He wished he did.

'There were memories, though…' he said, remembering what Lily had once said about them, and how he himself had seen the power of memories in her.

'Memories are double-edged swords, Severus.' Lily said, looking up at him finally, with a watery smile. 'Bittersweet, if you know what I mean.'

He frowned. He did not really know. He supposed they would either be good memories or bad ones.

Lily must have seen his puzzled look, for she answered:

'It's painful to recall beautiful memories, if you know you can never experience them again.' Her voice quivered slightly and she pushed the album away beneath the rumpled satiny quilt at the bottom of her bed. 'And I only have a few years' worth of them. My grandma had fifty years' worth – all suddenly gone! Can you imagine what -?' She paused, trying to blink her tears away, but they leaked out anyway. She looked down hastily. 'She died of a broken heart, I'm sure of it!'

Severus shook his head slowly, staring at her, his insides clenching painfully. He hated tears. It reminded him of the rare occasions he had been forced to glimpse his mother's crushed and broken spirit. And Lily was so different. So sunny and bright. She rarely cried, and he hated seeing the sadness in her eyes. Besides, one doesn't fall dead of a broken heart. There had to be a more logical reason.

She was looking at him now, with a strange expression on her face. Sad, but knowing.

'Here.' She said, patting the bed beside her. 'Come here, I'll show you.'

He sat down gingerly on the satiny quilt beside her, and she drew out the photo album from beneath the quilt and opened it on their laps.

He could barely suppress a grin as the first photo revealed a very young Lily, with hair in bunches and all her front teeth missing, as she sat, smiling brightly, on a garden swing with two older people smiling fondly down at her.

Her grandparents, presumably.

Lily went from photo to photo, describing when and what she was doing then. They were muggle photos and did not move, but Lily animated the little pictures with funny anecdotes and fond reminiscences.

Severus listened to her quietly. Lily had this uncanny ability to make people come alive, to present them as he would probably never have seen them, even had he met them. He felt he knew the elderly Evans through her eyes now. He let her talk, for she seemed to find some comfort in reliving the memories she said were now gone forever.

The last photograph was recent. She, Lily, stood between her father and grandmother, and they all had a strained kind of smile, and the same dark shadow around their eyes.

'I insisted Petunia take this photo.' Lily said, 'It was the day after my Grandfather's funeral, and I guess I was just – I don't know … I shouldn't have done it! It was stupid of me! You can't keep people alive just by taking their photos!'

She shut the album with a snap

'You still have your mother and father…' he said.

But it must have been the wrong thing to say, for her lips quivered and she cast her eyes down again.

'And your sister.' He added, thinking, perhaps, his omission hurt her.

'My father is sick, Sev. He's got a heart condition. Since last Christmas. And I – I don't know how long-' she gulped, and to his horror, Severus saw a tear drop down on the front cover of the album. He hadn't known about this! He understood now, why she had looked so pale then, why she had been so unsettled by the ghosts of the Deathday celebrations.

'Lil, I'm so sorry-' but the words sounded hollow, even to him.

'It's ok.' She choked, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. 'I'll be ok. It's just that I get so worried and sad, sometimes-'

'I wish I could help you, but I just- just don't know-' he said, miserably, 'Look, perhaps I shouldn't have come,-'

'Oh, no! No, please stay with me! I – I'll be alright in a second. I know you hate useless crying and snivelling –'

_What?_

' – but it feels better now that you're here! Please, Sev!'

She sounded like a small frightened child, as she looked up at him, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

'Of course I'll stay, Lily' he answered, quietly.

She gave him a watery smile, reddening slightly.

He had no idea he had looked so obviously upset at her tears. She seemed to think he was put off by it.

But it was just that he hated seeing her sad, when he couldn't do anything about it.

Lily seemed to think that he could though.

She turned to put the photo album back in its place on the shelf on the wall behind them, when a black-and-white photo slipped out from inside it.

Lily took it in her hand. It was bad quality photograph - small and grainy, so probably it had not been stuck with the rest in the album. However, despite the blurriness and the fact that it was an unmoving muggle photo, it had captured a picture so full of movement, it appeared alive.

John Evans, looking much younger in this black and white image of himself, was tossing his youngest daughter high into the air. Lily must have been around three or four years old, and the photo had captured the moment of the highest point in Lily's flight. Her flaming red hair and clothes were flying in abandonment behind her, her face lighted up in sheer joy as she screamed in delighted laughter at her father, who had his arms outstretched, ready to catch her again.

Although the motion was slightly distorted and blurred by the camera, it had captured and preserved the fleeting moment of joy of the Evans father and daughter.

Severus saw the small photo start to tremble and then fall, fluttering like a feather, onto the bed, as Lily buried her face in her hand. He felt her body shake in a silent sob, and this time, he did not hesitate. He put his arm around her and she leaned towards him gratefully, resting her head on his shoulder.

Muffled sobs came from beneath her fingers, and he could feel the wetness of tears seeping through the thin fabric of his shirt. But he was surprised at how natural it felt. There was not the immediate, automatic, recoil he felt whenever anyone touched him, or he inadvertently touched someone.

Especially under such circumstances as someone crying.

Admittedly, it had always been a bit different with Lily. But now he surprised even himself, at how such a simple gesture seemed to impart so much comfort, to Lily, but also, in some strange way, to himself. Perhaps the fact that he was doing something – _anything_ – to help her…

'She – she must have been so lonely. We – we should've done more!'

It took Severus a while to realise she was talking about her recently-deceased grandmother, now.

But to this, he knew the answer.

'No, Lily. Nothing you could have done would have given her what she really wanted. Who she really missed.'

He breathed in the sweet smell of her hair once more as her head lay on his shoulder. Her muffled sobs quieted and died down.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he was aware that he had so very often dreamed of this - forbidden dreams of sitting with his arm wrapped around Lily, just like this. And yet – all he could think about at the moment was what would happen if he lost _her,_ like her grandmother had lost her husband. And he knew, for a fact, that nothing could replace such a loss.

Nothing.

But perhaps he should take her mind off the thought of death and dying.

'What do you think about going to Hazlewood Fields to see the Perseids?' he said after a while.

Lily sat up and took her hands off her face. He removed his arm from around her and put it carefully on his lap, shifting a bit away from her. He did not want a repeat of what happened by the river.

Her eyes were red and puffy and her pale cheeks rather flushed and red, but she was still so damned beautiful, even when she cried. She sniffed and gave a small hiccough.

'Hazlewood Fields? Isn't that out of town? '

'About three quarters of an hour's hike, yes.'

'Well, there'd be less light interference, for sure.'

'Exactly. Well?'

'I'd love to come, Sev, but when I mentioned going to see them down by the river to my Mum, she went through the roof. Dangerous for a young girl to wander those places so late at night, and so on and so forth. Guess she has a point, though.'

'We'd take our wands, of course. Ministry 'd understand if we use them to protect ourselves.'

'The Ministry yes, but Mum, no. I have a strict curfew unfortunately, Sev. Even Petunia, now she's dating that Dursley, or whatever his name is. She has to be home by nine, for she's still not eighteen.'

'But where're you going to do your Astronomy project?'

'According to Mum, the front lawn should suffice!'

'But that's ridiculous! You won't see anything! And the Perseids'll peak in a week's time!'

'I know. There's too much light interference, and besides, with all this mist that's drifting around recently…'

'That's why I thought of Hazlewood fields. They're far enough out of town not to be affected. The mist is somehow concentrated around the town. It's especially bad down by the river.'

'Are you – ? Do your parents let you go so far on your own, at night?'

'D'you think I will be telling them _now_, when I never have before?'

'Oh. Well, I thought you'd say that, but perhaps with the war and everything,-'

'So, are you up for it?' he cut across her rather sharply. 'It will make the difference between a good project and a mediocre one.'

'And it sounds like something fun.' She said, with a wry smile and a sigh. 'Merlin knows I could do with a bit of _that _right now.'

'Well, then. Prepare your charts, and I'll come round next Friday, at midnight. We should get a good three hours work if we leave then.'

They spent the next hour discussing tactics, until Severus saw Lily's eyes begin to droop. Then he told her he'd better get going and they tiptoed out of the now dark house towards the front door.

As he turned to leave, he felt Lily's small warm hand close over his.

'Thank you.' She said, squeezing his hand, 'For everything. Last year, when I told you to come over even at night, if things got bad at your home, I didn't imagine it'd be the other way round!'

She let go then and, with a last, sleepy smile, closed the door.

The following Friday, it was almost midnight when Severus found himself standing once more under Lily's window. He did not need to throw stones again, for she had been waiting for him. Her pale face peered down at him from her darkened bedroom.

'Hang on, let me get my stuff' she said, and disappeared inside once more.

He shifted uneasily, keeping to the shadows and well out of the pool of light cast over the Evans' lawn by the street lamp outside.

At least Lily looked slightly perkier. She had not spoken again about her grandmother, or even voiced her fears about her father, but she had been unusually quiet this week, and many times, he had seen her gazing into the distance, her eyes unfocussed and glazed.

The unseasonably cold weather was not helping either. He never remembered such persistently cold, drizzly, days in midsummer, even for a northern town like Castleforth. If it wasn't raining, the ever-present mist blanketed everything out in a white-grey pall.

Tonight, however, was a bit better. The mist was concentrated down by the river, and the rows of dilapidated houses there. Perhaps that was a good omen, and the break in the weather would cheer Lily up.

'I'm coming down.' A loud whisper from above startled him. Lily had already thrown a foot over her window sill.

'Wha-? Why don't you use the front door?'

'Couldn't find the key to lock it again. Besides, this way's easier!' And before he could say anything else, Lily jumped down. It was a good one-storey height, the distance even more than that of his smaller house, but Lily landed lightly on the lawn below with a soft thud. He was reminded forcibly of the time when he had first spoken to her. She had been flying off the playground swings then, at almost the same height.

'See? I can still do it.' she grinned.

He said nothing. At least it was relatively easier for her to get back in, with good footholds on the bay window and climbing plants on her house. He had almost broken his neck trying to climb back up the smaller, but smoother, façade of his house in Spinner's end.

'Here. Put this on'.

He pulled out a length of flimsy material from his rucksack. Thank Merlin he had thought about getting a small amount of Stealth Potion with him from Hogwarts, which he used on some material Lily provided. They had decided to disguise themselves with its disillusionment properties until they were clear of town. It would lessen the probability of them having to use their wands.

'This is much better than that heavy curtain you had at Hogwarts, isn't it?' Lily said after they had been walking for some time. 'It's much lighter, and you can see through it better.'

Severus gave a non-committal shrug.

'We can take it off as soon as we skip the last houses by the river, where the squatters were. Let's hurry up a bit.'

They broke into a trot until they arrived by the river. The mist was thick there and they had to slow down their pace, for visibility was poor.

'Wish we had a broom.' Lily mumbled, squinting through the thin material. 'Then we could rise above all this horrible mist. I hope it's clear in Hazlewood Fields.'

'We'll have to risk it. Look, there's the lane that goes out of town!'

Encouraged by this, they hurried up, and ten minutes later they had left the last few broken-down houses and the distant Mill chimney behind them. They were following the river upstream along a small lane on the other side of which was some waste ground, dotted here and there by clumps of bushes and small thickets of trees.

Severus pulled the Stealth cloth off them, and was about to stuff it in his rucksack, when a scurrying movement ahead made him reach for the wand tucked in his waist belt.

'No. It's a fox!' Lily said, putting her hand on his to stop him. 'We must have surprised him, appearing from beneath the cloth like that.'

Severus stuffed the wand back in his pocket, feeling jumpy all the same. The usual night sounds he was used to hearing were absent here, and the silence was somehow louder, even for a country lane.

He had been here a few times before in search of ingredients, and Lily said she'd passed through by car, but it seemed different tonight. Unbidden, his mother's warning about the war kept intruding in his thoughts. Perhaps it was because Lily was with him. If anything happened to her, it would be his fault.

Lily was blissfully unaware of this however, and he could see her dark shadow walking beside him, her face pale in the darkness of the night, but wide awake and more animated than he had seen her of late.

The lane took a sharp turn to the right, away from the river, and they walked in silence for another twenty minutes, noticing how the character of the country around them changed as they proceeded. There were pockets of woodland between gently sloping hills, and in the distance they could see the regular shapes of cultivated fields. Thankfully, there was no sign of the mist and the vast expanse of sky above them was inky black and clear, punctuated only by the myriad pin-points of lights of the stars.

'Here. Let's go in here.' Severus said, seeing a space between the hedgerows that lined the lane. 'There's a place on top of that hill, and the trees there should shield against the town's light.'

A few minutes later they were spreading out their charts on the damp grass at the top of the hill.

'Oh, this is so beautiful, Sev!' Lily had thrown herself down on her back on the grass and was looking up at the star-studded sky above her.

'It's the same sky we see every Wednesday on top of the Astronomy tower!' Severus said, gruffly. He was trying to set up the telescope they had brought with them on the uneven ground.

'Oh, that's beautiful too. But this is loads better!'

Before he could argue her logic of having two different night skies, she had pulled him beside her.

'Oh leave off that telescope and come here, Sev! Look at this!' she swept her hand across the night sky 'And listen!'

He listened.

There wasn't the ominous silence he had felt on the outskirts of town, but a sort of peaceful, barely-there background of night sounds. A cricket, a faint rustling of the leaves of the trees behind them, a dog in the distance, barking.

'It's quiet.' he said, needlessly.

'Exactly.' She nodded 'It's not quiet at the top of the Astronomy Tower, with everyone in class. You can't fully appreciate the magic of the infinity of stars…You can't see…well, … _this_!' she swept her arm across the sky once more, then let it fall behind her head with a contented sigh.

Severus found himself gazing, mesmerised, not at the stars, but at her eyes. It was amazing how large and dark they looked. He could see the stars reflected there, as she gazed at the immense black canopy above them.

There was no moon, and the only light came from the stars and the pale glowing serpentine length of the Milky Way, but he could see her face, pale with the starlight, next to him, and the even paler skin of her forearms on which she was now resting her head.

He tore his gaze away with difficulty, and lay on his back beside her, trying to focus on the actual stars, and the project at hand.

It wasn't easy.

Not with Lily sprawled next to him like that, looking so… so…

_Concentrate. There's the Auriga Constellation there, and next to that ... _

He did not know why it felt so intimate lying in the dark like that with Lily by his side. It's not like they weren't alone together for most of summer anyway! Why didn't she say something? Was she feeling awkward too?

He stole a quick look at her, but at that moment, her arm flew out, pointing directly above her.

'Look! The first shooting Star! Make a wish, Sev!'

'I thought we were supposed to be mapping these things.' he said, in what he hoped was a level voice.

'That doesn't stop you from making a wish. Anyway, it went from the Pleiades to Orion. I'll mark it down.' And she sat up.

'No, let me do it. You can copy it tomorrow.'

_It was better if he had something to do._

'I wished that this stupid war was over,' Lily said quietly, 'and that everything was back to how it was before.'

Severus cast his look in her direction. She was sitting up fiddling with some grass. Could she really be that naïve as to think the war would be over any time soon? It was just beginning. Things would change.

'Things will never be the same again, Lily. You should stop looking at the past. Try and see the future, instead.'

She did not answer him immediately, but then she said quietly:

'Which future: yours or mine?'

'Ours.' he said, firmly.

She remained silent. He looked over to where she sat, but her head was bent and her face was in shadow, so he did not know if she believed him. But he knew that whatever happened, whoever had precedence, whether the old or new wizarding order, he would make sure that their futures would be tied together.

They worked in silence after that, each absorbed in their own thoughts, while the silently burning meteors arched their way across the dark sky above them, marking it periodically with their fiery trails.

When Lily finally risked using her torch to see the time, they were both surprised to see that in an hour, dawn would be approaching. Knowing they both had to get back before anyone in their respective households were stirring, in order to avoid awkward questions, they hastily packed their things and started off down the lane quickly.

'We should take a shortcut through here' Severus announced after a while, indicating the waste ground on one side of the lane. 'It would avoid us having to go by the houses where the squatters were. The Stealth Potion must be wearing off now.'

He had the same feeling of unease as they approached the distant buildings on the outskirts of town

'Where does it lead to?' Lily asked

'To the blocks of houses by the old playground. You go by the Pauper's Cemetery, just outside West Street, and then-'

'The what?' Lily had already followed him over the short wall marking the lane.

'The Pauper's cemetery. It's got a high wall on the roadside, so you don't notice it's a graveyard, but on the side we'll approach from, there are railings. You'll see.'

'I don't remember a cemetery with that name in Castleforth.'

'That's because it's called something else now. House of Eternal Rest, or some such rubbish. _'Paupers'_ aren't supposed to exist anymore in this day and age, aren't they? But it's still in use.' he added, bitterly.

'I didn't know.'

'You wouldn't. Such a place is just for the people down by the river. _Slum_ folk, you know.'

'Severus, _don't!'_

'There is the graveyard by the big Church in the town centre for anyone else. For people that matter.'

'And why should it bother you?' Lily's voice suddenly rose high in the silence around them. 'Once you're dead, you're dead! You're never coming back!' her voice cracked slightly.

She had stopped and he slowed down too, looking back at her.

He regretted his outburst. He had sounded almost like his father, with his grudge against the Conservative party snobs and similar people. But he wasn't about to say so. After all, both muggle and wizarding society needed a bloody good shake-up, the way he saw it.

'Come on, let's get a move on.' he mumbled, setting off again. He did not stop to see if she was following, but he knew that she would.

The mist that they had left behind, hours earlier, had appeared again and he knew Lily hated it. Barely visible through the silent drifts of white vapour were the railing of what was unmistakeably, a graveyard.

Soft footsteps behind him told him Lily was drawing near him in an unconscious bid for comfort. He wordlessly slowed down to let her catch up. He knew she did not do too well around these symbols of death. Especially now.

Even his own feeling of unease had increased. They approached the building silently. Lily had put on a jumper over her T-shirt, but even that was not enough, and she was shivering slightly in the cold night air.

Very cold, night air.

Severus noted how her breath hung in a misty cloud. His, too.

Something was wrong, very wrong. He could feel it.

He put his hand to the waistband of his jeans, drawing reassurance from the carved ebony handle of his wand.

Lily had felt it too, for he noted the slight trembling that was not only due to the cold, when her arm inadvertently touched his.

They approached the high rusty railings of the cemetery. The path leading to West Street was there, leading from the cemetery's back gate, and then disappearing into the mist. They needed just to get onto it, and it would lead them to the familiarity of the houses near the playground.

Something, however, drew them towards the tall, rusted railings of graveyard. As Severus's fingers curled around the cold rough bars of the railings, trying to peer inside, he felt Lily nudge him. She silently pointed at the back gate of the graveyard.

It was open.

He drew his wand, and saw Lily do the same. The thick mist swirled around the overgrown cemetery, not moved by any wind, but sluggishly, thickly. They could see the shape of some very old and very plain, tombstones through the railings, as well as, a short distance away, the outline of a small chapel, dark against the pale mist. The only light came from the starlight above, and one solitary streetlamp outside the distant graveyard wall.

He felt a hand on his arm. Lily tugged at him, silently indicating they should leave, immediately.

Looking at her pale face, and feeling the slight tremor in her hands, he acquiesced, though he could have sworn that there was something afoot that did not belong to the place. Something not from the muggle world, even.

As they turned to slip silently down the path, however, a low, prolonged moan, echoing strangely in the eerie blanket of mist, froze them in their path.

It was coming from the graveyard.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74: A Macabre Birth.**

The low moan came again. Long, drawn-out, quivering into a series of choking sobs, and then - silence. There was so much sadness and hopeless grief in it, that Lily felt her heart wrench in pain. She let go of Severus's arm and went to the railings again, peering inside.

The mist was drifting less densely and she could see a bit better. The headstones and plain, stone crosses beside the old chapel were set at rather crooked angles, old and discoloured with age, but further away, approximately from where she thought the sound had come from, the plain markers of death were newer, and set over fresher mounds.

Could the sound have been made by a ghost? Judging by the black ebony wand now held high in his hand, Severus did not think so. He had joined her, gripping the railings in a white-knuckled grasp, and peering intently inside.

Somehow, she did not think it was a ghost in there either, but this made her even more uneasy. To think that the despair and pain that she had heard could have come from a human voice was heart-wrenching. If someone was in there, they needed help! She went towards the open back-gate of the graveyard, pulling out her wand.

'Where are you _going_?' Severus said in a harsh whisper behind her.

'There – there's someone in there, Sev! Whoever it is, needs help-'

'Whoever it is broke into the graveyard! No-one in their right minds – Wait, Lily!'

She had started off down the path winding between the gravestones. The sound of grieving seemed to be coming from a small grave at the far end of the cemetery. A huddled figure of a woman, shaken by wracking sobs, was half-collapsed on one of the new tombs.

Then she felt a hand on her arm, and Severus pulled her back.

'You can't just barge through this place when you can't see anything!' he said, roughly.

'It's only someone who's very, very, sad, and the mist is clearing up a bit, look! Besides, it's not like I'm going to –'

Suddenly she stopped; her words, like her breath, hanging frostily in the cold night air. The darkness seemed to freeze around her, as a chill unlike anything she had felt before penetrated her skin, her flesh, and settled somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. She tried to draw in a breath, but her throat was constricted. The sounds of crying came again, only this time, they seemed to be inside her own head. Darkness swirled inside her mind, to be succeeded by images she recognised with dread. She saw her dead grandfather again; the emptiness in her grandmother's eyes as one by one, her loved ones left her; she saw the fear of death in her father's eyes, after a trip to the doctors; she saw …

She shook her head weakly, trying to dispel the images of lost loved ones there, as the cold hand around her heart froze her very soul. She forced her eyes open and looked round, half-blinded by tears, wondering where Severus was.

She saw him sprawled among the overgrown weeds, holding himself up against an old tombstone. He had apparently tripped over and fallen. Judging by his pale face and the white, shaking hand that held the black wand, he must have felt the deathly cold. He was scrambling back to his feet, when something seemed to grab his attention.

She swivelled round, following his horrified look, and there, in the distance, climbing over the high, dark, outline of the cemetery wall opposite, someone - some_thing _was coming.

It wasn't climbing actually, more like oozing over, dispelling the opacity of the white mist with its own blackness, as though the darkness had solidified into this creeping, ragged, cloaked figure. She felt the blood drain from her face as the cold grew more intense, and the lament in her head grew louder. The thing landed silently and glided between the tombstones, while she stood transfixed, unable to move. A strange sound , a strangled intake of breath like a death rattle, drifted over the silent headstones, from the direction of the tall black figure.

It came again and again.

She suddenly felt a hand grip her arm in such a vice-like grip that it hurt. But it was alive and warm, and it broke through her befuddled senses.

'Severus! Wh- what's that?'

'A Dementor! Now _move_, damn it!' he was pale-faced, and looked furious, as he steered her roughly towards the back-gate.

She did not stop to argue, and was about to turn and run when once more, the moan rang out over their heads. This time it was a thin, piercing wail, desperate and agonizing. She whirled round, and peered, wide-eyed, in the direction the scream had come from.

'There's still someone in there, Sev! We have to do something!'

'No, we don't! If that thing catches us-! Lily!'

She had set back off down the path again, and she could hear him swearing as he stumbled in the undergrowth after her. She took refuge behind a gnarled old oak tree that spread its twisted branches over the white marble blooming everywhere beneath its canopy, her wand grasped tightly in her hand, and her heart thudding painfully in her breast. With the weight of an unbearable sadness, and the cold that was freezing her brain, she didn't know what she could do to save the poor soul, but she had to try! Trying to keep her willow wand steady in her frozen hands, she was about to peep round the tree trunk

'It's useless hiding!' Severus was there, standing beside her, but in full view of the horror now floating towards the far end of the graveyard. 'Dementors are blind! But they'll find you anyway! They'll sense your fear, your emotions. They'll know-''

He stopped, eyes wide, in mid-sentence, and Lily followed his gaze.

The Dementor seemed to have found something. It was bending down, its dark, ragged cloak floating eerily in the still cold air, over a small, freshly-dug mound of earth headed by a small, plain, headstone.

At first Lily thought wildly it must be reading what was written on the white marble rectangle, but then she saw a jerking, quivering movement beneath the robes of the Dementor and she heard the sad wailing moan again. She realised in horror that the Dementor was holding the grieving woman pinned down to the cold earth of the mound.

Scabby, dark hands protruded from the filthy robes and they were curled around the pale skin of the arms of a young woman. She could see her head roll feebly from left to right, as though trying to rid herself of the awful vision inches from her face. Even as she looked, the woman's struggles grew feebler until, with one rotting hand, the Dementor lowered its hood and bent its blind, hideous face closer to the bloodless one of its victim.

Lily could feel a scream rise in her throat as she realised what was going to happen, and she made a convulsive movement with her wand, but Severus grabbed her hand once more preventing her from acting. She struggled madly, trying to wrest her hand from his grip, ignoring his furious, whispered attempts at reasoning with her, when suddenly, a different sound hit them. It was not exactly the rattling, sucking breathing noise the Dementor had used a moment before, when searching for its victim, - rather, it was a harsh, hissing exhalation of breath.

She wrested her hand free and peered round the tree. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Severus beside her, and understood why. The Dementor had forced the woman's head backwards as far as it could go, and then bent its foul lips close to hers. She was still alive, for Lily could hear a feeble moaning, but instead of kissing her, the Dementor exhaled its breath onto her pale face - a harsh, hacking noise that rent the air around them.

A small, black light – she could find no other words to describe it – seemed to coalesce from the Dementor's foul breath and enter the woman's mouth, which the Dementor had forced open.

Lily looked on paralysed with horror. Then, the pale limbs of the woman quivered slightly as the Dementor rose away from her body and backed off, raising its hood once more. They heard the rattling breath came once more from beneath the dark hood, which now shifted slightly, and appeared to look in their direction.

A white-hot rage filled Lily. How could that foul creature do this? How could it be allowed to roam the streets like this, sowing despair and unhappiness wherever it went? Sparks flew from her wand as she jumped from behind the tree, intending somehow - anyhow, to stop it. But it had turned and glided away already, over the wall opposite and towards the distant river.

A low, gurgling, sound reminded Lily that the woman still lay prostrate over the small tomb, and she hurried over , Severus on her heels.

What happened next was a blur.

They were only feet away from her when suddenly the woman gave a horrific, choking cry, in a harsh, guttural voice and her back arched as though in pain. To her horror, Lily saw a black substance, like tar, oozing out of the young woman's skin, and a rustling sound came from all the tombstones around them.

Something soft and damp brushed past her leg and she looked down to see a ragged, soil-encrusted piece of cloth creep across the moisture-covered earth of the mound as though it had a life of its own. She realised that it was part of a shroud, and the rustling noise was that of hundreds of other worm-eaten pieces of shrouds that were creeping from beneath the earth of the graves, or struggling out from beneath the stone slabs of the larger tombs.

They made their way, fluttering and rustling through the overgrown grass and accompanied by tendrils of mist like pointing white fingers, towards the small mound where the woman lay, now covered in the black stuff, but still moving feebly.

The blackened scraps of shroud crept over her, covering her drab clothes, her blackened arms and feet, and her stained face, from head to toe, in their putrid debris.

_She had to do something, the woman was choking! A simple levitation charm should at least lift the foul things off her... _

_S_he pointed her wand at the creeping mass.

'No, Lily, don't! It's too late!'

Severus had stepped behind her, pushed her hand down.

'It's not too late! She's still alive! Let go, Severus!'

'She's not alive, Lily! Not really! Not after what it did!'

But Lily couldn't believe it. She had to do something! She struggled angrily to release her hand from her friend's grip

'Let me go, or I'll-!' forgetting to whisper in her anger.

'Its going to be too late for us, too, if we stay here!' Severus hissed back, angrily

But at that moment, with a last convulsive movement, the young woman's body, barely visible underneath the mass of black ragged cloth, finally lay still.

But not for long.

The black mass above her started to heave and twist, as though something was alive beneath it. A dark light – there was no other way she could describe it - emanated from beneath the black pall.

Lily stopped struggling and took a step backwards. This was not good. She felt it. Whatever was moving, was not the unfortunate woman. It was something foul, but immensely powerful.

Suddenly the cold air that had disappeared with the Dementor returned with a vengeance. Her panting breath hung mistily before her, and a cold, cruel frostiness was inside her heart, which was empty.

She felt, rather than saw, Severus stepping in front of her, his wand raised in a white-knuckled, shaking, hand. She wanted to close her eyes and her legs felt weak. Somewhere in the distance, the hopeless, despairing lament had started again.

He was whispering things to her urgently, his glance swivelling between her and the horror in front of them.

She didn't know why he was bothering… Nothing mattered anymore. She was drained, empty of any feeling now. Even her breathing slowed, became shallow. She would lie down here, there was no point in continuing…

'….is stronger. Don't faint on me now! _Lily_!'

The note of sheer terror in Severus voice, roused her enough to open her eyes. His face swam into focus, white and terrified. She had never seen him so scared before. She tried to shake off her apathy.

For his sake, at least.

She realised he had his arm around her, to keep her from falling down in a faint. He would not abandon her, and she was making him risk his life. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she gently disengaged herself and squeezed his arm.

'Thanks.' she whispered shakily.

She peered over his shoulder at the heaving mass over the woman's body. It had grown, the black light coalescing into rotting flesh beneath the rags.

The hopeless despair that had preceded the empty feeling within her threatened to engulf her again.

She resisted it desperately.

'We – we have to get out of here! P-please get me out of here, Sev!' her voice caught in a sob.

But it was too late. A tall, black figure rose from the young woman's body, leaving it pale, white and still on the small mound of earth.

The shreds of shroud formed a hooded cloak, around the blackness of despair that had somehow coalesced into rotting flesh. And once more, the sucking, rattling breath came from beneath its hood, and the slight tilting of its hooded head, told them it had smelt them somehow.

It glided forward slowly, but Severus's hand was on hers, pulling her back. She turned and ran alongside him towards the back-gate, away from the appalling influence of the newly-born Dementor.

But this was ridiculous! No-one could outrun a Dementor!

She should've left when Severus told her to! If something happened to him it would be all her fault. Tears blinded her, and she stumbled and fell face down, her wand flying out of her hand. Twisting round desperately, she saw Severus extend his hand to help her up, but looming behind him was the Dementor, larger and darker than ever.

She shrieked, and Severus whirled round just in time to see the Dementor's scabbed, rotting hand reach out towards him from beneath its cloak

'No! No! Not Severus, please! Leave us alone!' She sobbed, from the ground, not even knowing why she was trying to plead with the creature, or even if it understood her.

The cold desperation that emanated from the Dementor engulfed her once more, and as hope and happiness drained out of her, she looked up to see Severus standing tall and straight above her, facing the Dementor as though he would shield her with his own body.

Then there was a blinding flash of white light which silhouetted his figure as he straddled her prostate body, and she knew no more.

'Lily! Lily, wake up!'

Someone was shaking her. She didn't want to open her eyes.

There were horrors out there.

Then her brain caught up with the rest of her body, her eyes flew open, and she sat up, adrenaline pumping through her.

It was still dark, and she was still in the graveyard. Severus was kneeling by her side, his face shadowy with the light of the distant streetlamp behind him.

'Wh- what happened? Where is it?'

'Gone.'

'Gone? But-' She realised with relief that the heavy feeling of before was gone. The Dementor certainly was not around. 'How long have I been-?'

'About five minutes. Look, we'd better get out of here. D'you think you could get up now?'

She nodded hastily, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

She felt rather shame-faced about going to pieces and fainting like that. Severus had explained all about Dementors when they were just children. He had told her they make people feel unhappy, but she had never expected this.

They hurried past the silent back-gate of the cemetery, and towards the distant rows of small back-to-back houses.

'The woman! We forgot her! We have to go back!' she suddenly remembered the white body laying on the earth.

'There's nothing more you can do for her, Lily!' Severus answered her harshly, for she showed every sign of wanting to turn back.

'But we can't just leave her there. We've got to tell the police!'

'Tell them what, exactly? That she was killed by a Dementor? Who'd believe you? Not even in the wizarding world…'

'But-'

'No. Lily! You will not breathe a word about what happened, do you understand me?'

She looked at him for a second, puzzled, as he stopped and glared at her. Something must have shown on her face for he said:

'Look, you've got to trust me on this one. I – I don't know what actually happened back there. That was not a Dementor's kiss that we witnessed. Everyone knows what _that_ produces. But this, this was something else-'

'To me, it seemed like it produced a new Dementor. A birth, of sorts.'

'Exactly. Everyone knows that Dementors breed where there is despair and decay, but no-one has actually witnessed … you know … their mating …or – or birth! We will not be believed!'

'But what about that woman?'

'What about her? Her body will be found tomorrow, and I doubt whether anyone from the Ministry will investigate.'

'Surely the Ministry won't investigate every muggle death?'

'Only if there are signs of it having been done by magic. As I said, nothing is known about Dementors breeding . With their kiss you are left alive, though a soulless shell, with their birth… who knows?' he shrugged.

'D-D'you think she's somehow alive?'

'No. I checked.'

Lily shivered at his curt words, and some of the anguish she had felt in the graveyard came back to her. She walked in silence for a while. She could see Severus glancing behind them every so often, and his hand was on the waistband of his jeans, where she knew his wand was hidden

'I – I don't know why I went to pieces like that, Sev. I'm sorry. I should've reacted sooner, or at least left, when you told me to.' She said after a while 'It's just that I wasn't expecting such – such sadness.'

'Me neither.'

She looked sideways at him, but he wasn't smirking

'But you didn't faint. You didn't let it overwhelm you –'

'A bit at first, for it was worse than I'd imagined. Dementors make you remember things you'd rather forget. But then, that kind of made me angry, and –'

'What made you angry? The Dementors?'

'No. What they made me remember. And anger is much better emotion to have when facing Dementors. Better than happiness or fear.'

He was scowling now, probably at the self-same memories that had engendered the anger. Lily thought she had an inkling as to what those memories must be.

'But what happened? Why did it go away? I remember you standing over me, facing the thing, and then there was a blinding flash of white light before I passed out.'

'That was the Patronus Charm. The one my Mum wanted me to learn, remember? It worked even better, than when I tried it at home.'

'So, that light - it was you? You scared the Dementors away?'

'Well, 'scared them away' is a bit of an overstatement. The charm wasn't as strong as my Mum said it should be, but it kept that thing away from you. From us.'

'You saved my life.' She said simply, waves of gratitude passing over her.

He shrugged. 'Not your life, your soul. But I should've done better. I should've known how to chase it away! It left of its own accord, when it couldn't penetrate the Patronus light I had conjured. My mum said there's a stronger Patronus, a corporeal one! But under the circumstances, it was all I could do to keep the light going!'

'I'm glad you did, and I'm sorry for being such a liability.'

'You helped.'

'I did? How could I, if I was out cold at your feet?'

He shrugged again and ignored her question, walking in silence for a while. They went round a corner, and the playground came in sight. The mist had thinned out considerably here and the streetlamps threw their yellow pools of light on the dew-laden metal of the swings and slides, making it glisten.

'Anyhow, this definitely explains why everybody has got it wrong about Demenetors.' Lily said after a while 'They aren't being sent by the Ministry, and nor by You-Know-Who. They're _breeding_!'

'But apparently you need one Dementor, at least, to create another. And as they are under Ministry control, someone must have let a few run around, with this result!'

'Maybe they aren't under ministry control anymore! But, yes,' she added hastily seeing the look on her friend's face. 'It is entirely irresponsible for whoever commands them to let them increase and multiply in this way. They must surely know about it now.'

'Whoever commands them, or whoever has power over them, has found himself in possession of an indestructible army!'

'They are _EVIL_!'

'But powerful and effective, if controlled!'

'But they are out of control, _killing_ to breed!'

'No, not killing. She was a suicide!'

'Sh- she -? _What_?'

'I went to check her out. The Dementor had left, and I went over quickly to see if it left any mark on her body, but there was none. No trace of that black stuff, and she was cold already. Her lips were blue and she looked like – well, anyway, I saw an empty bottle of pills in her pocket, that explained everything.'

'She – she tried to kill herself?' A cold hand seemed to close round her heart one more, as Severus relentlessly explained.

'She had already, before the Dementor hunted her down. Perhaps that was _why _it hunted her down. They breed off despair, see?'

Lily felt sick. The poor woman!

'Did - did you see whose grave she was grieving over?' she said after a while as they crossed the silent playground.

'A child's.'

'Oh'

'This explains all the mist we had recently you know.' he said, changing the subject. 'Especially, near the river and the slum areas. You get lots of despair _there,_ I guess.' He added bitterly

'Severus, we've got to learn how to do it. The Patronus Charm. If we are ever-'

But her words were interrupted by a silent, grey shape swooping down from the top bar of the swings. Severus had already pointed his wand at the thing, before Lily realised it was an owl. It dropped a letter on both their heads and settled back on the swing pole.

The letter was addressed to Miss Evans and Mr Snape, The Playground, Wilson Street; Castleforth. Lily opened it with trembling hands, and Severus looked at it over her shoulder.

_Ms Evans, Mr Snape,_

_One of you has cast a spell in defiance of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Magic._

_You will admit which one of you cast that spell by return owl, so that this office may take the appropriate action._

_Should you refuse to admit culpability, you will be summoned to a hearing at the Misuse of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic, to which hearing you must bring your wands._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Misuse of Magic Office_

She looked up, aghast, at Severus, but her friend was already rummaging around in his bag, He brought out a quill and took the letter from her hand.

'Sev, what are you doing?'

'Writing an answer.'

'But – But they'll send you a warning letter, if you admit. Why don't you let me-'

'Exactly. A warning letter. But they'll expel _you _if they think you were the one to cast the spell. You've already received a warning letter, remember? Or they might. I don't know how seriously they take their own threats. Anyway, it was me who did it.'

'But to save us! You've got to explain!'

'I am. Magic always leaves traces, if anyone from the Ministry would bother to check for it. They will not normally investigate a clear-cut muggle suicide, but if I address this to Crouch, he may be shamed into sending a Squad of Aurors to see what his prison guards are getting up to.'

'But why would Barty Crouch believe you?'

'There are unmistakeable signs of Dementors. The cold, the mist… I wilfully ignored them at first, but now…'

He scribbled furiously on the back of Hopkirk's letter, and Lily did not interrupt him. She secretly thought that such important people from the Ministry could hardly believe a fourteen-year-old schoolboy, especially if said schoolboy was accusing them of having no control of the Azkaban Guards. But she did not want to argue about it.

She had to admit he had a point though. If the Dementors were breeding, then it should be the Ministry's responsibility to stop them. But who would believe her?

'D'you have another piece of parchment?' Severus was asking her.

She rummaged inside her own bag and came up with a rather crumpled one.

'Who are you writing to now?' she asked

'Lucius.' he said curtly.

'Malfoy? What on earth for?'

'His father is well connected, even to people in the Ministry. He will know what to do.'

'Why don't we write to Dumbledore? He's the best-'

'No. I am _not_ writing to Dumbledore!'

'Oh, Sev, can't you forget that old story, now?' she answered, impatiently 'We need to alert someone to what's happening!'

'You write to Dumbledore if you want to. As for alerting anyone, especially the Ministry, believe me, they already know!'

He had finished the letter and had coaxed the owl down from her metal perch so as to tie the letters to her leg. Lily decided not to argue further, but silently resolved to write to Dumbledore as soon as she could get her hands on an owl.

She felt he would not ignore her, but would believe her and know what to do.

She could not stay still and let these faceless horrors feed on the happiness of innocent people, reducing them to despair, and then using that despair to perpetrate their race. If what Severus said was true, then perhaps the young woman was driven to suicide by the influence of the Dementors' presence, as much as by the grief of a lost child.

Whoever worked alongside these disgusting beings, or coveted their allegiance, did not know, or chose to ignore, their abominable effects. She could never understand why they were allowed even at Azkaban.

When Severus had described their effects, before they went to Hogwarts, she had never imagined the draining power they had. She swore to herself that she'd do anything in her power to stop them.

Unless she fainted again, that is.

'We need to learn that Charm.' She repeated.

Severus nodded in agreement.

'It will be difficult here, but school starts soon. We can practise there.'

'You can teach me. Though if I pass out every time I see a Dementor…' she said, voicing her fear.

Severus shook his head 'Probably the funeral you attended some days ago is still fresh in your mind, so it made it worse. Anyhow, let's hurry up, because we're really late.'

He indicated the sky ahead, which had turned the faintest pearly blue colour, outlining the huge mill chimney, like a black finger pointing at the sky. Lily knew they had planned to be back an hour before dawn, but their detour through the cemetery had held them up.

In a short time, they had turned into Lily's street and up her drive, just as the streetlamps lining the street full of neatly manicured front gardens flickered and died out.

'D'you need a leg up?' Severus whispered , glancing anxiously at her parents' dark bedroom windows.

'No, I'll manage. Besides it's summer, and they sleep late.' She placed her bag like a rucksack on her back, and prepared to climb up.

Severus still had his wand in his hand, but as the approaching dawn bathed the front garden in the strange half-light of early morning, she saw him slip it back into his jeans pocket. She remembered he had to go back to Spinner's End, by the river, where the mist still lingered, and where the Dementor had chosen its victim.

She felt worried, though he had proved he could take care of himself.

Of both of them, actually.

If it hadn't been for him, Merlin knows what would have happened.

'You'd better get going, Sev! Be careful of any black mist. And thank you. For everything!'

And standing on tiptoe, she gave him a swift kiss on his cheek, before turning to climb nimbly up the ledge of the bay window, onto the climbing vine, and then the ledge beneath her window.

She tumbled through her open window onto her bedroom floor and then turned round to peer back down into the garden. She expected him to have left in a hurry, possibly put off by her effusion of gratitude, but he was standing at the garden gate, looking fixedly in the direction of her window. It was too far away to see his expression in the half-light, but she waved to him, which seemed to startle him, for he looked round, saw tendrils of mist creeping once more up Spencer Street, and took off at once.

As the silent mist swallowed him up, Lily stood there watching, praying that whoever he wrote to, even if it was that Malfoy, would somehow do something to relieve this town from the horrors that were haunting it.

Taking a quill and paper from her desk she sat down, intending to draft a letter to Dumbledore right away, but her head started to droop from tiredness. Her eyes closed, and she slept, dreaming of rotten, shrouded flesh; of pale, dead bodies that chased her through a forest of tombstones, until there was a flash of bright white light, and she woke up to find the glaring mid-morning sun flooding her room.

There was no mist anywhere outside her window.


	75. Chapter 75

**Many thanks to TuesdayNovember,, by beta, for the suggestions for Mulciber's name.! The etruscan god of fire and iron-works suits him!**

**Chapter 75:The Vault.**

Severus clutched the sides of the Gringotts trolley in a white-knuckled grip as they hurtled down through the dark tunnels at break-neck speed. A hair-pin bend ahead gave him only a second to brace himself before the centrifugal force threw Lily, who was also sitting in the trolley, against him.

'Oops! Sorry!' she giggled .

It was just fun for Lily. Her eyes were bright with excitement, her hair whipping back from her face, and she wore a big grin. He could see that she was barely restraining herself from shouting something like '_Wheee!'_ as though this was some fun park Roller Coaster.

He didn't mind though. He hadn't seen her smile in over a week. Ever since they had witnessed that Dementor attack. The mists had cleared from Castleforth, and the sun shone again, but some of that noxious vapour seemed to have remained with Lily.

He would catch her many times, gazing into space, her eyes glazed and unseeing, as she relived, again and again, the macabre birth of that Dementor.

Until today, that is, when he had reluctantly accompanied her for the dizzying trolley ride along the labyrinthine passageways beneath the marble floors of Gringott's bank.

Lily righted herself with an apologetic grin, her enthusiasm undiminished, but he, Severus, was not enjoying this in the least. He saw the goblin in charge of the trolley look back at him, smirking.

He scowled.

He had been on faster brooms at Hogwarts, but the sensation was totally different. On a broom your head did not feel like it wanted to part company with the rest of your body; there was none of the creaking and jangling noises that the trolley produced, as it rattled its way down the old tracks; and on a broom you were sole master of the means of transport, whereas here, a filthy goblin was in charge. Goblins were avaricious, and jealous of wand-carriers, as they called wizards. Severus did not trust goblins.

Especially this Goblin.

Gartak.

He had recognised them as soon as they stepped into Gringott's that morning, and had insisted on being the one to take them to Lily's vault in order to withdraw her savings.

That, in itself, was rather strange.

Last summer, after mistaking him for his great-grandfather, he had become very hedgy about answering his questions, so Severus found his eagerness today rather suspicious.

Not that they hadn't found suspicion and wariness everywhere they went that morning.

Diagon Alley wasn't as busy and bustling as in previous years. A lot of witches and wizards hurried about their business with a preoccupied air, glancing every so often behind their shoulders nervously. And even though the school year was about to begin, they hadn't seen many Hogwarts students shopping.

They hadn't seen anyone from their year, though Lily recognised Davy Gudgeon, and his younger sister Gladys, both Gryffindors. Davy's eye was still covered by an eye patch after the Whomping Willow had almost taken it out, back in his first year. Healers were not so good with fixing eye problems. The younger boy had noticed them and waved to Lily, but his mother had chivvied him and his sister on.

That's when they decided they had better go to Gringott's and get on with what they had to do. The air of nervousness and suspicion was contagious.

Gartak, in contrast to the mood outside, had been positively cheerful, even for a Goblin.

Severus knew that there was a veritable rabbit's warren of tunnels and vaults beneath the floors of Gringott's and beyond, but he thought that a small and relatively new one, like Lily's, would be fairly close to the upper floors.

According to what Regulus said, and many others in Slytherin boasted, only the oldest, richest, families had their vaults deep beneath the earth. Their treasures were guarded, or so they said, by Dragons and old magic.  
And now they had been travelling at this speed for at least a quarter of an hour.

Just as he was thinking of asking Gartak where in Merlin's name he was taking them, the trolley slowed down and they rounded a corner of the tunnel to enter a large cavern with rough, rock-hewn walls.

Severus could tell that the upper part, bristling with stalactites, was a natural cave of some sorts, but the bottom part had definitely been carved out and enlarged by the goblins. Very soon the trolley was speeding past an underground lake, and then on towards a narrower part of the cavern.

Several large, iron-clad doors, lighted up by torches at their entrance, were embedded in the wall, much larger than the small, cupboard-sized ones they had seen in the upper levels. He assumed that these massive doors, with the grim strength of their riveted hinges, must surely guard roomfuls of treasure!

Lily, a muggleborn, could hardly have her vault among these!

She must have been thinking along those same lines, for she gave him a puzzled look, mutely asking him what was going on.

He shook his head, indicating he did not know either, but his hand crept back to his back pocket, curling around the smooth ebony of his wand. He did not trust Goblins, and Gartak least of all. What if he had brought them down here for his own reasons? Severus could not fathom what the old goblin could possibly want out of them, but he was taking no chances.

At that moment, the trolley rumbled to a halt in front one of the largest of the doors and Gartak's wrinkled head turned round.

'This is the Prince Vault.' he said, softly.

After a moment of stunned silence, Severus burst out with:

'And why are you showing me this?'

His voice, wary and mistrustful, echoed loudly in the cavern.

'I thought you would find it interesting, Master Snape.'

'_Interesting_? Last summer, you made sure I knew that only the rightful owners and possessors of the key to the vault could enter, and bit my head off when I asked you who they are! I don't have the key, and you know it!'

'No. Of course you don't, Mr Snape.' Gartak answered, unperturbed. 'The key will rest with the descendents of your Grandfather's eldest, Maureen, sister to your mother, but indeed, I thought you would be interested in seeing what should have been – could still be, perhaps, - your rightful inheritance.'

He glanced shiftily at Lily as he said this, as though he did not want her listening in to confidential information.

She noticed, and made as if to leave and go out of earshot, but Severus grabbed her arm, stopping her.

'Explain.' he said.

Gartak looked at him in silence, and for a moment Severus thought he would not answer, but then he got out slowly from the trolley and hobbled over to the massive door.

'This door,' he said, waving a gnarled hand at its impenetrable strength, 'apart from the best goblin-wrought iron, is also protected by many enchantments known to my kind alone, and, in particular, to one goblin alone: myself.'

'What are you saying, exactly?' Severus every nerve was telling him to distrust the goblin, and whatever proposal he was sure he was going to come up with, but he needed to see what or who was behind all this. He got out of the trolley too, and went up to the door.

'Do not touch it!' the Goblin said hastily.

Severus examined the ancient door. It was slick with a green growth near the bottom, and there were some deep gauge marks on the wood near the lock, but the iron rivets and strengthening plates were surprisingly free of rust. Carved into the ancient stone on the lintel was the word '_Prince_', and etched onto a fine silver plaque attached to the top part of the door was the word 'Maureen's surname: O'Doherty.

He felt curious in spite of himself. What lay behind that door? He saw the goblin looking at him keenly, and smiling craftily.

'Look! There's 'Potter' written on this one!' Lily had got out of the trolley and was some distance away, examining the adjacent large door 'D'you think it might be -?'

'James Potter's? Well, that would explain what he said last summer, and why he knew so much about the Prince inheritance!' he said derisively 'Why did it have to be next to bloody Potter's vault! Are they in alphabetical order down here?'

He realised he was referring to the Prince vault as though he had a right to it. He bit his lips angrily and glanced at Gartak. The old goblin had a triumphant leer on his face.

'Anyway, I don't care about treasure!' he said loudly, 'So if you're trying to –'

'Oh, but this vault does not only hide gold! I know you will agree with me, that a treasure can be anything that you covet! A mere stick of wood can, after all, in the hands of wand-carriers-'

'We're not giving you our wands! It's not allowed!' Lily snapped.

She had come up behind him and was looking at the old goblin distrustfully, having evidently picked up on what was happening.

'And I am not asking for them!' Gartak bit back.

'Then what exactly are you saying?' Severus repeated 'You haven't answered me yet!'

There was silence as Gartak's eyes darted quickly from Severus to Lily. Only the drip, drip of water from some of the stalactites above could be heard. Finally, Gartak seemed to come to a decision.

'There was a treasure. A precious possession that belonged to your Great-grandfather.' he said, his eyes fixed on Severus 'Not gold. Not silver. It was a book. A book that belonged to Severus Prince.'

Severus felt his blood run cold, and he heard the indrawn breath of Lily beside him, telling him that she, too, knew what was coming.

'I have no idea what you're talking about.' he lied, 'But I did not know that Goblins coveted such things as _books_.'

'In fact, they do not. Not as much as finely-wrought metal of their own manufacture. But some wizards do, Mr Snape. Especially _Knights_.'

He saw Gartak looking sharply at him when he said this. Probably he was hoping for some sign of recognition, but he was completely stumped.

He tried to hide this, as he said:

'Are you acting on behalf of somebody else, then?'

'Perhaps.'

'Who?'

'That is not for you to know, at least for the moment. Suffice it to say that I'm acting on behalf of a wand-carrier, and a member of your Great-Grandfather's brotherhood.'

It was on the tip of Severus' tongue to ask _what brotherhood? _But he refrained.

'So let's get this straight:' he said instead 'You're offering to sneak me inside the Prince vault in return for some old book?'

'Of course not! I am not about to sneak you in anywhere! I will never betray the secrets of the Gringott's vaults!' the old Goblin shouted, his nostrils flared in anger. 'Your great-grandfather trusted me, and me alone, with its protection!'

'Then what in Merlin's name-?'

'There are other ways! Legitimate ways! The present keepers of the key to the vault can be … persuaded … to give it back. It has been many years now, since your mother was disinherited. The wizard who did so, your grandfather, is dead. His will can be revoked by the descendants, so that the key reverts back to the one who we think is worthier of the name 'Prince'.'

'My name is Severus _Snape_!' he said, tightly 'And who are '_we_'? The witch or wizard you are acting on behalf of? You barely ever saw me before, so I guess whoever wants the book knows me well, if they think they can judge me.'

Gartak scowled, obviously angry with himself for giving so much away. Severus felt a small hand on his arm.

'Severus, let's get out of here! I really don't like this.' Lily whispered in his ear.

He glared at Gartak, wondering what on earth the goblin was hiding from him, but he did not dare confront him here, on his own ground, deep beneath the streets of London. He would have to find out more.

'I do not have any of my old Great-grandfather's books!' he lied 'And if I did, I would consider _that_ to be my rightful inheritance, and would not be giving it up to any nameless witch or wizard. So you can tell whoever it is you're working for, that they can keep their filthy piles of galleons, and the key to the Prince vault! I'll get my own!'

'That's right!' Lily said, nodding in approval. Then she addressed the goblin coldly, 'Now, if you have finished quite finished, I would like to be taken to my own vault, please. We still have lots of errands.'

Gartak gave her a sour look, but wordlessly got into the trolley and they scrambled in after him.

The ride towards the upper levels where, as Severus had rightly assumed, Lily's small vault was located, was just as fast as the one down, though they took a different, more winding, route. It was a silent, but tense, ride, not only because of the hair-pin bends and, just before they left the lower levels, the sound of a horrific dragon-like roar that echoed up from the dark depths beyond, but because of what Gartak had said. Severus had always assumed he was the only one who knew about the book. And Lily, of course.

But Lily had said she'd never betray him, and he believed her.

But then who else?

Only two other people suspected the books' existence. Madeira and Dumbledore. He was certain that both of them would be eager to get their hands on it.

For different reasons, possibly, but still…

Could either one of them have contacted Gartak and ordered him to offer the Prince Vault's prestigious key as bait? Madeira had given him the impression she knew the goblin, and this underhand wheeling and dealing would be something she would be familiar with.

As for Dumbledore, he did not know if his Headmaster knew Gartak. He might, for he gave Severus the impression that he was omniscient, but somehow, Severus thought that Dumbledore would use more refined methods than an old Goblin for getting his hands on the book.

And what was the mysterious brotherhood Gartak mentioned his great-grandfather belonged to? Severus was positive it was not a membership to some Gobstones club or Charms Circle…

He was so preoccupied with what had just happened that he had hardly noticed they were back in the bright sunshine of Diagon Alley, and Lily had grabbed his arm and was steering him towards Flourish and Blotts, for he seemed to be wandering aimlessly up the street.

He knew she was bursting to tell him off about keeping the book. Now that she knew that goblins and other shady characters were after it, she had a ready excuse to tell him to get rid of it.

Sure enough, as soon as they were out of earshot of the nearest huddle of people, she turned towards him and said in a low voice:

'Sev, I don't know what that was all about, but it seems some witch or wizard is after that book! You've got to tell someone! And how do they know _you_ have it?'

He shook his head. 'They don't! Well, they suspect, I guess, but I don't know why or how.'

'Look, it's obvious that they're after the spells in that book. I guess You-Know-Who's followers would be after it-'

'Don't go jumping to conclusions, Lily!' he snapped.

'It's – it's Dark magic! I'm thinking, even darker than I had ever imagined or you ever told me!'

'No, its not! You've seen it, after all!'

'Just glanced through it, when you had first found it. We weren't even Hogwarts students then! I don't really remember details, but –'

'Look, there's nothing in it that couldn't be found in the restricted section – or- or in some of the shops in Knockturn Alley. I'm sure of it!'

'Then why are they offering you the treasures inside the Prince Vault in return for that book?' Lily asked, in a terse but nervous voice.

Severus did not answer her. He knew that his Great-grandfather had enclosed his secret in the last hidden pages of the book. A secret runic code that was to have led the young Eileen to retrieve the third, most precious book from where he had hidden it, during his brief stay at Hogwarts under Headmaster Blacks tutorship. For some reason, he had never claimed the teaching post at Hogwarts, and thus could not retrieve himself, but had to resort to the youngest of the Princes, his grand-daughter Eileen, to do it for him.

Only his plan had gone wrong.

He had died before even enlightening his grand daughter as to what she was supposed to do, so that this precious book still lay hidden somewhere in the depths of old Hogwarts Castle. If it was still were he had hidden it, after all! Phineas Nigellus Black had said the books had mysteriously reappeared forty years after Severus Prince hid them, but the Slytherin Headmaster would not speak anymore about their whereabouts.

'Well?'

Lily was still waiting impatiently for him to answer her, but looking as though she dreaded to hear the reply.

'Perhaps they are mistaken.' He said, slowly, speaking more to himself. 'Perhaps they think I have some other book…'

What if they thought he actually had the '_third most precious book'_? No-one knew about the hidden pages after all. No one knew his own book held the secret to the whereabouts of the others.

'Or perhaps they think that you have some more of your Great-Grandfather's books!' Lily said, sharply, as though reading his mind. After all, she knew there had been other books.

'You've got to give it to Dumbledore!' she continued.

'Dumbledore was the one who wanted it in the first place!' he shouted.

Some witches who were just going into Flourish and Blotts glanced back at them, but hurried inside when Severus fixed them with a dark look.

'But only to get rid of it! I'm sure of that.'

'And why should you be so sure that he wanted to destroy it?' he sneered.

'Look, ok, forget Dumbledore! You become too unreasonable where he's concerned. Tell Slughorn instead. He's your Head of House, he'll know what to do!'

'Severus Prince got kicked out of Hogwarts for having it, remember?'

'For writing and compiling those books. For all you know, for trying out some of the spells, too. But if you tell them you accidentally found it…'

He gave her a disdainful look, but he saw that she realised how weak that sounded.

'Look, give it to me.' She said, with a touch of impatience. 'I'll tell him _I _found it. Or I could just burn it for that matter! It would solve the problem once and for all!'

'Drop it, Lily. I'm not giving it up!'

'What if the Death Eaters come looking for you, and not just some old Goblin like Gartak? What if-?' Her voice was rising shrilly.

_'Shh!_'

He had just noticed Sethlan Mulciber coming out of a shop near them. He hoped he hadn't overheard anything.

Mulciber was unaccompanied, but, unlike most people around them, he sauntered calmly down the narrow, cobbled street with a pleased smile on his face. He noticed Severus and made his way towards them, but stopped as soon as he saw Lily.

The smile slipped off his narrow face, to be replaced by a sneering grimace. But he did not move on, instead, he made his way towards them once more.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76: Mulciber.**

The smile slipped off Seth Mulciber's long, bony face to be replaced with a sneering grimace that somehow did not seem out of place beneath his thick, overhanging brows, and eyes so deep-set, that their iron-grey colour appeared black.

Possibly because this was his habitual expression.

Severus noticed that he had let his thick, dark hair grow long, pulling it savagely back from his swarthy face by tying it with a thick leather band.

'Why Snape, I didn't know you still hung around _her _even during summer holidays?'

'What d'you mean by _that _exactly, Mulciber!' Lily eyes flashed green fire, and she took a step closer, directly confronting the tall, gangly boy.

Severus saw Mulciber was taken aback for moment, probably because he hadn't expected such a fiery reaction from a muggleborn, and a girl. But this was _Lily_, and Lily wasn't just _any _girl.

However, Mulciber recovered immediately, and his voice dripped venom as he bent towards Lily, eyes narrowed:

'Just this, Evans: you should be careful of wandering around the streets by yourself, nowadays! And you're mistaken if you think that sucking up to this half-blood Slytherin here is going to get you anywhere! Though I can see why he lets you do it…' his dark, iron-grey eyes swept over Lily appraisingly, '… you're quite pretty, even for a mud-blood!'

The next second, a black ebony wand was pressed deep into the skin of Mulciber's neck. Severus saw his own hand shaking around the ebony wand with a barely-suppressed desire to cast the spell that would slowly, but surely, choke Mulciber to death.

'Don't you dare speak to Lily Evans again!' he hissed at him, 'Or I'll make sure you will breathe your last breath in Slytherin dorm, before you even start your fifth year!'

He had grabbed Mulciber's robes with his left hand, and he noticed with savage pleasure his Adam's apple rise and fall, as he swallowed nervously.

_'Did you hear me?_' he shouted.

Mulciber was taller than he was, but Severus's wand, starkly black against the whiter skin of Mulciber's neck, had forced him to bend his head upwards, as though to avoid the spell tingling at its tip. His left hand tightened around the robes at Mulciber's neck, in an unconscious desire to crudely carry out, by hand, what his spell was intended to do.

Severus' face was inches away from Mulciber's, and he could see beaded sweat forming on the other boys' forehead, but his eyes were narrowed in a defiant scowl.

Several people had slowed down to see what was going on, though several others had scuttled away. It would not be long before somebody interfered.

'Leave him, Severus. He's not worth bothering about!'

Lily placed her hand on his wand arm, and at that precise moment, he felt the shiver of magic pass down his arm and through his wand. Mulciber's eyes widened briefly in fear, and he opened his mouth as though in a silent scream, but nothing came out – not even a whisper. Severus tore his wand away from the taller boy's throat, and, a second later, Mulciber was bent over, drawing in ragged breaths and looking at both of them with pure hatred in his eyes.

Severus and Lily exchanged glances.

'Did you-?'

'No!' she shook her head vehemently.

He hadn't consciously cast any spell either, though he had been close to doing it. But when she touched his arm, his spell seemed to have cast itself, somehow.

This had happened before.

'I'll get you for this, Snape! What the hell are you playing at?'

'That was just a taste of what _could_ happen, Mulciber. But it won't last a few seconds next time! You should thank Lily here, for stopping me from showing you something worse!'  
He thought it better to exonerate Lily from whatever it was his spell had done. He saw her looking askance at him.

'Let's go, now.' he said, eager to disperse any remaining onlookers.

'You'd better decide on whose side you're on, Snape!' Mulciber shouted after them, his face contorted in anger. 'You're really _nothing_ right now! You're half-and-half: neither here nor there! And you're going to find yourself alone!'

'Oh that Mulciber!' Lily twisted round, looking back at the tall, gangly boy still taunting them, but Severus steered her into the nearest shop, to prevent her shouting back at Mulciber, as she appeared to have every intention of doing.

Her hands were balled into fists, her cheeks were flushed as red as her hair, and green sparks seemed to fly out of her eyes. He, by contrast, felt his anger abating into a cold, purposeful rage that he could brood over and control if he wanted to. This pleased him. He glanced up at the shop window, and saw his face reflected there. It was pale and set.

Mulciber was nothing to him. The older boy had always mistrusted him more than the others, but he needed to be careful now, to study him, and see if, and what, revenge he would so obviously seek.

'Why on earth you even _speak_ to him, or stick around him in Hogwarts, I don't understand!' Lily was saying, as she huffily searched the shelves of Flourish and Blott's, where they had entered, for their fourth-year books.

'There's nothing so different about Mulciber. He's the same as my other Slytherin friends. He wants everything his own way sometimes, and that makes him difficult to get along with. But apart from that, he's just a bit more mistrustful, that's all,'

'That's _all?_' Didn't you hear what he called me? Didn't you see the way he looked at me-?'

'Yes, he'd better keep his eyes to himself, or I'll - !'

'No, Severus. I mean the disdain, like I'm something that doesn't count, or worse.'

'You mean like some of your Gryffindor friends look at _me_?' he countered bitterly, 'Look, we've been through this before! I've got my Slytherin friends, like you've got yours in Gryffindor.'

'But you've just said that there nothing so different between Mulciber and your other Slytherin friends. That means -'

'That they hope, one day, to be just as self-righteous, arrogant, and boastful, as some of you Gryffindors! Now grab those books and let's get going. Remember what your father said.'

Lily grabbed her books and followed him to the counter, still looking thunderous, but he was not going to be swayed by her arguments.

He had to somehow get along with his fellow Slytherins for most of the year, and as long as they respected him and his friendship with Lily, he did not contradict their increasingly zealous, pureblood ideas. Other Slytherins had tried to politely point out that his friendship with a muggleborn was not appropriate, but he had ignored them. They had shrugged and left him to it. Mulciber had, however, overstepped an invisible line today. He had to teach him a lesson. Hopefully, others would back off too.

'There's still an hour before my Father comes for me!' Lily was saying. 'Enough time to get the potions stuff, and maybe have time for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron, or one of the cafes. They look empty enough.'

All the cheerful bustle of people in Diagon Alley had gone, so most of the cafes' outside tables, umbrellas and chairs had been removed, or were empty.

'You shouldn't have told your parents about the War.' Severus grumbled 'Then we would've had all day.'

'After what happened in the graveyard? D'you think I'd let them wander about at night, not knowing there may be those horrors lurking around?'

'Yes, but your parents almost grounded you permanently, when you told them what was going on!'

'Well, I didn't tell them we'd been gallivanting around churchyards in the small hours of the morning, or Mum would've murdered me! But I told them about the War, and what could be prowling around.' She looked uneasy at the thought. 'I expected they'd be worried, of course, and that they would try to keep me home. It took forever, but I persuaded them, finally, to let me go back to Hogwarts. I told them in a wizarding war, only my knowing defensive magic could protect them. Besides, even _your_ Mum was worried. She knew about the Dementors.'

'She suspected. She hasn't seen them, and now that they've gone, I'm hardly likely to tell her!'

'Perhaps you should.'

'She's already taking protective measures, and besides, the Dementors seem to have disappeared.'

He spoke in a hushed voice, for they were entering the Apothecary, and a few witches were buying ingredients at the counter. They looked round hastily when they entered, but went back to their business when they saw only two teenagers.

'Yes they did. At least, there are no more signs that they're around. The weather's been fine, and you said that the mist was their doing. Weird, eh? I wrote to Dumbledore, you know.' Lily whispered.

'And what did he say?' he tried to keep the sneer out of his voice.

'Not to go out of the house while he took care of it, especially at night, and in graveyards.' she answered, reddening slightly.

'Did you tell him _everything_, then?' he retorted, angrily.

'No, but he must have found out from the Ministry. We got a warning letter, didn't we?'

'No, we didn't. That letter was asking which of us threw the spell, so that they would, then, send a warning letter – or worse. But I never got anything, even though I said it was me. Probably, they're in a funk at the Ministry, because of what Barty Crouch's use of Dementors has resulted in.'

'I didn't think they'd believe us, if no-one ever witnessed the birth of a Dementor.'

'Well then, perhaps Malfoy fixed it. He said he'd speak to his father about it.'

'Or perhaps Dumbledore intervened!' Lily said, frowning at him.

Clearly she did not believe him.

'Whatever happened,' he answered irritably 'They didn't give me a warning letter, so I'm not complaining. But you've got to admit it's strange that the Ministry ignored my answering letter. I didn't even get an acknowledgement that they've received it or anything…'

The Apothecary's assistant came to take their orders then, so they did not speak about it anymore until they were back outside in Diagon Alley again, laden with parcels of ingredients, as well as their fourth-year books.

'I think I should be going back to the Leaky Cauldron, or Dad'll come looking for me. I don't want him to start worrying '

In view of his daughter's recent revelations about the wizarding war, John Evans had insisted on accompanying his daughter to Diagon Alley this year. She had only persuaded him to wait for her at the Leaky Cauldron when they arrived at Gringotts, and were faced with the trolley ride. Though she had never been on one before, she had heard that the trolley ride was not for the faint-hearted.

Or those with a heart condition.

After some arguments, Mr Evans had agreed, as long as they were back within two hours.

He had told Severus to look after Lily, much as he had done the previous year, but this time, his words held the faint hint of a warning, and he accompanied his injunction with a mistrustful look that Severus did not like, but one which he knew he should have expected, given the Evans' mistrust, probably exacerbated now by news of the war.

In spite of the detour at Gringott's, and the encounter with Mulciber, they had finished their shopping, and although it was still quite early in the day, Severus decided to follow Lily back to the Leaky Cauldron.

He stole a quick look at her as they trudged back up towards the Leaky Cauldron. She was looking at the ground, her brow furrowed in thought. She was in one of her quiet moods again, and this kind of silence did not suit her. Admittedly, it never lasted very long with Lily. Usually, her irrepressible spirit would get the better of her, and she would burst out with whatever was on her mind - usually something so unconnected in time and place with what they were doing, that she inevitably always caught him off balance. Something that few people managed to do, but something that he secretly (and to his own surprise) looked forward to.

Not this past week however.

He knew exactly what was bothering her, but did not know why she was keeping quiet about it. The Dementor's birth had been a shocking experience for her.

For him too.

He remembered, with a suppressed shiver, the feelings of despair and worthlessness that had almost overcome him when they had come close to the first Dementor.

Because of the creature's foul aura, he had relived the many sleepless, dread-ridden nights when his parents' hatred for him and each other had seeped through the bare floorboards of his room, together with their raised voices; he had relived his many days of restless wandering through the freezing cold backstreets and alleys around Spinner's End, knowing that his absence from home would neither be noticed nor missed, for his parents were too wrapped up in their own misery to bother about whether that miserable scrap of existence they had engendered lived or died; he had relived all the beatings that he received at the hands of his father, beatings that he said he deserved because of his magic, the magic that made his father so insanely hostile to his family.

It was this last that saved him.

No-one would touch his magic. It was his one saving grace. It was what made him rise above others.

The feeling of being worthless and unloved, of being the cause of his mother's loneliness and misery, and of his father's fall from grace; even thoughts of how everyone he knew would be better off without him, all disappeared at the memory of those savage beatings.

He remembered the anger and hate they had engendered, and clung on to them desperately, knowing that Dementors could not pick on those feelings as easily as happiness or euphoria. Or even fear.

It had worked. He had recovered enough to pull Lily away from the approaching Dementor, and later, when Lily's foolhardy action brought them right under the newly-born creature's nose, he had clung on to that cold rage, managing to resist the Dementor's draining power long enough to cast the formless, but strong, Patronus that made the Dementor back off and go looking for easier prey.

The fact that Lily was lying unconscious at his feet had helped, of course. It was _her_ he thought about, when he cast the spell.

And Lily had been grateful. Very grateful.

She had kissed him.

His hand automatically went up to touch the spot on his left cheek where her lips had brushed against his skin. It had been so unexpected and sudden, that he hadn't even reacted. But that night, it was all he could think about. The Dementors; the war; Barty Crouch's savage policies; the letter from the Misuse of Magic Office - all these thoughts had flown out of his head as he re-lived, again and again, how she had stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. And she hadn't even hesitated, or flinched.

He knew it had been only gratitude. After all, Lily was always rather impulsive, but he had spent the rest of the night (or, rather, early dawn) imagining that it had not been only that.

They had been a pleasant couple of hours.

'Are you ok, Sev? You look flushed!' A voice beside him broke into his reverie. Lily was looking at him in mild concern.

He flushed an even deeper red.

'Just hot.'

'Were you thinking about what Mulciber said?'

He nodded, glad for the ready excuse.

'Well, don't let him get to you! You don't need the likes of _him_ to tell you what to do. Anyway, here we are. Let's see what my Dad's been doing.'

They had arrived at the secret archway that connected Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron, where they found Mr Evans being entertained by Tom, the Barkeeper, who was describing some of the finer points of a Quidditch match. Mr Evans, who looked slightly bemused, greeted them with relief.

'Even that barman wouldn't tell me anything about the war.' John Evans said, as he led them to one of the tables near the fireplace.

He had tried to get some information from Severus that morning, but he had just confirmed the basics, exactly like Lily had done. Severus knew that she had downplayed the gravity of the situation a bit, for she evidently did not want to alarm her father.

Mr Evans, however, was not fooled.

' Tom said it a wizarding war,' he continued 'and he thinks non-magic people won't be affected much, but that the Prime Minister is being kept abreast of what is happening, just in case. Humph!' he glanced back at the Leaky Cauldron's barman, who was now serving firewhisky to a couple of warlocks in a corner. 'Let me tell you, that's not very reassuring! Anyway, let me get you a drink. There's this butterdrink –'

'Butterbeer.' corrected Lily.

'Yes. That one. I think you'll like it. I'll tell Tom to get a couple over.' And with that he disappeared towards the counter once more. Severus looked at Lily. He imagined she'd be giving him one last warning about the book on Dark Arts before they parted ways, but her eyes were fixed upon an old warlock in the table next to theirs.

He had the _Daily Prophet_ up before his face, and Lily was leaning forward to read a small article on the back page, squeezed between an advertisement on embroidered dress robes, and a photo of the Pride of Portree Quidditch team.

The title of the article was: _'Unexplained death in West Yorkshire' by Rita Skeeter, 23, Daily Prophet Correspondent._

'_A team of Aurors from the Ministry for Magic were dispatched on Monday to the small town of Castleforth in West Yorkshire, to investigate the death of a young muggle woman. The muggle authorities had put the death down to a suicide due to an overdose of pills (small, edible, round things muggles use instead of healing potions), and she was buried without further ado, in the same cemetery she was found dead in._

_Informed sources, however, assured the Ministry workers that the death was linked to the use of magic. Following investigations, the Ministry Officials confirmed that unknown magic had been used on the woman's body._

_Investigations were still under way this morning, when we went to print, since they are still no closer to finding out what unknown and mysterious spell was wrought on the young muggle woman, and whether such spell occurred before, or after, the muggle's death from 'pills'._

_Sources close to the Ministry state that there is a good chance that such a case will be handed over to the Department of Mysteries. _

_Since everyone knows how tight-lipped the Unspeakables can be, it will not be long before rumours start flying around, that the spell used is magic of the darkest kind; magic that no self-respecting witch or wizard would even know about, but magic that the Ministry would do well to disclose, rather than…'_

The warlock at the next table got up suddenly, having finished his drink, and, folding his newspaper, left the table, leaving Severus and Lily staring rather foolishly at his empty seat.

'That explains a lot,' Severus whispered to Lily, but she did not answer him immediately. Her face was white and drawn.

'I'm sure it killed her, or led her to commit suicide,' she said, her voice barely audible. 'It was pointless, senseless cruelty…'

'Perhaps she had already decided she didn't want to live…'

Why was he telling her this? That could hardly be a comforting thought, and Lily had been deeply affected by what she had witnessed that day. He didn't want her to relapse into the morose thoughts of the past few days.

'Look, Lily, I-'

'There you go!' Lily's father had come back with three bottles of butterbeer, and he saw Lily force a smile and take the bottle. She showed her father her new books, and chatted about her lessons and purchases, but he saw John Evans's eyes linger on his daughter's pale face, as though he could somehow determine the root of Lily's unease from her face.

When the conversation had finally stumbled to its inevitable halt, he mumbled an excuse and got up to leave. There was something he had to do in Spinner's End, that today's encounter with Gartak had made an even more pressing task.

He needed to speak to his mother about his Great-grandfather's book, his undeclared inheritance, before he left in a few days for another year at Hogwarts.

'Goodbye, Severus. I hope to see you on the first of September. Would you like to come down to London with us?' John Evans appeared quite sincere this time.

'No thank you, Mr Evans. I can come by floo to the Leaky Cauldron and get a cab or the underground from here, to King's Cross.'

He saw Mr Evans look at him doubtfully as he hauled his books and purchases over to the fireplace.

'Bye, Sev, see you tomorrow.' Lily waved dejectedly from the table.

She had never travelled by floo powder. Her parents thought it too dangerous, and besides, as muggles, their fireplace was not connected to the floo network.

'Spinner's End!' he said clearly, as he threw a handful of the black dust into the flames. Lily's pale face, and her father wide-eyed stare were the last things he saw before the emerald flames sent him spinning through the dark, warm space.


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77: The Runic Code.**

It was Friday morning, and in two days' time Severus knew he would be leaving for Hogwarts, probably not to see his mother for another year. He needed to persuade her to tell him all she knew about her Grandfather – especially the code he had taught her.

He cursed himself for not having tried sooner, but ever since the disastrous lesson on the Patronus Charm, he had kept putting it off. His mother never offered to teach him anything again, and he never asked.

Not that he could easily forget what happened.

It would not be the first time that Eileen clouted him, when, as a child, he was being particularly fractious, but she had never used magic on him the way she had done that day.

Of course, she hadn't apologised, or even spoken about it. They had tacitly agreed not to mention the episode.

He wasn't surprised. It had always been that way.

They pulled down their sleeves to hide their bruises, and got on with their daily life, as though nothing happened. They did not talk about it. It was swept under the carpet, together with the rest of the filth and dust that gathered daily in and around Spinner's End.

Perhaps, Severus thought, both he and his mother knew it would be pointless. And just maybe, by ignoring the worst of past beatings, it would make them hurt less - seem unimportant, even.

He watched his mother dusting the bookshelves in the living room, her patched apron hanging loose about her thin figure. She always started with the bookshelves.

They were special for her.

One side of the living room consisted of nothing but books – mainly muggle ones, for Tobias had objected to spellbooks. But Eileen had simply magicked all spellbooks blank, or magicked them to resemble cheap Mills-and-Boon love stories she knew Tobias would never touch.

Probably, she also did it to stop him nosing around magic spells, for, despite his objections, Severus was sure his father must have been curious, once.

His mother had let him read them, though. Some were books he would be taking to Hogwarts anyway, for they had been her own schoolbooks, and had not changed since then. He loved browsing through the books, eager to see what he would be learning, even a year or two ahead.

He looked down at the books spread out on the table before him. He had gathered all his fourth-year stuff and was labelling everything before packing them away. His father had left earlier, or he'd probably have told him to do it in his room.

If he spoke to him at all.

He hardly seemed to notice his existence anymore. Severus was glad of it, even though, conversely, he was finding it a bit hard to get used to this sober, but silent and morose version of Tobias.

Though his manner was still dour and unsmiling, this summer he had not seen him in the towering rages and belligerent moods so typical of him, especially when drunk.

His mother, on the other hand, veered from resembling a tightly-coiled spring, frantically cleaning and re-cleaning the few rooms of their house, and ready to fly off the handle at the slightest thing, to sitting on the edge of a chair, arms wrapped tightly around her body, her eyes wide and staring, glancing anxiously, every so often, at the black soot in the fireplace.

She would never tell him what, or who, she was expecting.

This morning was one of those mornings when she would be going about her house work as though there was no tomorrow. Although her wand was always in her pocket nowadays, she did not think of using it – or she refused to, for some reason. So she continued her rather clumsy dusting of the shelves using a feather duster, which just displaced the dust and soot into more inaccessible corners.

Severus remembered how once she had told him they had had their own house-elf in the family home. This reminded him of Grimmauld Place.

'I spoke to a portrait of Phinieas Nigellus Black when I was at Reg's home in London. He knew your grandfather, Severus Prince,' He blurted out.

He didn't know how to introduce the subject, so he plunged right in, hoping her reaction wouldn't be to snub him immediately.

'Hmm? What?'

Obviously, her mind was miles away.

'I met Phineas Nigellus. Well, his portrait, at the Blacks. He knew Severus Prince.'

'Did he now?' She stopped to look at him, frowning.

'He said I resemble him.'

'You do. Very much. At least, it appears so from the photos of when he was younger.'

'Headmaster Black also said he was his tutor when he was training for a teaching job at Hogwarts.' he continued, encouraged.

But Eileen frowned.

'I didn't know that he had applied for a job. He didn't need to. The whole family was rich enough not to need to _work_.' Her tone was bitter, and she renewed her dusting, poking the feather duster viciously between the shelves. But Severus was not about to be put off.

'What did they do for a living, then? I mean, what did they _do_ all day?'

'My grandfather was a scholar, as was my father!' she answered tersely, and in a voice that indicated she did not want to continue the conversation. But Severus was determined.

'Perhaps it wasn't the money.' he said 'Perhaps he thought at Hogwarts, he would have more opportunities to … er … increase his knowledge. But then, Phineas Nigellus said he never came back to Hogwarts to take up his teaching post.'

'I don't know about it. This must have happened before I was born. All I know is that he spoke very ill of Headmaster Dippet. I was too young to know exactly what it was all about, but I remember he once called Dippet 'that daft old codger.' So I find it surprising that he would have wanted to teach at Hogwarts, he… well, he never liked to speak about the place.'

'I know about what happened in his fourth year.'

Eileen froze, her feather duster poised on a large encyclopaedia. Then she turned slowly to look at him.

'What do you know?' she whispered.

'I found out that Headmaster Black had to very reluctantly invite him to leave Hogwarts because of the fuss the Wizengamot kicked up. He had been studying books on Dark arts.' Severus glossed over the details, wondering if she was aware of what had happened.

'He was a _scholar._' Eileen repeated. 'He never did anything wrong! Did Phineas Black tell you this? What more did he tell you? '

Her expression was a frightened one, though she struggled hard to hide it. He thought she'd be guarded about her grandfather, of course, but he wasn't expecting the terrified look. What else was there to know then, that would invoke such a reaction?

'Nothing much else.' He lied, 'Just that his books had been confiscated and he continued his education in Durmstrang, where everyone else in our family, except you, followed him.'

She was looking at him narrowly.

'Maureen was brought back because of the turmoil that followed Grindelwald's downfall.' she said slowly 'Gellert Grindelwald was a –'

'Powerful Black wizard. I know. His story is in many books.'

'Well, yes. He abused his power of course, but my father always said that that was better than the chaos that followed after Albus Dumbledore defeated him. The mood over there was horrific, with feuds and revenge-killings. My father and mother wanted Maureen closer to home then. It was dangerous to stay at Durmstarng, given what was going on,' She paused 'Much like what will happen here during and after this war. I told you this last summer…'

'I know what you said last summer, I-'

'Well. I was right!' she said shrilly 'And even now. Look!'

She went over to a small drawer beneath the living room table, and drew out a folded newspaper. It was the _Daily Prophet_. She turned it over to the back page and pointed out the article on the Dementor attack by Rita Skeeter. He noticed she was not bothering to disguise it as the _Yorkshire Post_ anymore.

'See? What did I tell you? Dementors here, right under our very noses! And you scoffing about it.'

'I'm not anymore,' he answered, seriously.

If she knew he'd witnessed that self-same attack, and was the 'informed sources' that had alerted the Ministry, she'd probably lock him in his room.

She was looking at him suspiciously.

'How come?' she asked.

'It's old news. I …er… saw that newspaper in Diagon Alley,' he lied quickly.

'Hmm, well, it a second-hand _Prophet,_ and it was delivered a bit late.'

She opened the small drawer to put the newspaper back in. As she did so he caught a glimpse of movement within the drawer. There was stack of photos. _Wizarding_ photos.

He moved quickly before his mother could react, and grabbed the top one.

'What are these?' he said, looking at the one in his hand. It showed a much younger Eileen, in her Hogwarts uniform, solemnly holding a trophy.

'Just some old photos I was looking through.' Eileen said tersely. 'Now give that back!'

'I never knew you had any! How come you never showed them to me?'

'You never asked!'

'But that's not –'

'Give it back!'

He reluctantly handed it over, but when her hand closed around it, he did not let go.

'Can I see the rest?' He let her see how important it was to him. 'Please.'

Snapshots of a past life that, for some reason, she insisted on hiding. Perhaps they were bitter reminders of what she once had, what she had lost. Or perhaps his father did not want to be reminded of who he had married.

He saw her falter, looking nervously at the door, and, for some reason, at the fireplace.

'I'll show you some,' she said, relenting.

She took the stack of photos out and started shuffling through them. With some surprise, he noticed some of them were muggle photos. These she flipped quickly to the back of the stack.

'The one you saw was when we won the Inter-school Gobstones championship – the _Daily Prophet _had written a small article. Here, this is the one of my Graduation.'

Severus took the small photo from her hand, looking with interest at the many smiling and cheering black-robed students, against the backdrop of Hogwarts castle. A teenaged Eileen, long, dark hair reaching down to her waist, looked at the camera with a restrained sort of pleasure. She was arm-in-arm with another girl, who, by contrast, was cheering enthusiastically, and waving to the unseen spectators.

'Here, this is your Aunt Maureen's wedding.' She said, handing him another one.

The photo was coloured this time. He vaguely remembered that he had seen this particular photo before. Perhaps it was one of the few framed photos that used to hang in the living room when he was still very small, though he doubted Tobias would have allowed it.

Maureen, in her ivory wedding robe, had skin as pale as her sister's, but her hair was an auburn red, and her eyes blue. The wizard she married, Donal O'Doherty, wearing black dress robes with a richly-embroidered ivory-and-gold trim, stood stiffly by her side. Both appeared ill at ease and rather awkward, and kept glancing at their feet. Severus wondered idly who of them had the key to the Prince Vault now.

A very young Eileen, in a long, flowing bridesmaid dress was behind her sister, like a dark shadow. Her eyes were downcast, but she glanced up nervously, every so often, at someone, or something, beyond the camera's view.

The stack of photos was re-shuffled once more, but Severus had seen something.

'I want to see this one!' he said, pulling out a large black-and-white photo.

It was a muggle one, and its' occupants did not move.

His mother made as if to snatch it back, but it was too late. She let him look. He had picked it out, because he had a fair idea of what it would contain.

It was his father as a young man. Lily had told him not to ignore his Snape roots. Well, here was an opportunity, though he wasn't even sure he should take it.

He forced himself to examine the photo.

His father was standing behind a large, elaborately-carved sofa in what appeared to be a sizeable sitting room. Bookcases lined all the walls, except for the one behind the sofa, which instead bore a huge drawing of a coat-of-arms on it. An old man sat stiffly on one side of the sofa, and a younger Eileen, sat at the other end. The small table in front of them was laden with trophies and awards, and many silver-framed photos.

'That's your muggle grandfather, years ago.' His Mum was saying. She hadn't tried to snatch the photo away again, but kept stealing quick looks at him now, biting her lip.

He nodded. He had recognised the old man as his Grandfather, wrinkled and white-haired. He was unsmiling, but held himself proudly, despite the walking stick his hands were resting on, as if he refused to bow to the ravages of old age. But what was surprising were his parents expressions. His father was tall, well-built, with thick, wavy brown hair and a warm smile that crinkled up the corners of his blue eyes. He had one arm around the shoulders of his old father, and another around the youthful Eileen.

'First time I was at your Grandparents house, that,' his mother said, nervously.

She did not appear nervous at all in the photo. She was sitting down slightly twisting her body to look behind her. Her eyes were fixed upon Tobias, or upon the large Coat-of-arms beside him, it was difficult to know. Her sleek, black hair was still long, twisted into an elegant chignon at the back of her head, and she wore a wide-skirted muggle dress, but what was struck him was that she was smiling in the same way he had seen during Madeira's Occlumency lessons, and certainly like nothing else he had seen since.

It was a revealing glimpse into his parents' past, and confirmed what he had seen in his own early memories.

Many times, even as a child, when he had lain awake through the night, listening to his father's angry, slurred voice, and his mother's shrill, bitter retorts, he used to wonder how on earth they had ever got married. Reluctantly, he had to admit it had not always been so. At least, until he came along, with his inherited strangeness, to drive irreversibly home the wedge that had already started to push their marriage apart.

He looked up from the photo, his brows furrowed, and Eileen silently took it back, and placed it at the bottom of the stack.

'Do you have a have a photo of my great-grandfather?' he said, hopefully.

'No!'

It was the kind of answer he recognised. It was a lie, first and foremost, and it preceded a bout of bitter recriminations against the unfairness of her life that could go on, with increasing vigour and sourness, for hours.

He had to head her off before she started.

Probably, the fact that he had seen the last photograph, evidence of what she considered her weakness and the root of troubles, was trigger enough.

'Mum, I – I'm proud that you named me after Severus Prince. I think he was a brilliant scholar, whatever else he did.'

Eileen looked up from the stack of photos she was tying together with rubber bands, and looked at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. But she did not say anything, or start the usual tirade against her family.

'Yes, he had a brilliant mind.' she said after a moment's silence 'If you want to be like him, then I hope you get good results at school.'

Severus was about to retort that she never asked about school, anyway. With his mother, it was always warnings he got – don't get into trouble; don't speak to muggleborns; and so on. After first year, he never bothered telling her in what subjects he came first in his year, even though they were several. He assumed she would only want to know if there was anything he was abysmal at. But he bit his tongue, not wanting to anger her.

'Did – did he object when Grandfather Aileran decided you and Aunt Maureen had to go to Hogwarts?'

'Object?'

'Well, you said you found it surprising he wanted to teach there. You said he didn't like Hogwarts after what happened.'

He saw his mother's brow crease. She went over to the table, put the stack of photos in, then took out her wand from her apron pocket and waved it over the drawer with a muttered incantation, sealing it. Severus made a mental note to look up counter-spells for sealed places. He knew there would be a photo of his great-grandfather there, and Merlin knows what else. There had been so very few photos in the Snape household, that this was a veritable treasure trove.

'I don't remember him speaking ill of the place – more at the way it was run, and in particular, Headmaster Dippet.'

'Not Dumbledore?'

'No, Dippet. He never mentioned Dumbledore, one way or another, ever. He agreed with my father that Durmstrang had become too dangerous under the circumstances.' She paused, as though thinking 'But the strange thing is, I always knew I was destined for Hogwarts, not Durmstrang, like Maureen. Perhaps the troubles there had been going on for some time, and they must have decided early on, that I should stay closer to home. In fact, I think Grandfather Severus was very pleased actually, that I was going to Hogwarts. I was his special favourite,' she added, with a rare, proud tone in her voice.

'You were his favourite?'

'Me and Maureen were the last to carry the Prince name in my generation. And Maureen had spent a lot of time away from home. I don't know, perhaps that is why he preferred me. He even gave me lessons before I started at Hogwarts. He never taught Maureen anything. We bickered a lot about that.'

'He gave you lessons?'

'Ancient Runes. He said it would give me an advantage over other students, and, knowing how much I loved books, he said it would open up a world of magical knowledge few had access to.'

Severus' heart was pounding in his chest. This was what he was after, and she had volunteered the information herself. But would she remember what she had been taught?

'I – I wish he could've taught me.' He said, inventing urgently, 'I – I'm having some difficulties with Ancient Runes at school, especially the Runic Codes-'

'Runic codes? That's funny, old Professor Clynderwen never bothered too much about them, when I was at Hogwarts. He still teaches, right?'

'Er… yes, but the syllabus changed somewhat. He …er… thinks that some of us should make a project out of it. A select few…'

_'What?_ And you don't make the grade?'

'I could do with some help. I think I'll ask Lily, she's really good with Runic script-'

'You'll do no such thing as accept help from a muggleborn!'

'She's the best in class, she's right here in Castleforth, and she'll be willing to help! Who else can I turn to? I leave in two days!'

'_I'll _help you! You should be ashamed of parading your ignorance of runes in front of – of anybody, let alone a muggleborn!'

Severus hid his expression of triumph. It had been a gamble to drag Lily's name into this, but he needed to goad his mother to the point of doing something she hadn't thought he needed done since he was a small child – help him with his books! It had paid off, and moreover, it showed that Eileen tacitly knew he had been meeting up with Lily all summer, just as he had suspected, but that this had not bothered her as much as previously.

Perhaps she had given up on telling him what to do, or perhaps there were other things on her mind, like his father's precarious sobriety. He still didn't understand why she wasn't screaming and yelling at him for so blatantly admitting he was still friends with 'that Evans girl', but he wasn't complaining about it.

'I didn't know you understand runic codes.' he said, petulantly.

It was better if she didn't see how excited he was.

'Sit down. I'll show you.' Eileen said ignoring his remark. 'Grandfather Severus was a good teacher, and I haven't forgotten what he taught me, even though I didn't really need it in old Clynderwen's lessons.'

Severus sat down at the small table, barely able to contain his excitement. He would finally be able to break the secret code and discover what was hidden at the back of his Great-grandfathers' book. Eileen went to a small cupboard to one side of the room and returned with a quill and a plain piece of muggle paper. She sat down next to him.

'The Runic Codes,' she said '…are many. Almost an infinite number, but your Great-grandfather favoured those based on the conjunction of the runic script with the lunar calendar. He said very few wizards know about them, and consequently, they are unbreakable. He showed me several examples which I can teach you…'

'Several?'

'Well, yes. Though there was one in particular, which he favoured above the rest. At least, I think he did, for he made me repeat it to him at least once a week, before I went to Hogwarts. Here let me show you…'

The two dark heads of mother and son bent over the plain paper as Eileen's quill started to scratch out the spiky letters and trace the lunar phases.


	78. Chapter 78: Fourth Year

**Chapter 78: Fourth Year.**

The Hogwarts Express stood, billowing out heavy white smoke over the throngs of students waiting to embark. Lily pushed her trolley towards the excited crowd, looking for Severus, or any other familiar face. Her parents had dropped her off at King's Cross that morning.

They had been very uneasy, insisting on accompanying her through the barrier. It was evident that the news of the wizarding war had upset them, and their anxiety eased only when they saw that the scene on the platform was no different from what it had been when they first set their daughter on the Hogwarts' Express four years ago.

Perhaps there were more parents accompanying the young witches and wizards than they remembered, but the jubilant mood of the students was no different from what it always was on the first of September- some were chattering excitedly, others were running up and down the platform, greeting friends and disappearing in and out of the billowing white smoke of the train.

Lily even saw some wand sparks flying overhead, a sure sign of the exuberance and high spirits of students, eager to use magic again after a summer of enforced abstinence.

John and Rose Evans, after making her promise to owl them practically every day, had bid her a reluctant goodbye and made their way back through the barrier at platform 9 ¾.

She pushed her trolley further along the train, searching the knots of people around her. Severus, as usual, had travelled by floo powder, and was to have taken the underground from the Leaky Cauldron to the train station. Probably he was already on the train. He was always far more eager than anyone else to get to Hogwarts.

It was then that she saw the shadowy, dark, figure walking towards her, enveloped by clouds of smoke from the train's chimney ahead.

It was Severus - she'd recognise the way he walked anywhere - slightly hunched, thus giving the appearance of round-shoulderedness, but somehow, at the same time, angular. She smiled, for he had already put on his school robes. As usual, he couldn't wait to leave behind any reminders of his life in Spinner's End.

'Hi, Sev! I was wondering where you were. Crowded this year, isn't it?'

She saw him glance with distaste at the cacophonous groups of young witches and wizards. She knew he hated crowds, but she herself couldn't help warming at the sight of so many excited faces. It was heartening to see so much enthusiasm, so many people that considered going back to Hogwarts reason enough to be happy. It seemed as though no war was ever going to dampen _their _spirits.

Her eyes were, however, drawn to one face that was not smiling.

In fact, there was a definitely vicious, angry look that he was not trying to disguise.

It was Seth Mulciber, and he was looking directly at her and Severus.

'I've already stowed away my stuff, are you coming?' Severus said.

He didn't give any indication that he'd noticed Mulciber, even though the older boy was staring right at him.

'Er…coming,' she said, her eyes still fixed on the dark, gangly boy in the distance.

She saw him bend forward and say something to the group of people he was with. She recognised Avery, Wilkes, and Parkinson among them. At Mulciber's words, they all turned to stare unblinkingly and, she thought, rather belligerently, at her and Severus, across the crowded platform.

She felt herself redden in anger. She could understand their dislike for her – she belonged to a rival house, and was a muggleborn to boot, but Severus was a Slytherin! They could at least be nicer to their own housemate! She remembered what Mulciber had told Severus that day in Diagon Alley, and, not for the first time, she wondered if Severus had to face any unpleasantness in the Slytherin common-room.

If he didn't before, he certainly would now, after what happened in Diagon Alley.

She, at least, never had to face even so much as a hostile stare in her own school house. What if her friendship would cause him to feel just as unwanted in his own common-room, as he was within his own home back in Castleforth?

She tried to dismiss that thought from her mind as she followed him into the train.

It was so unfair! Nothing as silly as that should come between them! He had said so! They had both agreed so, back in summer of their first year, when the grumbling unease caused by He-who-must-not-be-named, erupted into an officially declared war.

She knew Severus would be too proud to ever admit anything, but what if he'd be bullied or ill-treated, because of his insistence in associating with a muggleborn?

The truth was, she never saw any overt signs of it, except now. And she had seen proof that he could take care of himself.

But he had defied Mulciber, and possibly others, in Slytherin, because of her. It was what she would have done for him, of course. In fact, she had defended him often enough to be teased about it by her friends. However, for the main part, her friends joked about it, whereas, if Mulciber's looks could kill…

Was she being selfish? Was she self-righteously insisting on sticking to his side in defiance of everything and everybody, even though this could lead to his being ostracised by his house mates?

She would hate to be the reason for him to lose the home he had evidently built for himself, here at Hogwarts.

And she had never thought about it in this light, before, either!

Heaving her luggage on the rails above the train seats, she mumbled something about going out to look for her friends, thinking perhaps, she should wait until some other people sat in their compartment before joining him, so as not to give Mulciber more reason to instigate the other Slytherins.

Severus merely nodded and got out some crumpled parchment and a quill from his pocket, and busied himself writing.

It was almost an hour later that she went back to their compartment. As she predicted, it was now full of other students – second-years Ravenclaws, by the looks of it – who occupied all the seats except the one in front of Severus, which he had evidently saved for her.

He still had his parchment and quill in his hands, but judging by the dark looks he was throwing in the second-year students' direction, he was finding their loud voices and raucous games of exploding snap distracting.

Suppressing a smile, she picked her way between the younger students and sat down in the window seat opposite Severus.

'What's that you're doing?' she asked, nodding at the crumpled parchment.

He made as though to crumple the parchment up completely, but she had seen what was on it.

'Are you studying Ancient Runes, already?' she asked again.

'Sort of.'

Something scribbled on the back of the crumpled parchment aroused her curiosity.

There were runes there, true, but they were not in any configuration that made sense. Some of them were crossed out and re-written several times.

'That's like nothing we have in our books,' she insisted.

'It's a Runic Code. Professor Clynderwen mentioned them.'

'He mentioned them, yes, but he never gave us examples to work out, did he?'

'No. I got this a couple of days ago, from an old book. I haven't had time to decipher it, that's all! It's only a puzzle,' he seemed strangely reluctant about it.

'I could help you, if you want. I like riddles,' she offered.

She noticed one of the second- years, a small boy with straw- coloured hair and pale skin, was looking curiously at the paper held in Severus's hand.

Severus noticed.

'What're _you_ looking at?' he snapped, crumpling the parchment up into a ball and shoving it in the pocket of his robes.

The small boy gave a start and then reddened. At that moment, the door of their compartment was flung open and Evan Rosier came in, followed by Pavo Parkinson.

'Severus! I was looking for you!' Rosier said. 'What's this I'm hearing about you and…Evans, here?'

He nodded in Lily's direction, just barely acknowledging her presence. But Lily knew this was a lot, coming from Rosier, who usually ignored her. She saw Severus tense, his expression closed and wary. She didn't know what Rosier meant, but the dark blue eyes in Rosier's square face, were alive with curiosity, rather than malice.

'Malfoy told me you got away with using underage magic in the middle of a muggle town! Something about taking on a horde of Dementors! And that it was all over the _Daily Prophet!'_

'No it wasn't. Just a small, speculative article on the back,' Severus answered, drily. 'And as for getting away with it – I received a warning of a warning letter. So really, I'm just assuming I'm not expelled!'

'Of course you're not expelled, Sev! I wouldn't let them -' Lily started, hotly, but Rosier interrupted her:

'And what were _you_ doing there?'

She fired up at once on hearing the emphasis on the word, but true to her earlier resolve, she bit back an angry retort, and said:

'We had to do Sinistra's work on the Perseids. They only peak once every summer, so there's not much choice of where and when, is there?'

'Hmm, I suppose not. Lucky there was Severus with you! He saved you, didn't he?' Rosier answered, with a sneer.

'Yes he did, and I'm very grateful! I told him so.'

She saw Severus, in front of her, redden slightly, and she remembered then, just how she had shown him how grateful she was. Feeling slightly flustered, she looked up at Rosier to find him staring at her calculatingly. But he did not speak to her.

Instead, Pavo Parkinson pushed his way in, and addressed Severus.

'Go on, then! Tell us what happened with the Dementors!'

Lily realised that their compartment had fallen unusually quiet. The second-years had stopped their games, and were listening intently.

She could see this displeased Severus, but his Slytherin friends were eager for first-hand information.

'Nothing much.' Severus said. 'We ran across a couple of Azkaban Prison Guards in the middle of a muggle cemetery, where they had absolutely no business being, that's all!'

'Oh, come on, Snape! There's more to it than that! What about the muggle? What about the _unknown magic_? You must've seen something!'

She scowled. Rosier seemed to think it was just something interesting to witness, like a Quidditch match or something!

'The muggle was a young woman who had just lost her child. She was very sad, and what those monsters did to her was – was horrible, _evil_!' she said. 'And no-one deserves to die like that, Rosier, not even a _muggle_!'

She couldn't help anticipating and repudiating what Rosier would say. His dark blue eyes had a steely glint in them as he fixed her with a hard stare, but he must have really wanted to know, for he did not snap back, but repeated:-

'What did the unknown spell do, exactly? And how did Severus fight the Dementors, Evans?'

She scowled. Probably Rosier was just interested in hearing about what he assumed were dark spells. She didn't feel like reliving the whole experience, but luckily Severus came to her rescue. He gave them a brief account of what happened, omitting the details of how the second Dementor had materialised. Probably he didn't want any attention drawn to the fact that they had witnessed something that the Department of Mysteries found so interesting.

She had written to Dumbledore about it, though. He would know what to do.

'Wow! You drove them off with a charm?' Pavo Parkinson's eyes were wide with disbelief, 'That's not what Mulciber told me.'

'Painted a different picture, didn't he?' Severus' voice dripped sarcasm.

'Well, he seems upset with you, for some reason,' Rosier said, slowly, 'Perhaps he's just jealous. He wasn't there to see it, after all.' His eyes flickered from Severus to her, and back again.

The chatter of the second years had started up again. Only the small, blonde boy had not joined in his companions' games. He was still looking fixedly at Severus, giving him what she thought was a look of admiration. She was getting increasingly irritated that everyone seemed to be missing the fact that what happened was something unforgivably tragic.

'What we witnessed wasn't a show, Rosier!' she snapped. 'The Dementors killed that woman and worse- ! I mean, if so many are running around the place, instead of at Azkaban, what if they become You-know-who's Allies, and start rampaging through the country killing everyone who -?'

'And what makes you think they aren't already doing that, hmm?' Rosier countered, his icy blue eyes narrowed, 'In case you haven't noticed, Evans, they're out hunting! Hunting Death Eaters! They have been ordered to do so by the Ministry of Magic. And if a muggle or two get in the way, why then, it will be a few muggles less to worry about. What does the Ministry care? Blame it on the Death Eaters. It will make conveniently bad press for the Dark Lord's followers and –'

'That's not true! That's a lie!'

Lily turned round in surprise. The young Ravenclaw boy with blonde hair was standing up, fists balled, and face flushed in anger. He was looking defiantly up at Rosier.

She saw Rosier was taken aback, but recovered immediately.

'And how would _you_ know, pipsqueak?' he said, sounding politely interested.

'My – my father works at the Ministry. They wouldn't ever do such a thing as break their own rules!'

'And what does your father tell you that he does, actually, at the Ministry?' Rosier's voice still sounded exaggeratedly polite and interested.

The younger boy's face flushed even redder.

'He – he doesn't tell me much,' he started, but seeing Rosier arch his brow, he scowled and continued, 'He's very busy, and he works late hours, so he doesn't have much time...'

He was interrupted by a loud guffaw from Parkinson,

'Don't mind him, Evan. Probably his father's one of the cleaning staff!' and he unceremoniously pushed the smaller boy back into his seat, 'C'mon let's get out of here!'

'My father's the Head of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement!' the blonde boy shouted after them, 'He's going to be Minister for Magic one day!'

This only earned him a more raucous laughter from Rosier and Parkinson as they disappeared down the train's corridor. Lily breathed a sigh of relief now that the two Slytherins had gone. She looked curiously at the young second-year who had defied them. He was as pale now as before he was flushed, his straw-coloured hair falling across his freckled face. Somehow, the bitter expression on his face sat very much at odds with his baby-faced looks.

She noticed Severus was also looking at the group of young students sharing their compartment. They were very quiet now. None of them were playing any games, but were staring fixedly at the rugged scene outside the train window. Every so often, one of them would steal a furtive glance at their brooding housemate, but he ignored them completely, staring down at his own shoes instead.

It was when the Hogwarts Express was slowly rumbling to a halt that the young Ravenclaw finally seemed to come out of his reverie. His friends had already gathered their stuff and were waiting in the crowded corridor outside. Lily was waiting for Severus to pack away his parchment, but Severus had caught the young boy's eye.

'What's your name?' he asked, without preamble.

The blonde boy hesitated, but then he lifted his chin up defiantly, and said:

'Bartemius Crouch, Junior,' and with that, he grabbed his trunk and left the compartment, leaving Lily and Severus staring at him.

It was black, reptilian, and huge.

Severus stared at it, aghast. It was standing silently between the wooden shafts of the carriage that normally took students from the train station to Hogwarts castle. Huge, leathery black wings were folded on its massive back, and black, hairless skin was stretched tight over a skeletal frame. It was tethered to the carriage like some strange death-horse.

'What is it?' whispered someone behind him.

Lily had come up behind him, and was staring in undisguised distaste at the horse-like creatures. There was one tethered to every carriage.

'Come on, Lily, hurry up! We'll save you a place!'

Mary MacDonald had pushed past them, with Thalia Swanson. They were heading for one of the carriages pulled by a particularly large specimen of the strange creatures. The girls were talking and laughing excitedly, and completely ignored the silent and sinister beast between the shafts of their carriage.

Then he realised, with a thrill of recognition, what the strange creatures were, for he had read about them.

They were Thestrals!

Lily had not moved from his side, and was still looking, bewildered, at black beasts. The one closest to them twisted its narrow, skull-like face, on its sinuous neck, to look at them. Its eyes were milky white, and blank.

'They're Thestrals!' he explained, unthinkingly, 'They can only be seen by people who have seen death!'

She looked at him, and he saw her face pale, as the meaning of his words sunk in. She took a step backwards, involuntarily shivering. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the animal.

'C'mon! Let's get in, or there'll be no place left. Or d'you want to go with Swanson and MacDonald instead?'

But Lily shook her head mutely, and followed him into the carriage, her arms still wrapped around herself. She sat down near him - very near him, warily facing the animal that was now drawing their carriage towards Hogwarts castle.

From the looks of it, Thestrals would be the only animal Lily could not bring herself to touch.

He smirked.

Two seventh-year Hufflepuffs that had come into their carriage, had started arguing loudly about some Quidditch game.

His mind went back to the young Ravenclaw boy. So Barty Crouch had a son! The boy appeared overly-proud of his father, though shockingly unaware of what was going on. Well, he was only in second-year, after all. Severus doubted whether even the seventeen-year olds sitting opposite them knew, or cared, about anything other than the Quidditch they were discussing.

But, one way or another, the boy cared.

He could see that.

Perhaps Barty junior might unwittingly say something about his father that would prove his theory of who was behind the attacks, and to what extent. He needed to think carefully whether getting to know the boy better would be a good idea.

At the moment, however, he was finding it very hard to think about anything at all.

Lily's close proximity, together with the swaying motion of the carriage which repeatedly joggled them against each other, made thinking straight very difficult, and he was glad when finally Hogwarts castle came into view. A short time later, they trundled to a halt in front of the castle's main gate.

Severus jumped thankfully down from the carriage, followed by Lily. He saw her give the Thestrals one last baleful look, before they were both swallowed up and separated by the throng of people heading towards the main door.

Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence. The hubbub of voices died down. Even Wilkes, who was sitting on Severus' left side, shut up. He had been pestering him to recount, for the umpteenth time, his adventure at the graveyard.

'Before I give the usual beginning-of-term announcements, I have two important things to say to you,' Dumbledore was saying, 'and, although I know that the anxiety of the sorting, the long train journey, and the good food might have left you tired out and befuddled, I want you to pay the utmost attention.'

He spoke unusually seriously. Severus saw people sit up straighter and stare at the high table.

'For those of you who were present at the beginning-of-term meal last year, you will remember I had announced the death of the Turpins, relatives of Hogwarts students present among us.' He paused. 'Well, this year, I'm afraid, the numbers of casualties has swollen. There are those of you sitting here, whose loved ones have been injured or lost, this summer, due to the activities a dark wizard, Lord Voldemort ,' There was a ripple of shocked murmuring at the name, '- and his followers, the so-called Death Eaters. Unfortunately, the numbers of these dark wizards is growing daily, as are the atrocities they commit. For those of you who read the newspaper, you will have heard of these Death Eater attacks and the consequences suffered by the families of Waffling; Pittman; Goshawk; and Yaxley.'

The last name rang a bell.

'Uther Yaxley wasn't killed by Death Eaters!' whispered Regulus angrily, who was sitting on Severus' other side, 'He was killed by _Aurors!_ Cissa told me.'

Severus nodded. He had heard and seen that name before in the forbidden pamphlets Rabastan used to smuggle into Hogwarts. No-one knew who all the Death Eaters were, of course, but Yaxley's name had cropped up often enough for him to be fairly sure he was a Death Eater.

But Dumbledore was continuing.

'As recently as this morning, soon after the Hogwarts Express left London, the Dark Mark was seen over Diagon Alley, and precisely over Gringott's Bank.' There were murmurs of surprise from the sea of students facing Dumbledore. 'An old Goblin by the name of Gartak was killed in cold blood as he stood by his counter, by Lord Voldemort himself.'

There were gasps of surprise from several tables at this news, but Severus felt his blood run cold.

_Gartak?_ The old Goblin who had tried to bribe the book's secret out of him?

All down the long Slytherin table, heads were fixed intently on Dumbledore. This was news for everybody. Only one dark face, half-way down the long table, had turned back and was now looking at him. Mulciber's rather full lips were stretched in an evil grin.

'This goes to show,' Dumbledore was saying 'That no magical being, or magical place, is safe from this dark wizard. Thus, I must warn you that during visits to Hogsmeade this year, students must remain strictly within the village limits. Special arrangements with the Auror Office have been made, so that extra patrols are organised on those days. Teachers will also be present in Hogsmeade. Should you notice anything unusual, even if it concerns your fellow students, you must report it to your Heads of House immediately. I hope you will bear with me, and obey these simple instructions, for these extra protective measures are for your own safety, and I would hate to have to curtail Hogsmeade visits even further.'

There was some mutterings of protest at this, but Dumbledore held up his hand for silence.

'I would now like to make my second announcement,' he said, and something in his voice made everyone straighten up on their benches. 'It is with regret that I inform you of the death of Professor Perseus Brocklehurst. He was killed two days ago, during a raid on well-known Death Eater headquarters.'

The hubbub of talking broke out again, but everyone quieted down immediately when Dumbledore spoke again.

'Professor Brocklehurst was an exemplary teacher, and who conscientiously carried out his duties even beyond the walls of this castle. He will be much missed by the staff and, I'm sure, by all of you students who have benefitted from his knowledge and wisdom.'

He paused, looking slowly around at the many pale and shocked faces that surrounded him.

'This now brings me to introduce your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher-' he turned round to the high table and seated next to Professor MacGonegall was a tall man with long, dark hair liberally sprinkled with steel-grey hairs, and a thin, but rugged, face. He looked as though he was in his mid-forties, and had narrow grey eyes, and a long, sharp nose that gave him a slightly haughty appearance.

'Professor Gauvain Grimstone, who once used to head the Law Enforcement Department has, on the Ministry's suggestion, kindly consented to dedicate this year to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts before he is assigned to a long-term mission overseas, next Autumn.'

The tall man rose in his seat in acknowledgement of the ripple of polite applause, and then sat down again immediately.

He did not smile once.

'Now, for the usual beginning-of-term announcements,' Dumbledore said, sounding brisker 'The House Captains of each Quidditch team are holding trials for the ….'

Severus blocked out Dumbledore's voice. Besides him, his friends were holding whispered conversations on the new teacher and Brocklehurst's death.

They were not bothered by the death of one old goblin.

One pale face right across the Great Hall caught his attention. Lily was sitting bolt upright and looking straight at him.

He knew she, too, was thinking the same thing. That Gartak's death at the hands of the Dark Lord was no random killing.

It was retribution.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79: The Transcription. **

The dungeon door was so thick and heavy that Severus barely heard the perfunctory knock before the handle started turning. He scowled, reminding himself once more that he had to do something about that door. For all its iron-clad strength, it lacked a key, and that was a serious deficiency for a door that guarded what had become quite a well-equipped hideout.

Lily burst through the door, holding what he recognised as the Stealth cloak beneath her arm. His mind registered a faint surprise that she was wearing it at all. It was only lunch break, and she usually insisted that she had the same right as everyone else to wander the castle's sublevels, at least before curfew.

But he knew the reason why she wanted to speak to him.

'Well?' she said tersely, hands on hips, 'What are you going to do about it?'

' 'bout what?'

'Don't give me that, Severus! You know what! The book! Gartak! And you've been avoiding me all morning!'

'I didn't want you blurting out anything in front of those dunderhead Gryffindor girls that seem to have stuck to you like leeches!'

'It's our first day back, they were happy to see me! Besides, d'you think I'm _stupid_? I wouldn't have said anything in front of-'

'Even walls have ears, Lily!' he replied harshly, 'Look what happened to Gartak!'

'Gartak died because he failed to get your book! The Death Eaters must've wanted the spells inside! Gartak had said a wand-carrier wanted it. This proves it! They were angry with him for not getting it, so they, or – or maybe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, killed him!'

He shook his head. He knew she would take that line of reasoning, but somehow it did not make sense to him.

'Gartak was only annoyed when I refused, Lily. I could see that. And he would've been more than annoyed if the Dark Lord had asked him to get it on pain of death! He would've been really scared…'

'Perhaps he didn't know how seriously they wanted it! Perhaps he-'

'Perhaps the Death Eaters were annoyed that someone else is after it! Perhaps they revenged themselves on Gartak because he was an agent! Though I can't imagine how they discovered Gartak's role - goblins are pretty secretive, usually…'

His mind wandered back uncomfortably to that day in Diagon Alley when their conversation was overheard by Mulciber. But even his line of reasoning didn't make much sense, and he knew it.

Lily was strangely quiet. He realised she was looking at him squarely in the face.

'Where's that book?' she asked.

The question was a like a sensitive trigger. He felt himself slip automatically in the Occlumency state. After many wary lessons with Madeira, it was something he did without thinking when faced with certain queries.

'It's here, isn't it?' she said, quietly.

Her green eyes bore into his. What had he given away? Or was it just Lily guessing?

He gave her a hard look.

'I'm not telling you where it is.'

Her unwavering stare flickered momentarily, and he caught a fleeting expression of hurt in her eyes, before she scowled at him.

'I don't care if you don't trust me Severus, but I'm not just going to stand still and let you end up like that poor gob –!'

'Lily, don't you dare breathe a bloody word about this!' he hissed angrily. He saw her eyes widen in surprise and anger at his harshness.

He hadn't foreseen this. He hadn't foreseen this at all. That damned goblin had taken him unawares that day at Gringott's, and now Lily was on a crusade to save him from a similar fate. He had to convince her differently somehow.

She was still glaring at him.

'I – look, Lily,' he said, trying to get his voice level again, 'I've hidden that book where no-one can find it, and I'm not telling you where, because – because-'

He hesitated.

'Because-?' she prompted, tapping her foot impatiently.

'Because if anyone gets an inkling that you know, they'll be after you! And since not all wizards are capable of brewing Veritaserum, or are practised in using Legilimency, their methods of obtaining information may be…less refined.'

'Like plain, good old-fashioned torture, you mean!' but her voice had softened slightly, though her arms her still crossed determinedly.

He shrugged. Brutal coercion for the purpose of obtaining information was something the Aurors had been cleared to carry out now. But he wasn't going to mention it to her.

'That's exactly what I mean, Severus,' she said, returning to the attack, though her voice was less accusatory, 'Gartak's dead, and they, or – or perhaps somebody from that Brotherhood he mentioned, know that you have the book they want.'

'I don't.'

'What?'

'I – I think they're mistaken. I don't think my book has anything powerful enough, or important enough – even for a book on Dark Arts to warrant all the fuss!'

'_Fuss?_ Someone died, Severus!'

'Gartak was an avaricious old Goblin who-'

'So Gartak was murdered because, according to you, they messed up by looking for a wrong book title?' she said, sarcastically.

When he did not answer, she turned away with an impatient noise and made towards the door. He expected her to leave in a huff. He didn't like it, but perhaps it was better so.

But before she reached the door, she slowed down and turned to look at him. Taking a deep breath, she seemed to come to a decision, and moved towards him once more. He tensed.

'Look, Severus,' she said, softly, 'I appreciate your not wanting to involve me further in this. But don't you think it's too late, now? I've seen the book, I know about this place… And everyone knows I'm your friend. '

Her eyes were pleading in the dim half-light filtering in through the small barred window of the dungeon room. He turned away from her, unwilling to look at her face.

'Then perhaps we should put some distance between us!' he said, trying, but not quite managing, to speak coldly.

Perhaps it worked, for she did not answer him immediately. But then-

'You know, I was thinking the same thing, yesterday, before we came to Hogwarts,' she said, quietly.

'You- you did?'

_Damn it, why did his voice have to crack?_

It wasn't the answer he had expected. Or perhaps he should have…

'Yes,' she answered, simply. 'Not because of the Death Eaters and stuff, but more because… well, after what Mulciber said the other day, I thought perhaps, if we weren't seen together so often, your friends in Slytherin would … you know…have nothing to say.'

He felt a lump in his throat, but then his stomach clenched painfully. He was relieved that her reason for wanting to distance herself was concern for him and what his Slytherin friends thought, but didn't she think he could handle Mulciber and the other Slytherins? Then he wondered whether it was just a convenient way of saying she was tired of his company.

'If that what you _really_ want,' he bit out, still with his back to her, and conveniently forgetting that, just a moment ago, he had been the one to suggest the idea.

'No, no, of course not!' she said, coming round to face him. 'But Mulciber was saying that in Slytherin you'd have no-one -'

'I don't give a fuck what Mulciber says! And it's none of your business what happens in Slytherin! I can take care of myself there, as anywhere else!'

'Fine! Go on then, see if I care!' Lily's eyes blazed with a sudden fire, and she turned to leave, but in the dim half-light of the room, she didn't see the cauldron he had just placed at the foot of one of the old desks, and she crashed right into it, falling hard on her knees, and sending the cauldron spinning on its side and into the rickety desk, shaking it. Severus' bag fell off, rolls of parchment and other papers fluttered down everywhere, and three dusty glass vials fell off the desk and shattered.

Lily pushed herself back up to a standing position, but as she did so she winced, and clutched her right hand with an involuntary cry of pain. Severus hurried forward, thinking she had twisted her wrist at first, but seconds later, blood started oozing from between her pale fingers.

'Lily! You've cut yourself! Let me see-' and he made as if to take her hand, but she twisted it away from him, still holding it tight with her left hand.

'Back off, Severus!' she hissed, her face screwed up in both pain and anger 'It's just a scratch! And I can bloody well take care of myself, too! I don't need _you_ to help me!'

'It's _not_ just a scratch, since you're bleeding profusely all over my parchments,' he said calmly, and he saw her glance down at her feet, where the once neatly stacked pile of parchment was scattered, covered with shards of glass from the broken phials, and splatters from the steady drip, drip, of blood from between the fingers clutching her right hand.

'I can fix it,' he continued, 'Besides, I need to check what potion was in those bottles. They've been there since last June.'

Even in the dim light he saw her face pale. He knew perfectly well what had been in those bottles, and it was nothing poisonous, but he needed Lily to stay. He already regretted his earlier outburst, and though he still thought that she should, for her own safety, not be seen so often with him, perhaps this was not the way to go about it.

Lily was holding her bleeding hand out over a patch of floor not littered with parchment, and he saw her remove her fingers to examine the wound beneath. The blood immediately flowed more freely, and she hastily closed her fingers over the wound again. She looked up uncertainly, and he could see her hand tremble slightly.

'Please let me see it,' Severus said quietly, holding out his hand.

She looked at him in silence for a second, then mutely proffered her hand. He took it in his, turning it palm side upwards and noting, at the back of his mind, how small it looked in his much longer hand. He took out his wand and pointed it her red-stained palm.

'_Tergeo!_' he muttered, and watched the blood disappear from around the wound. He glimpsed a small, but deep, cut before the oozing blood covered it up again. The glass shard from the broken phials had cut deep. After satisfying himself there were no further shards inside, he said:

'We need to put some Wound-cleaning Potion on that, to draw out the toxins.' Still holding her hand, he pulled her towards one of the broken cupboards, and with one hand pulled out a small brown bottle from the topmost shelf. Unstoppering it with his teeth, he poured a small amount over the wound, where it frothed slightly. He felt Lily's hand twitch.

'Hold still, now.'

He could still feel a slight tremor in the warm hand cradled in his own, but Lily glanced up at him briefly, and then nodded.

He pointed his wand once more at the wound, running its tip across the edge and muttered :

_'Vulneris sanavi_'

The borders of the small cut came together, skin and flesh meshing together to form a neat, shiny pink line. He ran his thumb gently down that line, satisfied that the spell had worked well. Both their hands were covered in blood now, but Lily continued to stare at her own hand, still enveloped in that of Severus. It was completely healed now.

And then, before his mind had caught up with what he was doing, he was running his thumb again, slowly, over the pink scar on Lily's upturned palm, small calluses whispering on the pale skin of her flesh. It was as though his fingers had a will of their own.

He felt her hand tremble suddenly, and she pulled it away.

'How did you learn to do that?' she asked, her head bent.

'L -learn to do – what?' he felt his face flushing red.

'Heal wounds like that.'

'Oh. Pomfrey used the spell on me when I fell through the Glasshouse window, back in second year. Seen Mum do it on rare occasions, too. It only works on small cuts, but I thought it useful to know.'

He didn't tell her why he thought it useful. Bruises and cuts were, or used to be, a common occurrence in the Snape household, and since his mother, for the most part, did not bother with, or refused to use, Healing Spells, he thought _he_ would. Lily wouldn't ever have to witness again the state he ended up in, if he took another of his father's beatings.

'So there was nothing harmful in those bottles? You didn't check,' Lily was asking, looking at him closely now.

He shook his head, realising that she probably knew, but she didn't sound angry. He turned to replace the bottle of potion, and to avoid her gaze.

'It'll heal completely – at most only a faint white scar might remain,' he said, reassuringly.

'Well, I – Thanks, Severus,' she stood there in silence for an awkward minute then:

'Look, Severus, about your friends in Slytherin-,'

But he didn't want to argue about them right now. Neither did he want to give her _that_ as a reason for keeping away from him. Slytherin was _his_ House, and he knew how to handle himself there!

'Lily, I want you to forget the Slytherins!' he said trying to keep his voice level, 'You shouldn't be worrying about-'

She cut across him with a touch of impatience. ' I've known from first year that you're more than a match for Potter and Black put together, so I'm sure you can handle a Slytehrin or two, but that Mulciber seems bent on revenge. And he seems to have connections with -'

'They're all well-connected. Listen, Lily. I know what to do, ok?'

'Ok, fine! But what about the book? If you don't have problems from within Hogwarts, you surely do from outside!'

'Hogwarts is protected by enough protective spells and ancient magic so that no-one can get in.'

She looked at him unblinkingly for another minute, but then, to his relief, she gave up. Temporarily, of course, but he was glad for the reprieve from their near-quarrel. She sighed and went to the cauldron, heaving it upright again.

'C'mon, I'll help you clear up,' she said, as she bent down and started to pick up the scattered and blood-spattered parchment from the floor.

Too late, he realised what she was doing, and ran over to take the parchment from her hands. But she had seen what was written.

'Oh, this is your puzzle from the train, isn't it?' she asked, looking at the spiky letters covering the parchment. 'Did you solve it then?'

Before he could answer her, she had seen it. The next roll of parchment held the finished translation. He had spent his first night at Hogwarts stringing the words hidden in the runic code together, so that they disclosed his Great-Grandfather's secret message. This he had stared at in disbelief for a whole hour before finally going to bed.

"_My youngest Prince,_

_Do not translate this message, but leave it in the ancient script, lest it fall it to the wrong hands," _Lily read aloud_ "Go now, in young Slytherins' abode, and seek out the seventh alcove on the far right, where not even the green glow of the lake above does reach. There you will find columns three, each resting on Death's head. _

_Only one bears my mark._

_In greatest secrecy then, the following you must do: a simple but effective potion you must brew. This you pour in Death's unseeing eyes, and take that which lies therein._

_Firstly, this page - it is blood-imbued with my own life fluid. Shred it fine, and mix with shredded hellebore, belladonna, crushed newt's eyes and the skin of a fire salamander. These are easily procurable from your own stores, but, the last two of the seven ingredients must be added fresh:_

_A small drop of your blood, my child, to prove that you're my heir, and a cup of the purest of first snows, to bind the whole with magic cold. _

_No cauldron is needed- just touch with your wand and pour._

_I will await your owl at the birth of the new year, 1951. I am trusting you, child, with more than my life, so I know that you have heeded the words in my book, and you will be careful" _

Lily looked up from the parchment and gazed at him uncomprehendingly. Then she stood up.

'This isn't just a puzzle, is it?' she asked, holding the curling parchment in her hand and not taking her eyes off him.

He swallowed hard. What could he tell her now? He cursed himself for not heeding the words in the message, leaving the parchments on the desk. He should've listened to the twenty–year old advice, and burnt them!

He shook his head mutely.

He didn't want to lie to her – and she wouldn't believe any farfetched story anyway – she knew too much! He wished he knew how to do Memory Charms, then he could make her forget all this! It was already getting more complicated than he'd ever bargained for, and now this!

'What is it then?' Lily was saying, her voice unnaturally cold, 'Where did you get this runic code from?'

'My book,' he said, shortly.

She did not answer for a moment, but glanced downwards once more at the parchment in her hand.

'And who was your Great-grandfather writing to in 1950? "_My youngest Prince_" – Was it some relative? Prince is your mother's maiden name.'

'He was writing to my mother.'

'Explain!' she said with a touch of impatience. 'When did you find out all this?'

He was tempted to shout that it was none of her business after all, but he bit his tongue. Lily had her own interpretation of what was her business or not.

'June. Last year. It was a code written at the back of the book, together with an explanatory letter addressed to my Mum, by my Great-grandfather. He taught my mother the key to the code before she came to Hogwarts.'

'So she could brew this potion and pour it presumably …' she consulted the paper '…_pour in Death's unseeing eyes" _What for?' Lily crossed her hands angrily against her chest.

'How should I know?' he snapped, 'It seems the last ingredients are unobtainable, at least for now – a drop of my mother's blood, and snow!'

He had been so disappointed yesterday when the last words of the codes formed these recognisable, but unwelcome, words.

'Well, you could've just asked your Mum, couldn't you?'

'No, I couldn't. She doesn't know anything about it. Severus Prince died the summer before she came to Hogwarts and he never told her about the book hidden in her trunk. That's where I found it years ago, remember? He was going to owl her as soon as he was sure she was sorted into Slytherin!'

Lily looked at him doubtfully for a moment.

'Then how-?'

'I found out she still remembered the code – though she had no idea _why_ her Grandfather wanted her to learn it. She showed me how to break it last Friday-'

'But you knew since before summer about the letter! When were you planning on telling me?'

'I wasn't!'

She blinked.

'Don't look at me like that! You've never approved of that book, and what's written in it – especially hidden instructions around a splodge of dried blood!'

'Ah – the " _blood-imbued page"_ I presume! Well, that certainly means that the book must be here at Hogwarts if you intend following his instructions!'

He glared at her and snatched the blood-spattered parchments from her hand, but said nothing.

'I want to come with you!' she blurted out. 'When you go looking for whatever it is, in that death's head.'

'No.'

'But-!'

'The seventh alcove is in Slytherin common room!'

'Oh.'

She couldn't think of an argument to this, but then:

'How d'you know?'

He explained briefly the initials he had noticed on the marble skull back in his first year.

'But your Great-grandfather was in Slytherin! Why couldn't he do it himself?' Lily protested ' 'Unless – unless - hang on, you said there were his initials on that skull! So he must've set up the whole thing himself! And all this secrecy! Wait a minute – what if – what if he hid those books on Dark Arts there?'

Lily's eyes widened with dawning comprehension, and Severus cursed her perspicacity. She was close – very close!

'They were confiscated, remember?' he said, acerbically.

He did not tell her that in the original message to Eileen, Severus Prince had said he had managed to regain one of the books – his 'third most precious one'. A fact later confirmed by Phineas Nigellus. It had been Eileen's mission to get it back.

'Oh, right. Well, what was your Mum supposed to find, then?''

'I told you, I don't know,' he said irritably, starting to stuff all the blood-spattered parchments back into his bag, 'I'm not likely to find out any time soon, am I?'

'But if this thing he wanted her to do, or find, is so important, why rely on a first-year? Given all the secrecy, it can't have been some old forgotten school memento, he'd have wanted her to find! What about her older sister, your Aunt? Or – wait - she went to Durmstrang, not Hogwarts, right? Gartak had said so.'

He shrugged . Lily was too clever for her own good sometimes!

'I want you to promise you'll tell me whatever it is you find there!' she said, determinedly.

Severus made an exasperated noise. 'Who said it'll work? Or if I'll even try? It's my mother's blood the potion was designed for.'

'Of course you'll try! Her blood runs in your veins, and they say ...' she glanced down at her own red-tainted hand, '...they say there's very old magic tied to blood relations. Besides, I know you, Severus! You consider yourself his heir even more than your mother!'

He glared at her but she stared back defiantly. He couldn't understand why she was so determined to know. The whole thing smacked too much of dark magic and secrecy to attract her otherwise very lively spirit of adventure.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned away from her.

'We should get going,' he said, shortly.

'Hey, wait a minute Severus, you haven't promised-'

'And neither will I, but if you don't want to end up in detention on our first day back, we should get to our DADA lesson. I think the bell rang a while ago.'

_'What?_ Why didn't you tell me? You know we can't hear the bell from down here!' she dug her hand frantically in the pocket of her robe and came up with a wristwatch 'Oh, Merlin, Sev! We're already 15 minutes late and we've still got to go up five storeys!'

She slung her own bag over her shoulders, and they ran for the door.

It was at least another ten minutes later when they burst into the DADA classroom several storeys above. They were out of breath, for they had run all the way from the dungeons through several short cuts, but they found all the other Slytherin and Gryffindor students sitting in their places, and all twenty-two pairs of eyes turned towards them as they tumbled into the classroom.

'Ah – the missing students,' said a sharp, cold voice from the teacher's desk. 'Ms Evans and Mr Snape, I presume.'

It was Professor Gauvain Grimstone - apparently, he had already been through the register of students names.

'Y-yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir,' Lily stammered.

'I expect punctuality from my students, Ms Evans. You are both over half an hour late, and my lessons will not wait until you have finished your lover's tryst!'

There was a smattering of appreciative tittering and a couple of loud guffaws. Severus felt himself reddening. Lily, who was slightly in front of him, was looking at her shoes, her hair hiding her face. Strangely enough, he noticed that Potter, who was sitting nearby, was not laughing with the rest. Instead he looked distinctly cross.

'And what is that on your hands? Blood? Ah, no-!' he held up his hand as Lily started to explain. 'I don't care if it a lover's tiff or tryst! We are in the middle of a _war_ here, and my lessons are more important than your tawdry relationships. Please take your places, and twenty points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin.'

Any remaining tittering died down into resentful silence. Severus, fuming at the humiliation, strode towards an empty chair near Rosier and saw Mary MacDonald beckon Lily over to a place at her side.

'Now, as I was saying before the interruption,' Professor Grimstone continued, 'We will be starting with an in-depth study of the three unforgivable curses. I know these are usually taught at the end of fourth year or even in fifth year, but under present circumstances, the Ministry has deemed it fit, and your Headmaster agrees, that you be taught to recognise and understand the impact of these spells…'

'Ministry's acknowledging the existence of 'present circumstances' now, isn't it?' Rosier whispered to him. 'No longer boasting that things are under control, are they?'

'Because not even the most idiotic of dunderheads that still listen to the Ministry would believe them now!' Severus whispered back, 'And half the damage to their reputation is because of their own policies.'

'I know. But that's good. That's why so many are joining the Dark Lord…'

Professor Gauvain Grimstone's eyes swivelled in their direction, and they fell silent. Severus felt that this wizard was not someone to provoke. Besides, he had always been interested in the unforgivable curses and he wanted to see what could possibly work against them.

'There are no counter-spells against the Unforgivable Curses,' Grimstone said, as though reading his mind, 'If you are hit with an unforgiveable curse, you can do nothing to stop it. Some witches and wizards may resist the effects of the two milder curses, the Imperius curse and the Cruciatus curse, up to certain extant, and for some time. But both Curses leave signs on the effected witch or wizard. Some signs are obvious, some more subtle. Some signs are immediate, and some may appear later.'

His cold, grey eyes roved around the sea of faces turned towards him. You could hear a pin drop. Apparently, even the most frivolous of students believed this lesson worth knowing.

'We will be examining each of those signs, with particular reference to the Imperious Curse, this term, for I want you to be in a position to recognise someone who is not acting on his own behalf, but on behalf of other, more sinister forces. Remember that the use of the Unforgiveable Curses will earn you a life term in Azkaban, so I want you to treat this matter very seriously.'

'Yes, Lupin?'

Remus Lupin had his hand raised.

'Sir, what about the third unforgiveable curse?'

'That Mr Lupin, is the Killing Curse and as many of you know, it is the one curse that will leave no sign. No sign except death. A perfect corpse. Yes, Mr Rosier?'

Sir, since you work as an Auror, have you ever cast an Unforgivable Curse?'

There was complete silence. Severus wondered why Rosier was being so unnecessarily audacious. Professor Gauvain Grimstone came towards their desk, and bent close to Evan Rosier, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

'I'm standing here before you, Rosier, and not in a prison cell in Azkaban! However, in extreme circumstances, and with the specific intervention of the Minister of Magic himself, Aurors may be authorised to use one, or more, of these curses in order to protect wizardkind from a darker fate. But this is a clause to the Regulations that has been very seldom resorted to, so the use of Unforgivable Curses still means a long prison term for anybody.' He straightened up, but kept his eyes fixed on Evan, 'and you would do well to remember what I've just told you, Rosier!'

There was no mistaking the veiled threat. Rosier glared at Professor Grimstone until he looked away and resumed speaking about Unforgiveable Curses to a subdued class. Severus knew that Rosier's family had close connections to the Dark Lord's followers, and that his friend had told him that they feared a Ministry raid. But if before he was one of the few who knew about this, after Gauvain Grimstone's words, all the class now knew, or, more likely, had had their suspicions confirmed.

As for Severus, Professor Grimstone's words only confirmed what he had known for some time now – that the Ministry adopted two weights and two measures when dealing with the use, or misuse, of powerful magic.


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80: Shared Magic**

Lily crept silently along the torch-lit passageways of the dungeon. It was Sunday afternoon, and most people were outside enjoying the last of the warm September days, but she was still adamant in her resolve not to draw the Slytherins' attention to the fact that she was sneaking past their common-room, looking for Severus.

She held out her arms in front of her, admiring her own handiwork. Her pale hands and the black sleeves of her robe were gone – instead, she could see the rough stone walls of the dungeon, with a barely-there distortion around the space where her arms should be. Chameleon-like, they had taken on the colour and texture of the walls around her.

It had been difficult, but she had managed to cast her very first Disillusionment Charm. It was NEWT-level magic, and she was feeling rather proud of herself for having managed it on her own. She hadn't told Severus what she'd been practising, wanting to surprise him.

A movement ahead caught her eyes. A dusty-coloured cat had just slunk round the corner ahead, padding towards her on silent paws. She stopped, knowing the cat could catch even the slightest movement, but Mrs Norris, after pausing for two anxious minutes to sniff the air, proceeded on her way.

Strange, to meet that cat even down here in the dungeons. Perhaps Filch had orders to step up patrols.

Mentally breathing a sigh of relief that she had decided to disguise herself, she made her way down deeper into the castle's dungeons. Severus would be down in his hideout – he always was these days. But she was quite confident that she could find her way around the sublevels now, which was just as well, for the deeper passageways were not lit by torches, and her disembodied wandlight would give her away.

She came to the tunnel-like passageway that led to Severus's hideout, and felt her way with invisible hands along the damp, rough wall, her excitement mounting. She tried to imagine his face when he saw what she'd accomplished. This Charm gave quicker results than his Stealth Potion, though perhaps it did not render one completely invisible, and nor did it have the advantage of making one change appearance.

It would be rare to get one over Severus, but she felt this was one of those occasions, and she suppressed a giggle as she tried to imagine his astonished face.

Her hands found the cold metal of the elaborate iron hinges on the door to Severus's room. She knew it would be open. Though he often complained about it, he had never found a way to lock it.

Placing both hands on the heavy door, she pushed it open.

What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks.

Severus was standing in the middle of the room, his wand held high above his head, and from its tip, a black, cloud-like substance was emanating. He brought his wand down in a wide circular motion, and the swirling black cloud filled the entire room, contorting and twisting

like a live thing.

She almost cried out loud as it enveloped her like smoke, but it was odourless and cold. It reminded her forcibly of something she had seen when they had witnessed the Dementors' birth. She shivered involuntarily, and was about to announce her presence, when Severus turned round and she caught sight of his face.

She recognised his expression immediately. It was the look of intense concentration and suppressed excitement he wore when he was brewing a difficult, but interesting, potion, or learning a new and powerful spell.

The black mist swirled faster around the room as he brought his wand round in a sweeping motion once again. His pale face was the only thing visible in the surrounding darkness, and he was muttering an incantation, his voice low, but steady. His eyes were following the moving tip of his ebony wand, and they blazed with a dark fire of their own, as he watched the force he had unleashed.

She felt a grudging admiration at the sheer power of his magic, despite the misgivings she had about the actual nature of the spell.

It was time to let him know she was there, before he unleashed something even more terrifying.

But at that moment, his voice grew louder, stronger, and he brought his wand down in a whiplash movement, pointing it at the stone floor some distance away. The black smoke swirling round the room convulsed wildly, and with a loud rushing sound, seemed to collapse in on itself, forming a dark, twisting funnel that followed the movement of the wand.

Lily shrieked as the whirling black mist rushed past her, almost knocking her off her feet, but her cry was lost in the whistling, rushing noise of the miniature tornado that was now twisting itself around Severus's wand. His hair whipped wildly around his face, but he stood firm, as the dark wind swept together all the black tendrils of mist from the room, forcing them to coalesce at one point of the rough stone floor, where his wand was pointing. At that point, the darkness grew more intense, until suddenly, with a loud crackling noise, black flames leapt up from the stone floor.

The noise died down immediately, and the room was once more bathed in the dim light that filtered through the small barred window. The only sound was a faint crackling from the small fire of strange black flames in the middle of the floor. There was no wood to provide fuel – the flames burnt of their own accord, giving off a rather ominous, dark glow.

Lily realised her mouth was still open. She tore her eyes away from the tongues of black flames with difficulty (they made her feel uneasy, somehow), and they rested on Severus.

He was standing there, his wand held limply at his side, and he was looking at the black fire with a scowl.

As he looked, the flames flickered and burnt lower.

He swore loudly, and glared down at the dying flames.

Lily smiled at the familiar scowl on his face. Evidently, the spell had not gone entirely to plan. Then she noticed he was looking around the room, a puzzled look on his face, as though searching for something, but his eyes swept right through her, unseeing.

Of course, she was still under the disillusionment spell!

But before she could react, Severus had noticed the open door behind her, and, holding his wand aloft, he ran towards the door.

Naturally, he ran headlong straight into her, and she was almost knocked her off her feet. Stumbling backwards, she hit against the rough wall of the dungeon, and before she knew what was happening, a surprisingly strong, but cold, hand was closing round her neck, and a wand-tip was pressed at her throat.

Severus couldn't see her, but she could see him. His eyes, focussed somewhere on her left temple, were inches away from her face, their expression, deadly. He had taken her completely unawares, but before she could even croak out her name, she saw his eyes widen in horrified surprise, and he let go of her neck, as if burnt.

'Lily?' he whispered.

'S- Sev, it's me!' she gasped, massaging her neck.

'_Lily_! What in bloody hell-? _Where_ are you?'

'Here. I just managed a Disillusionment Charm, and was on my way to surprise you. I hardly expected such a welcome!'

She saw him look round at the black fire, now barely ten inches high.

'You –! How long have you –?'

'Been here? Oh. Long enough to have my breath taken out of me by that black tornado you conjured!'

'You should've told me you were coming!' he said, disgruntled, looking at a point to her left side.

She moved slightly, so that his eyes focussed on the slight distortion her body produced.

'I told you, I wanted to surprise you,' she answered, 'Seems my surprise fell rather flat though. What's that fire for?'

'Your surprise _was_ effective, Lily, believe me!' he said, ignoring her question and squinting hard at somewhere around her middle. 'Can you – can you – come back again? It's weird talking to a chameleon!'

With a smile he would not see, Lily took out her wand, and, holding it above her head, muttered:

'_Praestigii retextus'_

The warm feeling dribbled from her wand down her body, and she saw Severus's eyes focus on her face.

'Anyhow, how did you know it was me?' she asked.

'I didn't.'

'Yes, at first, but then you let go of me before I even spoke.'

He reddened slightly and looked away, shrugging.

'Well? Wasn't the Disillusionment Charm strong enough?'

He turned round to look at her again, his eyes sweeping down her face to rest on her neck.

'Your charm worked perfectly, Lily, and I'm sorry if I hurt you. I – I should've known. I had already smelt your presence.'

'_What_? You _smelt _me?'

She hadn't expected _that_ answer. Even in the dim light if the dungeon room, Lily could see his face reddening. He shrugged again, and turned to look at the small black fire again, letting his hair cover his face.

'Well, I certainly hope you meant that in a good way, Severus, because otherwise –'

The quick, horrified look he gave her convinced her of his meaning. 'Ok, I'll take it as a compliment then,' she continued with a smile. 'But I guess you're right. Every person has their own smell. Sometimes so subtle, you hardly know it's there, until you come upon it suddenly and unexpectedly. Like now.'

She remembered how he had stumbled against her, his familiar smell so at odds with the deadly look in his eyes.

He did not look up, but kept his face carefully hidden behind the curtain of long hair about his face.

'I'd recognise yours, anywhere, Sev,' she said, demurely, but secretly trying hard not to smile. His head snapped up at her words. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes narrowed.

She laughed inwardly. She loved catching Severus so off-balance.

'Yes,' she said, 'you smell of tallow from candle wax and torchlight, ink and old books, and sometimes, if you've been brewing, woodsmoke and herbs.'

He looked at her with an arched eyebrow, as though uncertain whether to be angry or not. Obviously, he did not believe her.

She laughed out loud, the mirth in her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the vaulted room.

'Oh, you should see your face, Sev! Your expression is so precious when you don't believe someone is sincerely paying you a compliment!'

He muttered something under his breath, and went to the desk to consult the many parchments scattered there, but she thought she saw his lips twitch upwards.

Mastering her mirth, she went over to the desk, looking curiously at the writing on them. They were the words of the incantation, but they had been crossed and re-written many times.

'I take it from your earlier profanities, that the spell didn't quite produce the result you expected,' she said.

'Fire s'posed to be much bigger,' he answered, shortly.

'But what does it do? Is this something to do with the message in the Runic Code?'

'No. I told you, I had to shelve that. I'd need snow, for one thing: that's not till another couple of months.'

Lily did not answer for a minute. Ever since she had found out about the runic message from his Great-grandfather, she had worried that what he would discover in the Slytherin common-room, would earn her friend the same fate as had befallen his ancestor. Or worse.

Even if the Books on Dark Arts had been confiscated, there were many other Dark Objects, or cursed ones, that could get Severus into trouble, especially with his penchant for forgetting any potential consequences, in the light of discovery of 'ancient magic', as he called it.

In reality, she couldn't help feeling a tiny bit curious herself about that was hidden, after the series of strange coincidences that had led her friend on such a quest. But, to her annoyance, and despite her pestering him, Severus had consistently refused to promise her anything about what he might, or might not, discover.

At least it was in the Slytherin common-room. He wouldn't be completely alone there.

Perhaps if she took matters into her own hands…

'You know, we can get snow now, if you like,' she remarked.

'Where from? Climb a mountain?' he answered derisively, 'With Aurors crawling incognito all over Hogsmeade? And Weather Charms are too difficult-'

'No, _we_ could do it! Remember when I helped you with old Flitwick's _Resumptum Duco_ Charm? We had used one wand, and the spell had kind of – doubled in strength or something, and we ended up with real snowflakes, instead of snowflake patterns with matchsticks!'

Severus looked at her meditatively.

'Yes, we had,' he said, 'But that was unknown and unpredictable magic, what we did. It wasn't supposed to happen.'

'But it did. For us it works, whatever else the books may say. Perhaps we could give it a go.'

But Severus shook his head. 'We'd need lots more snow than the few snowflakes we got on that occasion. Besides, why're you so eager? I told you that whatever it is my Great-Grandfather hid, it's in Slytherin common-room, and you're not allowed in there.'

She scowled at him, and decided to change track.

'Tell me what you were doing with the black fire.'

'It's supposed to be a sort of barrier.'

'Barrier?'

'Won't let you through.'

'Who'd want to go through something like that? It looks …menacing.'

'I hope it does more than _look _menacing, I want it to work!'

'And where d'you get that spell from, or need I not bother asking?'

He cast her a dark look, but said nothing.

'It's from that book isn't it?' She felt a cold dread take hold of her, even though he hadn't spoken. Something must have shown on her face for he said:

'Well actually, no. The spell is my own invention.' She could hear the note of pride in his voice. 'The spell to summon the black mist _is_ from the book, but the one to concentrate it into a black fire is my own. A variation of the _ardor incendii_ spell. I'm still not sure about the properties, though. It turned out weaker than I thought.'

'And what is it supposed to do?' she repeated, her eyes fixed on what was left of the black flames. She half-dreaded to hear the answer.

Severus silently went over to the desk and took off an earthenware lid off a shallow dish. A scurrying movement inside indicated it was full of dead leaves and small insects. He curled his long, pale fingers around a shiny, blue-black beetle.

Moving wordlessly to where the small tongues of black fire still flickered, he threw the wriggling beetle through the black fire. It passed right through the flames and landed upside down, spinning slightly on its shiny, rounded back.

It was dead.

Severus picked it up, frowning.

'Where – where did you intend planting that fire?' Lily asked, weakly.

He looked up at her and then to the door.

'I wanted to have something impressive to guard this place' he said, his face ashen, 'Given Gartak's death and – Well, given that someone might be after the book,…'

'A wise decision overall, but I sure hope you'd have given me fair warning before planting that outside this door! Anyone else, for that matter, might wander innocently down here, and-'

'I – I didn't know it would do that. It was just supposed to have repelled…' he paused, frowning, 'Interesting effect, though,' he remarked, recovering a bit of colour.

'It's not _interesting_ Sev, it's _deadly_!' Lily said, with an exasperated sound. 'And after four years of Magical education, you should know not to try unknown spells! It's dangerous!'

But Severus just looked up at her, and smirked.

'You were just now advocating the use of combined spellwork, something proven to have unpredictable and perhaps destructive results!'

'Not for us, it doesn't!'

'Remember Mulciber?'

'Well, I didn't know what hex you were going to throw at him, but I was pretty mad with him myself. I suppose some of my magic must've gone through your wand.'

'It did. I felt it.'

'You did?'

He nodded. 'My spell, with your magic. It was …weird.'

She looked at him for a moment, then:

'You know Severus, I know a pretty good Sealing Charm you could use on that door.'

He made a derisive noise 'You mean those spells that seal cupboards and drawers? Or _Collaportus_? Those Charms are easy to break through – even some senior students'd know how!'

'No, not those! I'm talking about the _Obstruere_ Charm!'

'I don't know that one, but I heard about it. It's pretty strong, though I think a good witch or wizard could still lift that spell. Besides, it would only let through the sealed door the one who cast the spell, and no-one else,' he paused, 'I could do that, though,' he added.

'So I wouldn't come upon you unawares, when you're dabbling in that Black fire stuff again, you mean?' she answered, noting how quickly his expression changed to a blank, closed look.

'You could tell me you're coming, and I'd lift off the charm,' he retorted.

'Or we could try a Stealth-Sensoring Spell, or the _Amuletum excedo_ Charm. You'd need a charmed object for that, though. An amulet, or something that would let only the wearers through,' she answered, ignoring him, 'And I've heard of other spells too, that can hide a place effectively, make it unplottable, or disguise it.'

'And then how would _we_ find it?' he pointed out, acerbically.

'Oh, right. Well, I've heard of other protective spells, but they're extremely complex, and not even most qualified wizards would know how to cast such spells, so …'

'You've been giving this some thought, haven't you?' Severus said, suspiciously.

She had.

'You're not the only one worried about what Gartak's death could mean! And Mulciber – he might've overheard us that time. And even if not, I don't trust him, - he might follow you down here, or something! This would give him reason enough to get his own back at you!'

'Mulciber hasn't bothered me at all.'

But she saw that her arguments were having some effect, and he was frowning thoughtfully.

'That's because he might be biding his time,' she insisted, 'Anyway, he'd probably come off worse if he had to duel you!'

Especially with these new and dangerous spells her friend was concocting. He arched an eyebrow at her, trying not to show he was pleased that she thought him more than a match for Mulciber.

'Ok, then, so shall I have a go at this _Obstruere Ostium _charm, then?' he said finally, casting a rueful glance at the black fire. The flames were no more than a few inches high now, and with a final sputter, they disappeared. 'Have you ever tried it?'

She nodded. 'I've been practising more than Disillusionment Charms this month. And I think I've mastered _Obstruere.'_

His eyebrows went up in surprise, but he did not object as she took a position in front of him and took out her wand.

'Ready?' she asked.

He nodded, raising his own wand. 'What do I do?'

'The incantation is _Obstruere Ostium_, and the wand is held high up, in the vertical alignment position, above the witch or wizards' head. The wand motion is circular, like this –' she demonstrated what she meant and watched Severus mirror her perfectly.

'The castor of the spell must stay on the outside of the door or gateway to be sealed, and stand within the magic circle thus produced. Then, the surrounding magic must be gathered thus, and made to flow towards the door, like this-' She brought her wand down in an elegant arch, and Severus followed suit.

She was enjoying her role as teacher for a change. With Severus it was far more often the other way around.

'Got it?' she asked, putting her wand away.

He nodded, repeating the movement once more. It was perfect.

'Ok,' he said moving towards the door once more, 'You better come outside, too.'

'What d'you mean - ? Sev, wait!'

But he had disappeared through the door. She followed at a run, but before she could protest further, Severus had shut the door behind them, and they were both thrown into the pitch-black darkness of the tunnel-like passageway outside.

'We're doing this together, aren't we?' she said, subconsciously lowering her voice in the silence outside, 'That way, the charm'd work for both of us!'

He didn't answer her.

'Sev, where _are_ you?' She flung out her hand in front of her eyes and hit something warm and yielding, right in front of her. 'Oh there you are!' she splayed her fingers against his chest, noting, at the back of her mind, how fast his heart was beating.

'Oh, this is ridiculous! I can't see anything!' she said, as she fumbled in her robes for her wand, intending to light it.

'No, don't!' she felt a hand on her arm, and Severus was there beside her, but it was so dark, that she could not see even the faintest outline.

He let go of her arm, but she smiled as she realised what he must have meant earlier, when she was still under the Disillusionment Charm. Although she could not see him, she could sense him – his warmth, and his familiar smell, were as real and as present, as though he still had his hand around her arm.

'L - let's just do this!' he whispered, '…t-together, if you insist.'

He seemed nervous. Perhaps he did not have as much confidence as she did in their combined spellwork. She did not know why she felt so, but for her, sharing their wands was just one of those things she just knew could not be wrong.

'Shall we use my wand?' he was saying, from somewhere a bit further away than previously.

'No, we'll use both!'

_'Both?_ How in Merlin's name d'you propose to do that? We're both right-handed , and –' his voice rose, but, with a smile he could not see, she shushed him.

'Like this,' she whispered, moving towards the sound of his voice. She heard a sharp intake of breath as her hands fluttered across his chest once more, as she assured herself she was standing right in front of him.

Then she ran her fingers down his arms.

'Take my hands,' she whispered again, and she felt him lean in closer, as his left hand closed round her wand arm, and as, likewise, she placed her left hand over his right, which was clutching the ebony wand.

Somehow, her heart was now fluttering as wildly as his, and she realised how close they were. Like two dancers preparing to dance in the dark, or two lovers preparing to embrace.

Her breath hitched, and she looked up, trying to see Severus' face, her eyes wide and staring in the dark. She could only make out the faintest outline of a darker shadow in front of her. But she _felt_ him looking at her in the dark, since, being the taller of the two, he had to bend slightly over.

_She had to concentrate on the magic. _

She felt a slight tremor passing through her hands – whether hers or Severus', she had no idea. With a slight pressure on his hands, she indicated they should start, and lifted her arms above her head as Severus did the same, both wands now pointing at the low ceiling above. Again, Severus, being taller, had to lean forward slightly, so she stood on tiptoes to reach better.

This brought them even closer together.

'Ready?' Severus whispered, his breath fanning her cheek. She nodded slowly, forgetting he could not see, and closed her eyes.

Better that way, because the pitch darkness, Severus' closeness, or her wild imagination were making feel as though …

_Concentrate! _

Then she felt it.

The deep throb of magic, that usually started right at her very core, to then pass down her arm and leave her wand tip as sparks of a familiar spell, was now magnified a hundredfold!

It burned deep within her, and passed through her, and beyond her. Her hands grew hot around her wand, and around those other hands conjoined to hers, as an energy unknown, and yet strangely familiar, coursed back through her arms.

It was frightening, for it was beyond her control, but it was beautiful too.

And then she knew it was time.

In one voice they cried :_ 'Obstruere Ostium!',_ and a blinding, crackling, white light, like blue lightening, sprang from their wand tips, joining together to form an arch of pure magic.

In unison and perfect synchronicity, they moved their wands in a circular motion above their heads, and the tongues of harsh white light softened into glowing swirls of blue-white light that fell around them like a curtain of falling stars. She could feel the magic seeping through their very skin.

In the bluish-white light of their magic she finally caught sight of Severus' face. They were inches apart now, for she was still standing on tiptoe, to accommodate his greater height, and he was leaning over, panting slightly, with an expression of startled excitement.

But then, his eyes focussed on hers, and she saw something else besides the blue-white magical stars, reflected in their black depths.

For one infinitesimal second, that seemed to last forever, she saw there a burning fire that was not engendered by the magic they had unleashed. It left her breathless, excited but frightened at the same time. And she had seen it before. She was sure of it, now. Surely Severus couldn't be-?

'Shall we?' he said, and he squeezed her hands lightly. The intense look was gone. It had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and had been replaced by one of intense concentration and controlled excitement.

She nodded, and felt him grasp her hands more firmly. He was leading this time. And like some graceful dancer, he brought both their arms down in a wide arching movement between their bodies, so that both wands now pointed at the door.

The blue-white swirl of light followed the arching wands, forcing Lily and Severus apart, but they did not let go of each other's hands, and the blinding light hit the door with a strange, vibrating noise. The door glowed briefly as tendrils of crackling, white-hot light snaked their way around the elaborate hinges and rivets.

And then, suddenly, it was gone.

They were plunged once more into pitch-black darkness and silence. Severus released her hands. The deep, tingling feeling of the magic within her had disappeared completely, and she felt strangely bereft. She shivered slightly, and moved towards the door, but an arm barred her way.

'No, let me,' Severus said, as he pushed past her.

She suddenly realised that if the spell had gone wrong (and nothing in her previous practise sessions had prepared her for the kind of wild, raw power they had unleashed), Severus would remain locked out of his hideout forever.

With a sick feeling, she stared blindly in the direction of the door, then she heard a faint scrabbling noise, and a chink of dim light appeared, silhouetting the door. Severus had pushed it open.

After a second's hesitation, he stepped through. A faint blue glow appeared as he crossed the threshold, but nothing else happened. He turned, and looked at her expectantly.

With a sigh of relief, she followed him in, gasping slightly as the blue light washed over her. It felt like shards of ice.

'I'd say it worked ok,' she said.

'More than ok! That was some bloody amazing spellwork!' he said, his voice still hushed in awe. He was looking down at his hands in wonder, probably remembering the sheer force of the magic that had passed between them moments before. 'I really need to find out more about this, Lily. Perhaps there's more about wandlore in the restricted section of the Library. It'd explain why you and I ... you know... why this happens to us two.'

He looked up then and caught her eye. Something there made her look away quickly, and she felt herself flushing.

'I – I forgot, I've promised to go and help Jenny with her homework,' she stammered.

She suddenly felt uncomfortable in her friend's presence, even though he was standing nowhere as close to her as before. But the memory of what she had seen, what she had _felt,_ was still fresh in her mind, and suddenly she felt like she needed a breath of fresh air – desperately!

'See you tomorrow, for Potions,' she said, forcing a smile and trying to sound normal.

He nodded, and bent over a sheaf of parchments on a desk nearby, his hair falling across his face. But not before she had seen the familiar blank and closed expression, turn his features into a mask once more.

Taking a deep breath, she passed through the charmed door and closed it behind her. In the tunnel-like passage outside, there was no trace of the powerful magic they had unleashed moments ago. It was cold, dark, and silent, as she stumbled her way along its length, and it felt to her that she had somehow lost part of herself in that dark tunnel.


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81: Complicated Friendships.**

Rain lashed against the mullioned windows of the Library, and Severus gave it a perfunctory glance. It was Hallowe'en, and though snow was still a distant dream, the weather had definitely changed for the worse.

It was only Thursday, but the Library would be closing early because of the Hollowe'en feast which would take place in the Great Hall that evening. In fact, the Library was almost deserted, for everyone was looking forward to the feast. But Severus had finally managed to get permission to go into the restricted section.

It was Professor Grimstone who signed his permission form, and, rather unusually for a fourth-year student, gave him a blank page – he could borrow anything, and not a specific book. He had rushed off as soon as the paper was in his hands, even skipping afternoon lessons to make the most of his time in the restricted section. Madam Pince had sniffed in disgust when she had seen Grimstone's note, but she had let him through the roped off restricted section.

Perhaps it was a trick of Grimstone's, just to know what books he would take out. He was an Auror after all, as well as their DADA teacher.

But Severus would not be making it easy for him. He wouldn't be so stupid as to take out certain books on Dark Arts.

Especially his Great Grandfathers confiscated books, if he found them. They'd be in manuscript form, and he'd recognise the handwriting anywhere. Phineas Nigellus's portrait had said they had disappeared during that one brief year his great-grandfather was being tutored for a teaching post at Hogwarts, but that they had then reappeared mysteriously some twenty-odd years later.

He had been searching the shelves feverishly for two hours now, for any sign of the two books, but he had seen nothing that could fit the description, or that bore his ancestor's handwriting.

He had not really expected to find them. He remembered that Phineas had avoided answering his question about the current whereabouts of the books.

He sighed in frustration. Phineas Nigellus knew something more, he was sure of that, but he wasn't saying anything.

His only hope now was that there might be some clue as to their location – or at least, the 'third most precious book' - hidden within the marble skull bearing the initials 'SP'.

Just then a rustling sound made him look up.

Narcissa Black came round one of the tall bookshelves. She was so absorbed in reading a large book with red-leather cover that she did not see him immediately, and almost ran into him. She gave a start and snapped the book shut.

'Oh, it's you. Severus! You startled me!'

'Some late-night studying?' he indicated the book she was now hugging to her chest.

'Oh, you know. It's my NEWT year, this year.'

That was strange. He hardly ever saw Narcissa studying except when exams were round the corner. There was also something suspicious about how she was holding the book against her: though one slender finger was still inserted between the pages, as though marking the place she had been reading, her other hand was covering the spine, so that he could not read the title.

Well, she needn't have bothered. He had caught a glimpse of the front cover before she clutched it to her chest, and he had recognised it immediately.

It was the book that had given him away, when, back in second-year, he had attempted to sneak into the restricted section at night. He would not easily forget the moving picture of the witch in the throes of childbirth, that had screamed out the alarm which had brought Filch on his tail.

The Book was clearly a tome on Dark Arts. But then, so were many others in the restricted section, so he could not understand Narcissa's reluctance to let him see what she was holding. Something about the slender seventh-year girl was different. She looked tired, and her face was paler than usual, with dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps she _had_ been studying hard, or, perhaps, there was another reason for her sleepless nights.

'Have you – have you heard from Lucius?' he blurted out.

Malfoy had graduated last year, and was no longer at Hogwarts. Severus knew from what he had overheard last year, that Malfoy had aspirations to become a Death Eater. The half-burnt pages Reg had shown him, of a diary belonging to Narcissa's older sister Bellatrix, also spoke about a mysterious initiation ceremony that was to have taken place that summer. If the initiate was Lucius Malfoy, then he was now a fully-fledged Death Eater, and fighting at the Dark Lord's side.

A dangerous place to be.

He remembered that the last time he had seen Narcissa with Lucius, she had been moaning with pleasure at his kisses in a dark, disused classroom in the upper levels of the dungeons. Narcissa didn't know he had seen her there, but even as he spoke, he saw a faint pink suffusing her pallid face.

He had witnessed her increasing admiration of Lucius before that, and she knew that much.

'He's very busy at the moment,' she said, in a strained voice. 'He – he doesn't have much time to write, and – and –' she stopped, her voice growing tremulous.

'Did he do it, then?' his voice was low, and he kept his eyes fixed on hers.

'Do what?' she breathed back, but her face went pale again, and he knew she knew what he was referring to.

'I know he wanted it, Narcissa,' he whispered back. 'I know he'd been trying for months to become worthy of taking his place at the Dark Lord's side! He wanted to become a Death Eater!'

She stared at him in silence, her face pale but unreadable. She was not going to tell him, he could see that. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the sound of the rain against the window panes, and the barely-there whispering of the books on the shelves around them.

'Last time he wrote to me,' she said, finally, 'he said he was rising fast in the circles that mattered; he said that life was exciting and – and – dangerous; very dangerous; he said he couldn't put anything in writing, because letters might fall into the wrong hands; he said he c- couldn't even …' she spoke fast, but now her voice grew shaky once more and she looked away.

Severus stared at her. He had realised last year that she had obviously much admired Lucius's enrolment in the most important wizarding war in recent history, and his potential inclusion in the ranks of the most famous rebels of their age, the Death Eaters. But now, the suspicions he had last year were confirmed. Hers hadn't been just a simple infatuation, or a well-calculated move to ensnare the hottest student in Slytherin.

She loved Lucius Malfoy. Deeply.

She was genuinely anxious and frightened at what could be happening to him now that the Ministry were using brutal methods to gain the upper hand. She, after all, like everybody else in Slytehrin, knew about his encounter with Dementors. She was beginning to recognise the real risks.

'Narcissa?' he said, uncertainly. Somehow the sight of her emotions – her _real _emotions always unbalanced him.

She took a deep calming breath, and turned to face him once more.

'You wrote to Lucius last summer, didn't you?'

He nodded, deciding that he would not press the issue. She as good as confirmed his suspicions that Malfoy was now a Death Eater, anyway.

'He reassured me that his father would fix everything,' he told her, 'He said they were well-connected to the Ministry. That's got to count for something, doesn't it?'

He didn't know why he was trying to comfort Narcissa, or why _she_ was standing there talking to him. She was a seventh-year, and certainly the most beautiful witch in Slytherin, as well as one from the oldest, richest, pureblood families. She had never paid him much attention before, though neither had she snubbed him.

And yet … there was a subtle difference in the way she spoke to him now. He had seen her vulnerability last year, and they both knew it was their shared secret.

Narcissa's face had taken on a bit more colour, and she nodded at his words.

'Yes, Abraxas Malfoy has close connections to the Ministry,' she agreed 'But that does not make anybody immune, nowadays. Even the oldest, most respectable families have been targets of brutal inquisitions. You know why Rabastan Lestrange hasn't yet returned to Hogwarts, this year, I assume?'

'The rumours are true, then? Avery said their home was raided.'

'Twice. His father was taken for questioning. He came back half-dead and delirious. They tortured him.'

There was fear behind her beautiful blue eyes. She was afraid that Lucius might suffer the same fate.

'The boys have rallied round their old father and they think he may recover, but he's still under shock,' she was saying, 'So do not count on any more of the clandestine meetings you've been having when – and if – Rabastan comes back to Hogwarts.'

_Clandestine meetings? How did she know -?_

But then he remembered that Reg had said that Narcissa's sister was betrothed to Rodolphus Lestrange. His protests died before they were even formed, and he said nothing.

'And another word of warning, Severus,' she continued, her voice low with anxiety.

He remembered that she had once, in his second-year, warned him about house loyalties. But it had been a cold and calculating piece of advice, then. Now it was different. He felt it keenly as she drew closer to him, and spoke even lower.

'Be careful of Mulciber! He's ambitious and will stop at nothing to get his own way. I met him at the Lestranges at the end of summer. He has been saying that your loyalties are questionable, that you risked your life to save some muggles from that Dementor, because you have an unnatural love for the low muggle life; that you're on first-name terms with unspeakable beings like goblins, and that you threatened him so he wouldn't expose your affinities-'

She must have seen the look in his eyes, because she stopped.

'Well, he got the bit about threatening him right!' he bit out angrily, and turned to go. Narcissa could go to hell too, if she listened to Mulciber!

But he felt her hand on his arm, stopping him.

'But I didn't believe him!' she said, softly 'I knew you would never turn your back on the rightful heirs of magic. You're too clever a wizard to want that! But it was the muggleborn from your town, you were with the night of that Dementor attack, weren't you?'

He shook her hand off. 'You, Narcissa, know nothing about me at all!' he spat, 'And if you want Mulciber to fill in the details about me, he'd be happy to oblige – that's his favourite pastime in the common room now, isn't it?'

And he turned to go once more.

'I know that you've remained loyal to her in spite of what I told you back in second-year,' she said softly.

She did not sound reproving. He slowed down and stopped, his breath hitching as he heard her come up behind him.

'It was her, wasn't it?' she asked 'Lily Evans. It was _her_ life you saved from that Dementor. And you threatened to curse Seth Mulciber when he got smart with her.'

He turned slowly round to face her, his eyes narrowed and his jaws clenched.

'How -?'

'How do I know? Well, Severus, I didn't only hear Mulciber's version of events, and besides, a girl can figure out many things from what a wizard says – or leaves unsaid. Especially someone as predictable as Mulciber!'

There was a hint of smugness in her voice now, but she did not sound disapproving when she spoke again:

'You risked your life for the muggleborn, Severus, and you are now risking your housemates' friendship, and more, perhaps, because of her,' she said, with a note of wonder in her voice.

Her eyes searched his.

'But I believe you know that already…' she added softly.

Severus tensed. Narcissa drew uncannily correct conclusions, but he did not want her to know – he did not want anyone to know, just how intense his feelings for Lily were. His attack on Mulciber had already been too revealing, and it was becoming dangerous for both of them.

But looking into Narcissa's eyes, he thought he saw something strange there – like pain, intermingled with pity.

'So I will not tell you what you already know, Severus,' she was saying, hardening her voice, 'but I think you're heading for disaster. You're a half-blood, but the Prince blood that runs in your veins is strong with magic. It would be a pity to see it spilt in needless and unacknowledged sacrifice.'

'Is that a _threat_?'

'Not my own. But that muggle-born girl could hurt you, Severus – you know what I'm talking about. There's a war, and her kind are bound to end up on the wrong side!'

'You don't know Lily! You don't know her at all!'

_Why didn't he just shut up? He was giving himself away with every word!_

Narcissa was silent for a minute.

'Perhaps I don't know her Severus, but I know the ways of the world,' She moved past him, still hugging the book to her chest, 'I think that your loyalty to her is sadly misplaced. You're telling me you'd still defend her, despite the fact that she's a muggleborn, aren't you? That you'd sacrifice your own blood for someone who's bound to bring you trouble and grief?' And she turned to go.

'Why, wouldn't do the same for Lucius, Narcissa?'

She froze, stopping dead in her tracks, but did not look round. Then, with a strangled sob, she broke into a run, and disappeared behind the bookshelves in the direction of Madam Pince's desk.

Severus turned back to the restricted section, mentally cursing himself for what he'd just said. He'd just confirmed Narcissa's suspicions about him and Lily. Not that she hadn't known before. She was intuitive and clever, after all. He hoped she would keep his secret, the same as he had done for her.

But he hadn't liked the look of pity in her eyes, as though Lily would hurt him, somehow. How could she? After all, he hadn't even told her what he felt about her.

Admittedly, it was getting more difficult to hide it. Last time, when they were in the dark tunnel of the hideout together, before they had cast the combined spell, her closeness, her smell, the warmth of her hands as she sought him out in the dark, had set his head spinning, and he had almost betrayed himself then.

He had been careful after that, not to allow himself to get that close again. He kept his distance, making sure not to touch her, and he even twitched away from her, when her hand brushed his accidently, or they sat near each other. He hoped Lily did not notice, for he was not, after all, a very 'touchy feely' person, and usually shied away from any human contact, but many times he noticed a confused and hurt look in her eyes.

It could not be helped however, and it was better that way.

He still didn't know who was after his book, but if Gartak was murdered for information, then he wanted to ensure that no-one suspected Lily was anything more than just another friend from school. Unbidden, the sinister words of the message his Great Grandfather had written to his mother, hidden away at the back of his Book on Dark Arts came to his mind:_ "I have many enemies, Eileen, greedy for the knowledge within that book."_

He cringed mentally. He had been thinking, over and over again, about those words, and what they could mean, ever since he learnt about Gartak's death. Could any one of these 'enemies' still be alive? Probably. With a twinge of anxiety, he thought about Lily.

Bad enough Narcissa knew about his feelings for her. Others, perhaps, too. He needed to keep her out of it.

Besides, what could he tell Lily? She'd probably laugh at him in embarrassment! He was nothing more than a scrawny schoolboy, for Merlin's sake! Even Lucius, for all his wealth and presence, had only won Narcissa's heart when he joined the rebel forces of the Death Eaters!

It was enough that he could still count on Lily's friendship.

Though, come to think of it, Lily herself had been behaving oddly, after all. After that day, she had never again suggested they share wands again, and he had caught her staring at him in silence a few times, blushing furiously when he caught her out, or brought her back to the matter at hand with some curt remark.

His persistent coldness did work, after a while, and though he knew she was a bit confused and hurt at his behaviour, they had eventually settled into a rather prickly companionship, which, if not exactly comfortable, was at least, level-headed.

He ran his hand along one of the dusty bookshelves at the very back of the restricted section, and something on the spine of a small, rather inconspicuous black leather book caught his eyes. It was a symbol of sorts, but it was vaguely familiar. It looked like a triangular eye, and he was sure he had seen it somewhere. The title of the book was _'Wandlore: from the Dark ages to the early twentieth century'_.

He remembered that after all he had promised Lily he would look into the matter of their combined spellwork, and why it worked so differently for them. Since he could not find any sign of his Great-grandfather's books, he might as well get some on wandlore. If Grimstone had to check on what books he took out, tomes on wandlore would not be suspicious.

Half an hour later, when Madam Pince came to shoo him out of the Library, he was laden with five of the most promising books on wandlore (not that there were many anyway) he could find.

Having stacked away his library books in the Slytherin dorm, he was crossing the Entrance Hall on his way to the Hallowe'en feast, where everyone was already gathered, when a particularly large bat detached itself from a curved spear held by one of the suits of armour, where it had been hanging upside down. It started flying about his head in jerky circles. The Great Hall was alive with bats, and orange pumpkin heads hung from the enchanted ceiling instead of candles, in honour of the day.

He waved his hand at it irritably, trying to shoo it away, thinking it had escaped out of the Great Hall. But the bat continued in its silent but erratic, flight typical of those animals, around his head. It was then that he noticed the tiny slip of paper tied to its feet. He put out his hand uncertainly, and the bat swooped down with a flutter of leathery black wings. Gripping his fingers with its tiny clawed feet, it came to rest, folded its wings and looked up at him from an upside down position .

He undid the tiny string holding the small slip of parchment and the bat took off as soon as its feet were free of the paper.

Making sure he was alone, Severus unrolled the tiny slip of parchment. There was only one short sentence:

'_Take Rowena's path and meet the source of your knowledge on the last day of November.'_

It was Madeira.

Lily glanced at the High Table. All the teachers were there, and their table was laden, as were those of the students, with lots of food, prominent among which were tureens of pumpkins soup and bowls of fruit and nuts.

The only seat that was empty was that of the Headmaster, Dumbledore. In all her years at Hogwarts, Lily had never known him to miss the Hallowe'en Feast. It gave her a sense of foreboding, even though the other Teachers did not appear to be unduly worried and seemed to be enjoying the feast.

She glanced across the Hall at the Slytherin table. Severus had not come to the feast. He had disappeared the moment he managed to obtain Professor Grimstone's permission to enter the restricted section of the Library.

She sighed. Probably he was still there now, buried in dusty, worm-eaten tomes on Dark Arts.

But just at that minute, she noticed a thin, dark figure slip into the Hall. It was Severus. He made his way to the Slytherin table and sat down unnoticed by himself at its far end. Taking a small piece of paper from his pocket he held it over the flame of a candle stuffed in one of the smaller pumpkins decorating the table. It vanished in a wisp of smoke.

She tried to catch his eye, but Slytherin table was right across the Hall, and in the red-orange glow of the Jack 'o lantern she couldn't even see if he was looking her way.

Probably not.

She resisted the impulse to just go over to the Slytherin table and talk to him, for apart from the fact that she knew it wouldn't be a good idea, Severus had been behaving strangely the past weeks.

For a moment, weeks ago, when they had cast that combined spell that successfully sealed the dungeon door to all but themselves, she had thought she'd seen something in his face that made her think he saw her as something more than a friend. She had seen glimpses of it before, but so fleetingly, so quickly come and gone, that she could never be sure.

But that time, she had been almost sure… And it had frightened her as much as it had thrilled her.

But what frightened her even more was that she herself could not stop thinking about it.

Hour after hour, during the sleepless night that followed, she re-lived how, in the pitch-black darkness of the tunnel, she had felt the fast beating of his heart beneath her hands, as she searched blindly for his presence; how she had felt his breath on her cheek as he held her hands firmly, while the magic spell flowed through their hands, and how, for that small moment of time, his dark eyes had fixed her with such a burning look that it had left her completely breathless.

It was worse in the days that followed, for, although Severus never mentioned anything, she felt distracted, and unable to concentrate on lessons or work. She felt distinctly uncomfortable when they were alone together, but, conversely, she seemed unable to keep her eyes off him. She couldn't stop observing him, when he wasn't looking, wondering if she'd notice something – anything – that might confirm what she suspected.

But Severus seemed completely oblivious. If anything, he was rather irritable and would call her attention back sharply to whatever they were working on, if he caught her staring at him. To her mortification, she'd blush furiously whenever this happened, but again, her friend never showed any signs he'd noticed.

His odd, stand-offish behaviour confused her at first, and then, she even felt strangely hurt, as though he had offended her somehow, though she couldn't really put a finger on anything in particular that he'd said, or done, to make her feel so.

Eventually, she started to think that perhaps she'd been mistaken, that perhaps it was just the thrill of the unusual magic they had wrought that day, that made her imagine or misinterpret the look on Severus' face.

She sighed, observing the Slytherin Table over her goblet of pumpkin juice. Although she had got her focus back, and her work had reached its usual good standards again, she found that something had subtly changed between herself and Severus. She didn't know what exactly, or whether it was only on her part, but now she did not feel as comfortable as before when she was alone with him. Yet, at the same time, whenever they were apart, she'd be counting the time until she would be in his company again.

Just then, Rosier, who had been sitting further down, noticed Severus alone at the far end of Slytherin table, and went over to talk to him. She observed that the other Slytherins Rosier had been sitting with, that included Wilkes and Nyneve, remained sitting were they were. Avery and Mulciber were engrossed in bullying some first-years, and had not even turned round.

'Want some of this pumpkin juice, Evans?' said a voice behind her.

She turned round. It was Potter, and he was together with Sirius. Both of them held jugs in their hands. She shook her head, her eyes still on Severus. Vaguely, she wondered why James Potter was asking her. She could very well help herself to Pumpkin juice.

The reason became clear soon enough.

'It's special, you know!' Potter insisted, winking at her confidentially.

'What is it?' Thalia, who was sitting on her left side, looked up at Sirius, smiling, but looking at the jug he carried in distrust. Potter and Black had a notorious habit of playing practical jokes. Mary MacDonald, however, who was next to her, giggled nervously.

'Yes,' continued Sirius Black, 'It's pure, unadulterated ….' He bent between the two girls, causing Mary to blush furiously, and whispered: '…_Firewhisky_.'

Mary giggled again, and held out her goblet. Sirius poured in a small amount.

'How did you manage to get this?' Thalia asked, taking a careful sip.

'Well, you know,' Sirius said, looking at his companion, '... marauding the school grounds we came upon a golden opportunity.' Then they both laughed as though at some private joke, and Thalia looked puzzled.

'Well, I must say, it's quite good. Better than the Firewhisky we have at home,' she said with the air of a connoisseur.

'You're allowed this at home?' Mary asked, lifting her goblet to her lips. But then the rest of her words were lost in a coughing fit as the liquid burnt her throat. Apparently, she was not as used to it as Thalia.

'Sure you don't want some, Evans? It'll help you relax, you know, takes your mind off unpleasant things… like Slytherins.'

He followed her gaze to where Severus had just left the Slytherin table, having hardly touched anything.

'Sod off, Potter!' she snapped.

She was annoyed with him for noticing her looking at Severus, and she was annoyed with Severus for disappearing again, and - and she was just annoyed, and that was it! And if Potter dared mention anything else-!

But Sirius had grabbed Potter's arm before he could say anything.

'Let's go and get the Headboy drunk. He might say witty and wondrous things! C'mon!' James Potter threw Lily a last reproachful look, but reluctantly followed Sirius towards the end of the Gryffindor table where the seniors, and the new Headboy, sat.

She turned her attention to Mary, who was still in transports of alternate joy, at being addressed by Sirius, whom she had a crush on, and shame, for having made a fool of herself in front of him by choking on his precious Firewhisky.

An hour later, though pudding had long disappeared, most students still wanted to make a night of it. Since it was Hallowe'en, they were allowed to stay later than curfew, but Lily had had enough.

She had seen a definitely colder attitude towards Severus among the Slytherins, and it worried her a bit. That Mulciber could be such a prat. As she prepared to leave the table, she heard a commotion out in the Entrance Hall. For a moment, her heart froze as she heard several people screaming, but there were also guffaws of laughter, so she knew it would probably be some prank or other. The teachers had left the Great Hall, so the coast was relatively clear for some Hallowe'en fun.

Sure enough, when she reached the Entrance Hall everyone was surrounding a tall, heavily-built student with a huge pumpkin around his head. She arrived just in time to see him collide blindly with one of the suits of armour, bringing it crashing to the ground on top of him, She went forward to help him up and grabbed his arm, as Remus Lupin and a Ravenclaw prefect helped him to his feet.

He was a heavily-built seventh year student, and it took a few minutes to disentangle him from the broken armour. She didn't recognise the muffled voice coming from inside the pumpkin, but the green-and-silver serpent badge on his chest proclaimed him a Slytherin. Then she noticed something carved into the pumpkin that rang a bell. There wasn't the usual eyes and mouth of a jack 'o lantern, but instead, etched into the orange skin of the pumpkin was the word "_The Marauders"._

Unfortunately, the ruckus brought Professor McGonagall back down the main staircase, and, realising in an instant what was going on, with on sweep of her wand, the pumpkin head was cut in two and the boy's head appeared, orange pulp and pumpkin seeds sliding in trails off his face.

'Goyle! Who did that to you?' she barked out.

'Potter and Black, Professor!' Goyle said, spitting out pumpkin seeds.

All the students gathered there turned round, seeking the culprits. They hadn't bothered to run, but were leaning nonchalantly on the banisters of the grand staircase, watching the scene below in amusement. Pettigrew had joined them there, his eyes shining at the results of their mischief down below.

Lily remembered Sirius Black's use of the term 'marauding' - the same that was burnt into the pumpkin skin. So they were styling themselves 'The Marauders' now, were they? She wondered if even Pettigrew and Remus were in it, for the four were inseparable now.

'He insulted Gryffindor team's most famous Chaser, Professor!' Sirius was explaining, in a mock-outraged voice.

Lily shook her head in exasperation. Of course it had to be about Quidditch! Slytherin had flattened Gryffindor in the first match of the season, for their seeker, Regulus Black, had caught the snitch easily, barely half an hour into the game, and Potter, who had not even scored one single goal, had been devastated, for he deemed Gryffindor team (and himself in particular), to be invincible. Though she had shared the general gloom over Gryffindor's loss, she secretly thought it would do Potter some good to be taken down a peg or two.

Thank Merlin, McGonagall was not taken in by Black's explanation.

'That is no reason to behave like a sore loser, Black!' she snapped.

'But Professor,' Potter started, 'Goyle tried to cobb me during the match, that's why I didn't score so many-!'

But McGonagall cut across him:

'It's detention for both you and Mr Black. Please come to my office tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. And may I remind you that this is your second detention this week. If I'm not mistaken, you were both caught out of bed after curfew by Professor Flitwick. Now I want you to go straight to your common rooms. That goes for you too, Mr Goyle'.

Potter and Black, followed by Pettigrew, climbed slowly up the stairs. They did not appear unduly worried about their double detention, but Potter scowled angrily when, glancing back, he saw Goyle make a rude hand gesture at him behind McGonagall's back.

Shaking her head in exasperation Lily followed the self-styled 'Marauders' up the grand Staircase towards the Gryffindor common-room.


	82. Chapter 82

**Warning: although there is nothing explicit, there is an adult theme mentioned at the end of this Chapter.**

**Chapter 82: The Complexities of Love.**

Severus ran his fingers along the cold stone head of the carved serpent at the base of the column that supported the vaulted ceiling of the alcove in the Slytherin common room.

The seventh alcove.

He knew now that seven was a very magical number. That is why his great-grandfather had chosen to carve his initials on the opposite column, on the forehead of the skull bearing the weight of the column, in this particular alcove.

But what Severus was examining now was not Severus Prince's initials, but an even more mysterious symbol on the carved stone serpent. It resembled a triangular eye and it was etched on the serpent's stone head. The serpent itself, curved sinuously around the column, was also unusual in that it was the only one there, though there were serpents a-plenty decorating the underwater window ledges of the Slytherin common-room. All other columns, in all the other alcoves, were resting on carved skulls, except for this.

Severus glanced down at the book in his hand. It was called _Wandlore: from the Dark ages to the early twentieth century_ and he had taken it from the restricted section in the Library to try and figure out why his wand-sharing experience with Lily produced such unexpected results.

There, on the front cover, was the same symbol in gilt lettering.

He knew now why it had seemed so familiar. He had noticed the strange symbol carved on the serpent back in his first year, on the same day he had discovered his great-grandfather's initials. Knowing what the initialled skull represented, he wondered whether Severus Prince was responsible for the triangular eye symbol too.

The book in his hands did not reveal much about it, except that it was a symbol for three magical objects as described in a children's fairy tale. He knew the one: it was in his Mother's old book '_The Toadstool Tales'_. He had read that book as a child, had disliked it even then, and he found it surprising that an otherwise serious book like '_Wandlore: from the Dark ages to the early twentieth century'_ would take anything so ridiculous as '_The Toadstool Tales'_ so seriously. Certainly it spoke of the _Tales_ as being based on the work of a medieval writer called Beedle the Bard, still, it was just a stupid fairytale wasn't it?

The mysterious gilt eye gleamed up at him tantalisingly from the book's cover.

What he found intriguing, and what this particular book described mainly, was only one of the three magical objects: a wand so powerful it was invincible. It was called the Deathstick by some, and Severus had read elsewhere some of the legends it had spawned. Apparently, whoever this particular author was did not think it a legend, or just a child's tale, but actually believed in its existence.

'What are you doing down there?'

Severus jumped up from where he had been crouching at the base of the column.

At the entrance to the alcove stood Nyneve, her slim figure silhouetted by the green light from the main common-room

'Dropped the book,' he mumbled.

'Looked like you were talking to your feet or something.'

'What d'you want?' he snapped, disgruntled at having been caught there.

'Charming as ever, I see,' she said, smiling grimly. She moved in to sit, unbidden, at the small table in the alcove. 'I need your help, Severus.'

Since when had she started calling him by his name again? Ever since Mulciber had started whispering snide remarks about him, many Slytherins had turned their backs on him, pointedly snubbing him when they had the opportunity to do so. Not that he was the life and soul of any Slytherin party, but he had felt the difference in some of his former friends. With the exception of Rosier and Regulus, he was left, for the most part, alone.

This suited him, to a degree, for it gave him more time down in his hideout, or reading his newly-acquired books from the restricted section. However, he knew that Mulciber's words had sown the seeds of discord among some of the hard-line Purebloods, and though none of them had yet dared insult him openly, their coldness was palpable.

'I need your help with Herbology, Severus.' Nyneve repeated, shaking her dark curls over her face and pouting becomingly. 'You know – the usual: fix my essay on poisonous toadstools. You're so good with that kind of stuff. With everything, really.'

She fluttered her eyes and smiled up at him. He stared disbelievingly down his nose at her. It wasn't only Nyneve. Yesterday, her friend Cassiopeia had wordlessly lent him her quill when his broke during Transfiguration, and that same morning, Wilkes had politely enough asked him about Jupiter's moons without one single reference to dirty muggle-lovers.

'And why should I?' he heard himself telling Nyneve.

'Oh, don't be like that, Severus!' Nyneve responded a little impatiently. Then she lowered her voice 'Narcissa told us everything, you know!' she whispered conspiratorially.

'She – _what?_'

But just then, the object of Nyneve's remark passed by the alcove. Narcissa Black paused on seeing them there.

'Is everything alright, Severus?' Narcissa asked, her voice brittle like glass.

It was the first time Severus had seen her so close after that time in the Library, and he was shocked at how pale she looked. He knew she had been keeping to her dorm a lot, and had even skipped some lessons. Strange behaviour for someone who had to take her NEWTS this year.

'Oh, everything's fine, Narcissa.' Nyneve answered, perkily 'Severus has kindly offered to start helping me with my homework again. He's so good with poisonous plants and stuff.'

Before Severus could even protest, Narcissa gave him a wan smile.

'Glad to hear that, then,' she replied, before moving on.

'What did she tell you?' he hissed angrily, as Narcissa went out of sight.

'Oh, you know, about you and the Evans girl!' she answered, grinning, 'For a while, back there, Mulciber would have us believe you fancied someone like _her_, and that you think muggles are -' She faltered as she saw the look in her fellow Slytherin's eyes. 'But anyway, Narcissa told us the truth, and let me tell you, Seth Mulciber is feeling like a right fool now! I wonder he hasn't apologised to you already!'

_Mulciber? Apologise_? And what in Merlin's name had Narcissa told them? Severus was starting to feel out of his depth here. He knew Narcissa was a capable witch, but it did not seem that she had bewitched them, so it must have been her considerable powers of persuasion that did it.

Nyneve beckoned him close to her and he leant over the table.

'Narcissa spoke to Mulciber alone, you know. She sent Avery for him, and spoke to him where the alcoves to the boys' dorm is,' she whispered 'I know, Avery told me. Mulciber hasn't breathed another word about you, since.'

'What did she tell him?'

'Oh. I don't know, but she's very influential. All her family is. And she's betrothed to Lucius Malfoy, now. Some say he's a Death Eater…'

She paused, obviously hoping for confirmation, but if Narcissa hadn't admitted it, neither would he – especially to such a gossip as Nyneve.

'What's that got to do with anything?'

'Oh, come off it Severus! You and Malfoy used to spend hours closeted together in this alcove! Narcissa told us about the task he set you. You _know _–' she lowered her voice, her pale blue eyes shining conspiratorially in the dim light of the alcove, 'the fact-finding mission on muggles!'

Suddenly he had an inkling as to what Narcissa might have said. He was irritated that she thought he needed help, but rather flattered that the beautiful, untouchable Narcissa Black had deigned to speak out on his behalf. Remembering their last conversation in the Library, he could not help feeling a bit grateful too, that her intervention would make the Slytherins lay off him and Lily. Above all, she had helped him despite her misgivings on his Gryffindor friend.

Nyneve was still looking at him expectantly.

'And I suppose she told you to go blurting out everything about a mission that might, or might not, exist, to everyone in the common-room?' he snapped.

Probably Narcissa had spoken to Nyneve with exactly that intention, but it was better to play along.

She gaped at him, her eyes wide, but he strode past her towards the boys dorms, making sure she did not see the smirk on his face.

sssssss sssssssssssssssssssss

sssssss

'So what did the books say?'

Severus looked up from the conch shells he was grinding. Lily was behind the other desk, adding Bubotuber pus to a large, bubbling cauldron and wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell.

It was Saturday, and they had returned early from a visit to Hogsmeade laden with ingredients, and, in Lily's case, some of the choicer sweets from Honeydukes.

It had been bitterly cold, for it was also the last day of November, but when they arrived at the Three Broomsticks it was full to overflowing with students. There were also some suspicious-looking witches and wizards who may possibly have been the Aurors Dumbledore had mentioned. So they had trudged back to the castle, their feet crunching on the castle lawns that had been turned into glittering carpets by the nightly frosts.

Lily had been rather disappointed at having to cut short the Hogsmeade trip, but they had made straight for the dungeon hideout, passing through the magical barrier they had created at the door to the vaulted room beyond, and she settled down to help him brew a Draught of Peace, which he said was sure would be coming up in their OWLS.

Of course, she had made the place immediately more welcoming by starting a roaring fire and opening two bottles of butterbeer.

'Well?' she asked again.

'Well, what?'

'The books on wandlore from the restricted section! Did you find out anything?'

'Oh, those. Not much. They mainly went into detail about what happened to witches and wizards that tried to channel their magic through one wand.'

'And what happened to them?'

'There haven't been many recorded cases. At best, it produced erratic and even opposite results, but more often, and much worse, it ended in disaster for the casters of the spell. They banned its practise in 1678, though there was this one case when a group of wizards tried it, and …umm…well, they found their bodies much later, but couldn't identify who they were, due to the transformation …'

'Oh, Merlin!'

'One theory suggests that the disastrous results may depend on the complexity of the spell, or the skill of those who cast it. One theory also suggests… but, well, they're only hypothesis, after all.' he mumbled, feeling uncomfortable at what one particular hypothesis described.

'But then why did it work so well for us?'

He shrugged. 'Dunno. Some wandlore legends say that it has happened before. Very rarely. They say Merlin himself could do it, and with great success.'

'Really? And with whom did he do it?'

He paused then answered:

'Nimue,' he answered, careful to keeping his face hidden.

At first Lily did not answer. He remembered she was muggleborn, and did not have his in-depth knowledge of famous wizards and witches, But after a while Lily spoke again:

'Nimue? She's in muggle legends, too, isn't she? But the muggles got it all wrong – she was really Merlin's lover, wasn't she?'

He nodded.

'Oh.'

She did not speak again but after a while he looked up and found her leafing through one of the books on wandlore he still had strewn on one of the desks. She noticed him looking and closed the book with a snap. Then she went over to the desk by the cauldron and started chopping Hellebore and Lavender leaves, her face rather flushed.

They worked in silence for some minutes. Her movements were deft and precise, and the chopped roots were as good as though he had prepared them himself. Severus knew that she was an excellent student, being her desk partner in Potions, but down here, in the dungeon hideout, he noted that they worked even better together, for they were not disturbed by others.

He sensed a slight awkwardness now, though.

If it was due to what she had read in that book, he knew she would soon say something. And sure enough, as he put the pestle down and moved over to the cauldron with his mortar full of the powdered shells, she spoke to him.

'The book spoke about special affinities, a special connection that can occur only between a witch and a wizard, and then, and only then, can the magic flow through one wand. A sort of magical resonance. It spoke of compatible, synchronised something or other-'

'Compatible magical energy and synchronicity of bonded souls'

'You saw that then?'

''Course I did.'

'But what does it mean?'

'Don't think they know themselves. Wild guesswork, in my opinion, for they can't have had many volunteers to try that kind of spell-casting, given the results!'

'They don't know about us.'

'And are you willing to tell them? Or anyone else, for that matter?' he said, fixing her with a hard look.

'Not unless you want to,' she said, with a shrewd smile, 'But I have the feeling you'd deny everything.'

'It'd be the kind of thing the Department of Mysteries would be interested in.' he replied, frowning. He threw in a small measure of the gritty powder into the cauldron and stirred it counter-clockwise. He found it better that way than the recommended clockwise direction.

'We'd be hauled in for questioning, at the very least,' he continued, 'And I'm sure the Ministry would want to get their hands on some potentially very strong magic.'

'Ours?'

'If the legends mentioned in some of those books are to be believed, then we've just barely touched the surface of what we can do together.'

He looked up at her briefly and saw her looking at him in wonder, her eyes reflecting the warm sparks from the cauldron fire. He tore his eyes away and concentrated on stirring the bubbling, greenish-blue liquid.

He wondered if she had seen the part in that wandlore book where the author hypothesised that such a combined force of magic reached its peak, or its best magical potential, when the witch and wizard in question were bound by the deepest, most mysterious force of all, that of love.

The word had jumped out at him from the pages of the book when he first read it, and he had stared at it for several minutes.

'_Love'_.

He had always known it, of course.

He had always known, since he first met her, that he loved Lily Evans.

But he had always veered away from admitting it, even to himself. That he liked her, a lot, that was evident, to himself and everyone else. But what he felt for Lily was something much deeper, much more ingrained into the very fibre of his being, than a mere 'liking'. Was this book gently admonishing him? Was it showing him the undeniable truth? Telling him it was time to admit it for what it was?

And he had not imagined it even possible, for that feeling to grow.

Not grow, really, but change into something so much more intense, more passionate, that it frightened him sometimes.

But would Lily ever feel the same way?

She was his best friend, but she was also a friendly, popular girl, and one of the most beautiful ones too. Not only amongst the Gryffindors, for that matter, but in all the school. For he remembered how even Mulciber, despite his prejudices, had noticed her.

He knew he needed to become someone worthier, someone far more impressive…

And now there was this strange connection between him and Lily, or whatever it was that the book on wandlore described. He felt himself reddening.

'It's such a strange coincidence, isn't it?' Lily said, with nervous giggle, 'Out of so many witches and wizards, out of so many villages and towns, it had to be us two, from unimpressive old Castleforth, who have this particular gift, or whatever it is.'

He gave a non-committal shrug.

'Let's get those phials filled,' he said, changing conversation abruptly.

Lily looked rather put-out at the snub, but went to the store cupboard without another word, and started to pull out glass bottles.

He secretly wondered what she made of the whole thing, whether this strange magical connection might make her see him in a different light, or regard him with distaste, but right now, he wanted to change track, for there was another reason that made him want to postpone wherever this conversation might lead to.

Today was the last day of November, and Madeira would be opening the sealed tunnel leading to her Hogsmeade abode. She would be waiting for him, and with what purpose, he did not know.

If it was Madeira who was after his Great-Grandfather's book, if she had a hand in bringing about Gartak's death, there would be no way of knowing, but he knew he had to go.

He had debated whether to leave the safety of the castle or not, but in the end, the lure of learning Legilimency was too strong. He was now a good-enough Occlumens to hide whatever he wanted, but this year she had promised him to start the much-coveted art of Legilemency. He couldn't miss that.

He'd take his wand, just in case, and he'd go there early, to see if there was any unusual activity in the abandoned house.

And he needed to make sure that Lily did not suspect where he was going. She was already far too involved, knew too much, about this whole dangerous affair.

'Here you go.' Lily, said in a subdued voice, and she held out several miss-matched glass phials.

They worked in silence then, though Severus knew that both their minds were frantically trying to find answers to the mystery of their combined spellcasting powers.

sssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssss

ssssssssss

Many hours later Severus crept quietly along the tunnel that led to the single trapdoor that opened into the abandoned bookshop opposite the Hogshead Inn.

'_Nox_' he whispered, and the white light from his wand disappeared. The enchanted constellations above also faded and he was plunged into darkness. He did not want to advertise his presence by light seeping through the crack of the trapdoor.

At least until he had ascertained, as far as he could, that there was no unusual activity.

In fact, he had arrived almost an hour earlier than he should have. He put his hands against the trapdoor above his head and pushed very gently. It was enough to tell him that it was not sealed.

Madeira was certainly eager for his visit, he mused, and was debating whether he should go back after all, when there was a muffled sound from the room above.

Someone was knocking at the door, a muffled but urgent, staccato noise. It stopped and silence reigned once more. Whoever it was, they were outside in the street. He heard the knocking again, more urgent this time, and then held his breath as he heard the creaking of the wooden steps from the room above that led to Madeira's apartment above the boarded-up shop.

Soft shuffling footsteps passed over the very trapdoor he was under. If it was Madeira, she was making her way towards the door.

Then silence once more.

'Mother Madeira, please open up.' A voice suddenly pleaded from the street without. It was very muffled, but Severus thought it sounded familiar. Very familiar.

Then he heard the whooshing sound of a passing spell. Either Madeira had tried some revealing spell to see who the caller was, or else had blasted the caller for shouting her name so inconsiderately in the middle of a Hogsmeade street, in front of a house which was supposed to be abandoned, and one in which she was not supposed to be residing, anyway. True, it was almost midnight and very few people would be around in that bitter cold, but Madeira was careful.

Whatever the spell was, it seemed to have satisfied Madeira, for there was the sound of nails being ripped out of wood, and then of the door scraping against the floorboards. Madeira had opened the boarded-up door. He could feel the slight draught of cold air passing through the trapdoor.

He heard light footsteps as the caller entered the room.

'Dearie me, who'd 'a wanted to visit old mother Madeira, so late, now?'

He heard Madeira's unctuous voice, the one she put on when addressing influential people. The caller would probably be wearing a hooded cloak, but he already had a fair idea who she was.

Her next words, louder and clearer in the room right above him, confirmed his suspicions.

'It is I, Narcissa Black.' And there was a rustling sound of a cloak.

'Ah, yes, so 'tis you, young Miss Black. Ah, it does me old 'eart good to see you after sich a long time. Grown up into a beautiful young lady, now, eh? But, dearie, why at this time? Why so late? 'Tis dangerous to wander the streets at night these days.'

Severus could hear the convincing tone of concern in Madeira's voice.

He was still recovering from the surprise at Narcissa's presence. He had been expecting to see suspicious activity, perhaps a plan to get information about the book, but he had never expected to find Narcissa Black in the dusty old bookshop.

After a while, Narcissa spoke again.

'Bella – Bella told me where to find you-'

'Well, aye, Miss Bellatrix would know. She's fast becoming a most knowledgeable and skilled witch. Very respectable match with young Master Lestrange, indeedy. You'll be very proud of your sister, I'll wager. But dearie, what brings you to seek me out?'

Narcissa did not seem able to answer her question, for, after a while, Madeira asked.

'You be in trouble, p'rhaps?'

There was no answer but there was a muffled sound like a sob, and when Madeira spoke again, her voice oozed sympathy.

'Hush, hush, 'm dear! Mother Madeira's always happy to help you and any member of the noble house of Black - always have, always have. But come let's go upstairs. Walls have eyes 'n ears. Twasn't very discreet of you to come so openly. Someone else may be passing this way and see you.'

And Severus heard Madeira's shuffling footsteps and Narcissa's lighter ones proceed up the wooden steps to the rooms above. As soon as their footsteps disappeared, Severus pushed the trapdoor open and pulled himself up into the shop above.

Just at that minute however, he heard Madeira's shuffling footsteps again and hastily hid behind the cobwebbed, broken counter of the old bookshop.

Not a minute too soon, for Madeira climbed halfway down the wooden steps, pointed her wand at the trapdoor and muttered '_Colloportus'_ before returning to the rooms above.

Severus swore silently. Now he was trapped. He couldn't go back, and neither could he reveal himself to the two women.

He did not think Narcissa had anything to do with any potential plan to steal his book, but now that he was here, he might as well see what he could find out. As Madeira herself had once taught him, it was amazing what people would say when they had their guards down.

With a whispered incantation he cast the disillusionment spell on himself. Lily had taught him how only last week. Then he crept under the stairs, careful to remain under their shadow. The two women thought themselves alone now.

'…and I tried to do it by myself,' Narcissa's voice was saying. She sounded as though she was trying hard to remain calm and collected, 'But I don't know what happened. I – I think it didn't work and – and now, I just don't know what to do...'

'By yourself, you said?' Madeira's voice sounded seriously concerned now.

'There was this book in the Library. It explained how to use Belladonna and –'

'- and Hellbane? A potion combined with an _Amoveo_ Curse?'

'Yes. How did you know?'

'I am familiar with that book. And others like it. It is ancient magic – 'dark magic' some would call it, but powerful, nonetheless. But you said it didn't work?'

'I – I think I must've got the potion wrong. Or the Charm! Oh, I don't know, I just am not thinking straight anymore!'

There was silence for a minute, but when Madeira spoke again her voice was very serious.

'Miss Black, why did you not come to me right away? I can keep a secret, and I could've helped you. Easily. But now…'

'Oh, you've got to help me! Please! I'll give you anything! I – I haven't even told Lucius!'

'So it is Lucius Malfoy's child?'

Severus froze. Suddenly things became clear to him. Narcissa's behaviour, her strange, quiet and worried look, her pallor.

'Yes,' Narcissa was saying, 'we were betrothed three months ago, a quiet affair, given the circumstances, but he – he doesn't know.'

'You do not want to tell him?

'He – he is under pressure right now. He has important work to do-'

'On behalf of the Dark Lord, yes.'

'How-?'

'I know the Malfoys well. Old family, very old noble family, and young Lucius Malfoy is the pride and joy of old Abraxus Malfoys' heart. Especially now that he has joined the ranks. It is a wonderful match, Miss Narcissa, I congratulate you.'

'Help me, then. I will pay you whatever you ask-'

'My dear, it is not that. The problem is that with an unknown potion, a wrongly-cast charm- it can have profound effects on the magic you want me to cast upon your body, your womb, now.'

Wh – What do you mean?'

'It may affect your future child-bearing, Miss Narcissa.' Madeira replied, baldly.

'You mean I won't be able to have any more children?'

'You may already have done that harm to yourself, already. But what you are asking me to do now may worsen your chances of producing a live heir for your future husband.'

' But I can't I just can't go through with this! I stand to lose everything!"'

'I'm sure young Master Malfoy would understand.'

'Lucius would. But his family! _Mine_, for that matter!'

I understand of course. It would cause consternation to such a traditionalist family, certainly. The marriage might be called off.' Madeira mused 'But remember, you may fail to produce an heir. And if they find out, if Master Malfoy finds out it was by your own hand…'

'I can't lose Lucius. He is everything to me.' Severus heard Narcissa's poise slipping, and for the first time, a sob choked out the rest of her words. But then she seemed to gain control of herself and said:

'I know he will stand by me. He loves me. I know that. And I love him with all my strength. With my soul. I must do this.'

There was a pregnant pause, then Madeira said:

'Stand up and take off your robes.'


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83: Narcissa's Pain.**

The scream of pain rent the dim, dusty air of the bookshop, startling Severus into a sudden movement that made him trip over a broken floorboard. He fell against the rotting wooden counter of the abandoned bookshop, and was showered with dust and debris. Being under a Disillusionment Charm, the dirt disappeared, taking on the colour and texture of the surroundings. He shook the invisible dust off his robes and moved under the wooden steps once more, like a chameleon, taking on the look of slatted wooden steps.

The noise he made had probably gone unnoticed, drowned out by the high-pitched scream. This had now changed to a muffled sound, as though Narcissa was gritting her teeth against the pain.

'There, there, put on your robes on and drink this,' came Madeira's voice from above. 'It should take away the pain within minutes.'

Severus' heart beat more slowly as the sounds of Narcissa's moans died out.

He had not expected it to be so sudden, or so painful. Actually, he had not known what to expect at all, since this was one branch of dark magic he was completely unfamiliar with, though he had seen quite a few books on the subject in the restricted section.

Earlier, he had heard Madeira asking Narcissa to disrobe herself, then the old witch had spent several minutes muttering incantations in a low voice, which seemed to convince her that what Narcissa had said was true, and that her amateurish attempts at _that _particular magic 'had not worked.'

Then she had asked Narcissa, 'Are you ready?' and seconds later, there was a flash of green light from the room above, as Madeira shouted out harsh words of an incantation in a language that sounded a bit like Spanish.

It was followed by the scream of agony that had so startled Severus.

But Narcissa was quiet now, probably having drunk the pain-killing potion.

'And every night I want you to take this,' Madeira was continuing 'For the blood loss. I don't have enough, so I will have to brew you more …'

'Th- thank you. Is - is that it, then?'

'Yes. And I've ne'er known my spells to fail, but as I said, we'll have to wait and see. Let's hope the damage of your attempts is minimal. Now, dearie, we need to make sure you get back safely to the castle. I'm expecting…visitors… you see, and it wouldn't do for them to find you here…'

'Oh. Yes, certainly.'

Severus heard a shuffling sound then faltering footsteps. He retreated to the furthest, darkest, corner of the shop as the footsteps drew nearer and a slim hooded figure made its way down the steps, followed by the bent, crooked shape of Madeira. Narcissa made her way slowly to the door, and Madeira cast a spell to remove the wooden boards, scraping the door open just enough to allow Narcissa to slip through to the darkness outside.

Pushing the door shut behind her, Madeira cast a muttered incantation that boarded up the door again, and then she turned around and made her way back to the wooden staircase.

Severus held his breath, hoping his Disillusionment Charm was strong enough, but Madeira was muttering to herself.

Severus caught the words' 'foolish girl' and '… in the middle of a cursed Hogsmeade weekend! Aurors all over the place, and worse…' the rest was lost in indistinct mumbling as Madeira creaked her way up the stairs. Severus noted something else beneath the angry muttering. Her breath was fast and shallow, and there was a distinct note of fear in her voice. She obviously thought herself alone now, and was probably worried that someone had noticed the unusual activity around the abandoned bookshop.

But something else was worrying him now. How was he going to get out of this place?

But just then Madeira solved his dilemma.

Taking a step back down the stairs, she waved her wand at the trapdoor and he saw the glow of her spell surround it, unsealing it. With a sigh of relief, he waited until Madeira had disappeared upstairs, and then made for the trapdoor.

Opening it quickly, he returned to the tunnel and checked his watch. It was still early for his lesson, so he waited until the hour was up before pushing the trapdoor open once more, and climbing up the stairs.

Madeira was not in the room. It was as he remembered it, but very dimly lit, and there was no fire in the grate. Above the mantelpiece, the mysterious portrait was covered in drapes and the strange objects and puppet-like dolls hung from hooks in the wall exactly as he remembered them.

His hand in his pocket, curled around his ebony wand, he made his way to the half-shut door of the kitchen beyond, and peered in.

Madeira had her back to him, and she had her wand pointing at her own head. Pulling it away slowly from her wiry grey hair, a strange silvery thread of light came away with it.

She carefully brought the wand tip, with the accompanying strange liquid-looking light, right round in front of her. Beneath her elbow, Severus caught a glimpse of a shallow stone or marble basin set upon the kitchen table, which was full of a rippling bluish white light – or liquid. It was difficult to tell. He had seen this strange basin another time during his lessons last year.

She released the coiling silvery thread of light curling around her wand into the basin, and lifted the wand once more to her temple.

Well, at least she wasn't planning to ambush him. He knocked on the kitchen door to announce his presence.

Madeira whirled around.

'Confound you boy!' she spat angrily. 'You are always early!'

'Actually it is two minutes past the hour.'

He looked at her in some surprise. Her exaggerated reaction and the note of pure terror in her voice convinced him that something was afoot. She recovered immediately, of course, but it did not fool him. Either she was expecting more sinister visits or else…he did not know what else, exactly, but the air was thick with fear. He could feel it.

Madeira brought a heavy gold watch out of her pocket and looked at it.

'Hummph. You are right! I am the one to be late. But I was distracted today. I have not prepared…' she glanced backward at the strange shallow dish, but then chivvied him out of the kitchen

'Never mind,' she said 'We can proceed.'

'What's that?' Severus asked as Madeira closed the door on the shallow basin now shining with the strange substance inside. He had only had a quick look, but he was sure he had never seen anything like it anywhere else before.

'It's a Pensieve.' Madeira answered. 'A very rare object, but incredibly useful especially when one has to teach Occlumency.'

'Or Legilimency.'

'Even more, with Legilimency. It can store your private thoughts away from prying eyes and minds. Completely or partially, depending on what use you intend to make of the Pensieve. '

'And I am here to study Legilimency, today. You had promised, last year.'

She looked at him for a moment, before answering.

'So I did. That is why I sent for you.'

Her eyes bore into his and he could feel her mind, probing, asking, but he blocked her easily, his guard always at the ready, and today especially.

'Humph, at least you haven't forgotten what I taught you,' she said with a scowl, moving towards the table. She stopped and turned round.

'But I sense a certain dread in you…wariness, even.'

'Really?'

'And you came on time, whereas usually you are early.'

He hadn't thought about that.

'I was cautious.'

He had already rehearsed what he was going to say.

'Cautious? Don't you trust old Madeira any more?'

She was baiting him. Trying to see how much he knew.

'Did I ever?'

Something flickered behind her eyes then, but he could not be sure, for her face puckered immediately into an unconvincing smile that threw her scars into sharp relief across her ugly face.

'After all Old Madeira's done for you? After all I've taught you?'

'_Because_ of what you taught me.'

'Huh!' she snorted in disgust, 'And what warrants this change in attitude?'

'Oh. I've had some close encounters with some undesirable company this summer. So I'm being extra careful, especially when out of the castle, and during an Auror-infested night.'

'Really? And who did you encounter?' she asked with a politely interested- but-concerned-expression that did not fool Severus one bit.

'Not who, but what,' he said. 'I ran into some Dementors last summer. It wasn't an experience I'd like to repeat.'

'Oh, those. Yes, I heard. The Ministry have lost some of their control over them.'

She seemed to have expected a different answer somehow, but if it was his encounter with Gartak she was after, he was not ready to talk about the book yet.

'You look as though you've had some pretty undesirable company yourself!' he retorted trying to catch her off-guard. But Madeira was too cunning.

'Of course I've had undesirable company! Plenty of undesirable company, especially now! No-one ever visits Old Madeira unless they want something out of her! Usually something covert and of dubious legal standing! Always putting me into dangerous situations!'

'For which you always make them pay through their nose, of course.'

'Naturally. I've got to earn a living. Now – Legilimency! That's what you came for, isn't it?'

He nodded, noting the abrupt change in conversation. Perhaps she thought she could wrest the information from him by Legilemency, but if so, he was ready for her.

'Legilimency, as I told you last year, is a very specialised branch of Magic. Very, very few have the gift, and fewer still are able to teach the art. The only place it is taught is during Auror training, and even then, only to those few who may show a natural predisposition. I believe your Headmaster Dumbledore was asked to teach them, but he refused, disagreeing with the use to which Barty Crouch is putting his Aurors.'

She paused, regarding him with a purposeful stare.

'I am telling you this so that you understand how lucky you are I am teaching you the art. You will be one of a very, very small number of wizards who know. And besides, no-one can teach you the depths and intricacies of Occlumency and its sister art, like I have done. I taught you languages, the reading of one's expression and body language…'

'I _am _grateful-'

'But not to the point of trusting me, it seems. Anyway, be that as it may,' she continued, 'I will attempt to teach you Legilimency, now.'

She took out her wand and he did the same.

'You do not need that for now,' she said, noticing, 'I will do it first, and then you will try. Eye contact is usually essential, for truly the eyes are the windows to the mind. You will need to see what your victims eyes have seen to delve into his or her mind. You will never feel what they are feeling, or follow their thought patterns, but you will interpret the memories you see using all the ancillary knowledge that I have given you. The mind is a many-layered thing, and it takes skill and experience to draw forth those memories which are of importance to you. Unskilled Legilimency will usually draw forth only those memories which are freshest, or else those memories which are of importance to the victim, and these may not, necessarily, be what you are seeking to discover. Now the wand movement and incantation-'

She demonstrated both, but Severus had seen her use them often enough on him to be familiar with both.

'Furthermore, Severus,' she said, 'Some famous Legilimens also use the skilful manipulation of their victims state of mind, lulling them into receptiveness and docility.'

She paused, as if considering her next words carefully.

'And I'd like to warn you that the most skilful Legilimens of all in this present age, the Dark Lord, can control and distort not only his victims actual memories, but also create memories which are not theirs, thus effecting even their thoughts. Some say he does not even need a wand….'

'Why are you telling me this?'

'As a fair warning, should you decide to take your evident interest in his cause further. Now, let's get started. I do not expect you to succeed with your first try, or, indeed, at all today, but you will get there eventually. In fact, when you become very proficient at Legilimency, you will not even need to shout the word of the incantation, but can do it non-verbally, and smoothly. The wizard who manages this is one of the most dangerous Legilimens of all, for his victim may not even notice his mind is being read…'

He turned to face her across the table, but he kept his wand in his hand.

She ignored him and resumed her explanation, describing in more detail the words of the incantation and the wand movements, as well as some further titbits of information about the accessories to these arts.

'A good Occlumens could manipulate what he wants a Legilimens to see,' she said, 'so it is important to learn body language and facial expression, because it gives you a further tool, during Occlumency, to know what expressions to avoid, and as a Legilemens to interpret your victim's thoughts.'

This was getting complicated.

He was trying to figure out what he should be interpreting, when suddenly there was a hissed shout of _'Legilimens!_' and Madeira was there in his mind, probing, asking, searching. It was a very harsh assault on his mind, like never before. Or perhaps only once before.

Images surges through his mind, flashbacks to last summer, his visit to Reg's place, Lily gazing at the stars during their summer astrology project; the dead beetle spinning slowly on its back having passed through the black fire… He gasped as he fought to control the images. Madeira had taken him unawares, but he slowly shut down each of those images, blocking her out of his mind.

A cold rage filled him as he stared into the rheumy eyes of the old witch. He would be damned if he'd let her get through his defences again, with so much at stake. Perhaps if he tried to turn the table on her, when she least expected it….

'_Legilimens!'_ he shouted, staring hard into the dark, old eyes, and bringing his wand round in a sharp stabbing motion.

Suddenly, he seemed to be falling – falling into those muddy brown eyes that became dark holes – dark holes that filled up suddenly with light and sound as images flooded his mind.

_There were sea gulls wheeling in a bright blue sky, and old-fashioned steamships stood in the busy harbour. Sailors and merchantmen bustled about, shouting instructions and carrying bundles. Strange smells of tar, spices, and seaweed warred with each other._

_Two women hurried towards one of the larger steamships. The shorter of the two kept looking back anxiously, as though afraid they were being followed. She had grey hair and a worried face. The other woman was cloaked and hooded._

_Arriving at the water's edge, they stopped and turned towards each other, so that the hooded woman's face came into view. Long dark curls framed a beautiful face of a young teenage girl, but her large brown eyes were swimming in tears. With a start, Severus recognised her as the girl in the portrait over Madeira's mantlepiece._

_The two women were now hugging each other, but the older one broke away and spoke to the young girl in a Spanish dialect Severus was unfamiliar with, but from her tone of voice and expression, it was a sad and desperate farewell._

His mind had hardly processed the fact that this was confirmation that the girl in the portrait was Madeira, before the scene shifted once more, and what he saw next almost made him cry out in surprise.

He was looking at himself – but as a full-grown man!

_Vaguely he realised they were standing inside a large vaulted chamber, bare of all decorations except many tall, stained glass windows that threw a colourful light on a bare stone floor. It had the appearance of a chapel of some sort, but what grabbed his attention was the man standing just a few feet away from him._

_He knew, without doubt, that this was his Great-grandfather. He realised why many who knew his ancestor had reacted the way they did when they met him, his great-grandson, for he resembled him greatly._

_It was almost like looking at himself in a mirror. _

_Almost._

_Finally, he was meeting Severus Prince, the man who meant so much to him. Not meeting him actually, for this was a memory. Madeira's memory. And if so… he looked around, searching for her. _

_He realised that a woman, cloaked and hooded, was kneeling on one of the only two pews in the place. Her head was bent over her hands, in an attitude of prayer, though he could not make out any alter or religious symbols anywhere. The hood covered the woman's head and face, but he was sure it was Madeira. _

_At that moment, his Great-Grandfather moved. He walked round the pew to stand before the bent figure of the girl and stood looking down at her. Severus followed, looking curiously into Severus Prince's face. _

_He was in his early or mid-thirties, and he had his same deep-set, dark eyes as his own, and the same pale, thin face with high cheek bones that gave him a rather gaunt and haughty look. He had a thin upper lip balanced by a fuller lower lip, and he was clean-shaven. But there were differences too – he was older, for one thing, and therefore he was taller and broader. His hair, though black and as silkily long as his own, was neatly tied back in a long ponytail behind his neck, and his nose was thin and straight, not hooked like his. He wore long black robes richly embroidered with silver thread, and walked silently, and with dignity._

_The young witch must have felt his eyes on her, for she looked up and the hood slid back off her head. Up close, Madeira was even more ravishingly beautiful than her portrait. Her liquid brown eyes gazed up at the tall man standing in front of her, her full red lips parted in quick breaths. Her expression was that of pure, unalloyed adoration and Severus wondered how his Great-grandfather could keep so calm in front of such blazing eyes and fiery looks. He himself was already feeling hot under the collar._

'_Have you considered my proposal?' Severus Prince said, calmly looking down at her beautiful face. _

'_To assist you in your work? In return for your own knowledge, and, of course, 10 galleons every month ?' Her voice was as low and husky, as it was in the portrait, but she spoke with a slight Latin accent._

'_To assist me, and to describe to me your form of magic. I am compiling books on ancient magic, and yours is an exotic form which I have never encountered before.'_

'_And nor will you, anywhere else here in Ireland.'_

'_You have been in this land long enough now, to know that my proposal is by far the best.'_

'_Oh, but I have had other proposals - even in this short time, but they were marriage proposals…'_

_She looked up at him slyly as she said this, but if she intended to illicit some response, she was disappointed._

'_That is one proposal you will never get from me,' his Great-Grandfather said, with a severe look, 'I am happily married with two children, but you, of course, as a young girl, may doubtless prefer that sort of proposal. I am sure that with your looks and charms, you will find a husband to provide and care for you. That way, you will not need to seek a way of making a living. However, should you decide otherwise, my offer still stands…'_

_He spoke coldly, and she lowered her eyes meekly at the rebuff, whether in real or pretended regret, Severus had no idea. He did not know this younger version of Madeira so well._

_But then she stood up and faced the older man, her eyes lifting to his._

'_Severus Prince, I accept your offer,' she said, in a sincere and soft voice._

_The older man gazed down at her upturned face for a minute, and Severus thought he saw a glint in his eyes that was not there before. Apparently, he had been hoping more than he had let on, that she would take the job._

'_Then we should start right away', the older man said, eagerly 'I have seen, these past months much of your talent at Legbadonist spells. We need to start-'_

'_Hush!' she interrupted him, moving slightly forwards and laying a finger on her red lips, 'I will start tomorrow. I have been working all night to prepare the potions you requested. Today, I will not work. Besides, you have not seen half of what I can do. You have not seen my wandless magic.'_

'_Wandless magic?' there was an eagerness in his voice that he did not even pretend to hide._

'_I will show you.' Madeira whispered in her husky voice, and she moved to the centre of the bare stone floor, and shrugged the hooded cloak off her shoulders. _

_Her long dark hair burned fiery red beneath the colourful light of the stained glass windows, and the burnished skin of her bare shoulders seemed to gleam in golden tones. She wore a long chain around her neck, and as she pressed the ruby jewel embedded in the clasp, music started to flow from somewhere. It filled the large empty chamber with wild dramatic notes, amplified and echoed by the acoustics of the place. _

_Madeira clasped her hands together and a scarlet fiery light emanated from between her fingers. This then whirled around her, following the movements of her hands like a fiery snake, as she started to dance. _

_Slowly at first, then ever faster, her colourful skirts swirling around her, her hair whipped around her face by the scarlet flame, which was rushing like a demonic wind around the chamber, dimming even the coloured light of the windows in its magnificent red fury. It wrapped itself around the dancing Madeira, caressing her, lifting her up in her wanton dance, as the music grew wilder and wilder, until it enveloped both her, her Master, and Severus in its strange, hot embrace. _

_Severus could not tear his eyes away from Madeira's face, her fiery eyes held him captive, and the strange scarlet flames were setting his veins on fire. But then suddenly, Madeira's figure grew cloudy, faded, and he had a final glimpse of Severus Prince reaching out towards Madeira, his face flushed and eyes glazed, before something hit him hard in the middle of his chest, almost knocking the breath out of him. He closed his eyes in pain, and the wild music, the colours, the hot scarlet flame all disappeared._

There was silence and the sound of ragged sobbing. He blinked as his eyes readjusted to the semi-darkness of Madeira's room.

Madeira's present-day room.

He found himself half-collapsed against the table, panting slightly after his first Legilimency experience, and what he had seen. He hadn't expected to succeed so well, and neither, apparently, had Madeira.

He held on shakily to the edge of the table, and looked round for the old witch.

She was sitting in a huddled heap on the floor, her back against the table leg. Her ragged grey-brown robes, so different from the colourful garb of her youth, were gathered round her defensively with one hand, whilst in the other she held her wand.

Severus did not know what spell she had hit him with, but it had effectively stopped him from seeing any further memories. He wondered why she had not used Occlumency to stop him. Or, for that matter, why she had allowed him to see for so long …

Unless it was a memory she herself could not bear to leave.

She hadn't moved.

He peered closer, and saw her eyes staring at nothing, their look glazed and unseeing. Her wrinkled, scarred cheeks were wet with tears, and, except for the fact that her chest was rising and falling in rapid breathing, she could have been in a dead faint.

In spite of his many misgivings over Madeira's private agenda, he felt strangely shocked to see her brought so low by the mere memory of someone long dead.

She had loved, or been infatuated with, his Great-grandfather, of that he was now certain. Judging from what he had seen, and felt even, he had just witnessed her practising her 'Arts of Seduction' as she herself had accused the girl in the portrait of doing. Well, no wonder – the girl in the portrait was herself! And on the famous Severus Prince!

His mind reeled, trying to take it all in.

He had to know more!

He looked once more at the semi-comatose figure of Madeira, thinking fast. She would surely refuse to let him see any more after what he witnessed!

She had also said she was unprepared. She had been disturbed by Narcissa's unexpected call, and had not removed all her memories into that Pensieve thing.

He came to a decision quickly, and kneeling in front of her, wand at the ready, he waited until her glazed eyes focussed on his, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that it was unsportsmanlike to hit her when she was down.

'_Legilimens!'_ he cried again, more confidently this time, as Madeira's tear-streaked eyes flickered briefly on his.


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84: Revelations.**

The dim light of Madeira's room grew brighter and the small space expanded as he delved once more into Madeira's memories. He found he could not control what he saw – it was entirely haphazard, and many images, confused sounds and sights assaulted his mind, like a filmstrip on fast forward, so that he could not make heads or tails of the confusion. He felt disorientated, and with a feeling of dread, he knew that he could not stop what he had started.

He had no idea how to stop Legilimency, but eventually the images slowed down, and one memory emerged clearer and brighter than any other.

_It was a Library. Oaken bookshelves soared to the high ceiling of the large two story room, and although many lamps cast their mellow light over the books, the dark wooden panelling dimmed their brightness somewhat, so that the far corners of the room were thrown into deep shadow._

_Severus Prince sat at a large desk, several books open before him and a quill in his hand, but his attention was drawn by the sound of childish laughter coming from the hearth of a handsome, stone fireplace. There a small child sat, playing with three small emerald-green crystals._

_She couldn't have been more than two years old, with straight black hair and dark eyes that reflected the firelight in a warm glow. Severus saw that she greatly resembled the man whose attention she had caught, but Severus Prince looked older now, in his mid-forties. He watched the child in silence for a while as she played, enclosing the crystals in her tiny hands and shaking them, so that they made a pleasant tinkling noise. She laughed, and the crystals inside her cupped hands glowed._

_Severus Prince, seeing this, stood up and went over to the hearth. He was wearing long robes of black velvet with a large skull elaborately embroidered in silver along the whole length of the wide left sleeve._

_The child held up her still-glowing crystals for him to see, and he smiled at her fondly before scooping her up in his arms, the huge skull on his wide sleeve enfolding her small body._

'_You know magic beyond your years, my child,' he said, 'But now it is time to return you to your mother.'_

_The toddler giggled and placed her tiny arms around his neck, embracing him. They very evidently were very fond of each other. Severus mentally consulted what little he knew of his family tree. His Grandfather Aderan, Severus Prince's son, had two younger siblings, sisters. Judging by her age, this must be the youngest of the two._

_Just then, as his great-Grandfather moved to the door, a hooded and cloaked witch was revealed standing silently in the shadows beyond the door frame. Despite the child in his arms, his hand flew to his pocket and drew out his wand so fast, Severus barely followed the movement._

_But the witch was unfazed. Calmly, she pulled down her hood and shook out the dark curls over her shoulders._

'_You!' Severus Prince hissed in a constricted voice. 'I told you not to come back here! Who let you in?'_

'_Your house elf, of course, as he has always done before, during my apprenticeship.'_

_Severus noted that something had subtly changed since he had seen them last. Madeira was still as beautiful as before, more voluptuous, even, but she had lost her Latin accent, and spoke with a coldness in her voice that had not been there before._

'_I terminated your apprenticeship months ago!' his Great-grandfather was saying, as he gently put his child down and chivvied her out of the room._

'_Well, you should have explained that to your servants. What a sweet child! I have been watching you for some time now, you know,' Madeira said, as she watched the little girl toddle off, 'She greatly resembles you, Severus. Perhaps that is why you love her so much…'_

_Something like fear passed over Severus Prince's face at Madeira's words, but he recovered quickly._

'_Yseult is the child of my old age, thus I am, mayhap, a bit more indulgent than I should be. Now tell me what you are doing here!'_

'_To see if you took up the teaching post at Hogwarts now that your eldest, Aderan, will be turning eleven this summer. You had said you would speak to Phineas Nigellus Black before that day, if I remember correctly.'_

'_And why should that interest you?'_

'_If you take up that post both you and your son will be leaving Ireland. You will be living at Hogwarts…'_

'_And so?'_

'_Yseult will miss you…' But Madeira's eyes continued the unsaid words. _

_She would too._

_Severus Prince looked at her silently for a minute, then turned and walked back to his desk._

'_I will not be going. Phineas is dead, and that moron who's taken his place, Dippet, will not accept me as a member of staff. Apparently, he remembers my student years at Hogwarts…'_

'_Yes, you were an advocate of the ancient arts even then, from what I heard.'_

'_From what I _told_ you, Madeira, as you very well know.'_

'_From what you let me see, actually. And there is only yourself to blame for that. _You _taught me Legilimency.'_

_His Great-grandfather glared at her angrily, his eyes like black fire, but she seemed to expect this, even, perversely, desire it, for she smiled voluptuously and drew closer to the desk. _

'_I know why you want to go back to Hogwarts,' she said softly, leaning on the desk and looking up into the tall man's face. But he remained silent, his face unreadable._

'_It is to get that book back. The one that was taken from you,' she whispered, with a cunning look in her eyes. 'I have seen it again and again in your mind. Bound in black leather, yellowing pages of vellum and-'_

'_You know nothing about it!' his Great-Grandfather interrupted, his voice low and vicious._

'_It is whispered about, that that book holds the Secrets of Immortality in it.'_

'_And who has been doing the whispering? What have you been-?'_

'_Oh, I would never ever give away your secrets, Severus!' _

'_You do not know my secrets, Madeira.'_

'_Not all, perhaps, but enough to make me wonder why you do not use some of those secrets yourself, to get that book back.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_You told me of a tunnel that leads out of Hogwarts castle. Why don't you use that to enter and –?'_

_Severus Prince sat down at his desk and began rolling up some parchments that were open before him._

'_Hogwarts is protected by many ancient spells. Doubtless, I could enter by stealth, but I would be recognised. I have decided to send my children to Durmstrang, so I have no reason to go there anymore. Besides, it is risky, and the Transfiguration Teacher especially would be on the lookout for me. No doubt _he_ had a hand in convincing that fool, Dippet, to refuse my request for a teaching post. I should have done it years ago, straight after my tutelage, instead of gallivanting around foreign countries.'_

'_You would not have learned so much then. You met influential wizards and witches, like Grindelwald. He gave you the idea for the robes you are wearing. _Grandmaster's _robes…'_

_She nodded at the silver skull gleaming on the velvety blackness of his sleeve. Severus noticed something he hadn't seen before, a strange eye-like symbol was embroidered in the middle of the skull's forehead. He had seen that symbol before! It was the same as that etched on the stone snake in the seventh alcove in Slytherin common room! But his Great-grandfather was saying something._

'_When I met him, his interest in ancient and lost magic was very strong, and he did, indeed, give me some good ideas, but then he …Let's say he transferred his interests to baser, more ignoble things. He is great still, but drawing too much attention to himself, in my opinion. Gathering too much power.' _

_He paused and looked up at Madeira. 'I have answered your question. I will not be going to Hogwarts, and nor will my children, while that fool is Headmaster. Now, please leave. I need to finish these before I go up to Morgana.'_

_Madeira said nothing, but Severus could easily see the look of pure venom she shot her mentor when he mentioned his wife. He recognised Madeira's older self in that look. But Severus Prince, busy with his parchments, did not notice. When she spoke again, however, her voice was calm._

'_Morgana would not have missed you as much as I would have, had you gone away,' she said, resting her elbows on the desk before him, her long, dark, tresses falling on the parchments. 'That is why I came today. I needed to know. I – I would have followed you to England, you know…'_

'_I thought I told you to leave,' he answered coldly._

_She was silent a moment, and closed her eyes, but she did not move._

'_Severus, please, hear me out. I – I have worked for you faithfully for years. I – I have no-one else I can trust …'_

'_That, Madeira, is your own fault,' he answered, meeting her eyes levelly, 'Your intrigue, your wheeling and dealing with all and sundry, and especially, your treating young wizards like cast-off playthings, has earned you a reputation of untrustworthiness that few will now overcome.'_

'_They are _boys_, not men! I spurned their affection-'_

'_After leading them to expect otherwise! That is not easily forgotten; men will take you for what you are: a witch to enjoy for her beauty and entrancing arts. To be discarded as soon as the pleasure is over.'_

'_As you have done, Severus.' _

_She looked him full in the face as she said the words, an angry scarlet colour spreading on her cheeks. _

_Severus Prince returned her gaze unwaveringly._

'_I swear to you, Madeira,' he said, with conviction, 'that I have never, ever, in all these years, laid a willing finger on you, and, despite all the Seductive Arts you have thrown at me, I was, and remain, true to my wife.'_

'_But you have used me, nonetheless, Severus,' she said in a choked voice, her eyes filling with tears as his unwavering stare bored into her. 'You picked me up from the gutter, and trained me, taught me, groomed me, while at the same time absorbing all the magical knowledge I had, knowledge from a foreign land that so amused you at first, and that I – I so willingly gave to you, and now… now you have taken all you needed, you've thrown me back into the gutter! What do I do now, Severus? You just can't leave me like this!'_

_Her voice ended in a sob, and tears spilled over to run down her flushed cheeks. His Great-grandfather rose from his desk, his eyes on her face, but his expression unreadable._

_Madeira's breast was heaving with emotion, and her eyes were looking at the tall wizard in front of her with such a mixture of anguish and adoration that Severus found it painful to watch. But perhaps his ancestor knew her better, for he made his way round the desk and spoke to her harshly._

'_Enough of that now, Madeira! It was this silly infatuation that forced me to terminate your apprenticeship, as much as everything else, and I told you never to come seek me again! I gave you gold Galleons for your assistance, and armed you with magical knowledge and skills you would not have found anywhere else. It was up to you to use both well. What you have chosen to do with your life is your own decision, and, ultimately, your own fault!'_

'_How can you say that? How can you-?'_

'_You could have had a husband, made a living, by now. But if what I hear is true, then it is your own fault that you are left with nothing but a reputation as a scarlet woman. No wizard in his right senses would want to commit to –'_

'_And whose fault is it that I cannot see in others, what I hoped to find in you?' Madeira shouted, turning her tear-stained face towards him. His Great-grandfather froze, as if the idea was new to him._

'_They are as nothing _– nothing_ to me Severus, when compared to you,' she continued, in a softer voice, drawing closer to him._

' _I am sorry you have been brought to this, Madeira' Severus Prince continued, taking a deep breath, 'but I assure you, I never of my own free will, said or did anything to give you the illusion that-'_

'_Hush!' she said, placing her finger across his lips, her voice low and sultry, 'Do not say that again! I would like to believe that you love me as much as I love you, Severus-'_

_But the tall man's reaction was sudden and uncompromising. He backed away from her reaching hands, wand in his hand._

'_For the last time, Madeira,' he hissed, angrily 'You mean _nothing_ to me. And do not delude yourself that I ever loved you. I have grown wise to your entrancing charms and they will not work on me anymore. Now leave my house, or I will be forced to use magic to remove you!'_

_Madeira drew herself up, her face a mask of pain and rage. Severus was forcibly reminded of a muggle phrase: 'hell hath no fury like the woman scorned.'_

'_So that's it, then?' she spat, her voice changing to one of cold vindictiveness 'You cast me out once more? You have more galleons than you know what to do with, a grand and impressive estate, children to comfort you in your old age, as well as the respect of many influential wizards, and yet you would not lift a finger to help me? You think you and your family are invulnerable, but I know your secrets, Severus Prince, and I - !'_

'_What d'you want, Madeira?' he said, shortly, his expression unreadable once more._

'_Well, you could help me regain the respect I have lost by making me a member of the Knights of the Walpurgis.'_

'_Never! The Knights are the elite of wizardkind! Trustworthy, for one thing, and as yet there are no witches-'_

'_Oh, but then I will be the first. It will be a great honour, Severus! Besides, you are the Grandmaster – you set up the Knights, bound them to you by vows of silence. They will accept me, if you order them to.'_

_His Great-grandfather stood a moment in silence observing her. Severus could see him struggling to get out of the trap Madeira had set. Severus had not missed the veiled threat in her words, and it seemed her blackmailing tactics were having the desired effect._

'_What makes the Knights so appealing to you now?' he said, 'you were derisive about the whole thing – 'overgrown schoolboys playing at secret meetings', you said once.' _

'_Ah, but I was angry then, because you did not want me to join, and so I belittled your noble cause.'_

'_So it is a 'noble cause', now?'_

'_I know the Knights of the Walpurgis seek knowledge – it is their mission to revive old magic, occult spells that many think have been lost forever, ancient wisdom that is frowned upon by the rest of wizarding society.'_

'_And if you know this much about our mission, Madeira, then you can very well see why it is secret, and why the Knights are hand-picked for their trustworthiness, as well as their skill and knowledge.'_

'_You told me once that my magical skills are prodigious. So you think I am not trustworthy, then?'_

'_No.'_

'_I promise – I _swear_ - that I will abide by all the rules of secrecy of the Knights of the Walpurgis, Severus, and besides, I will be right there – right under your very eyes, all the time.'_

'_That is what I am afraid of – '_

'_I will behave, Severus', she said calmly, with a wry smile. 'I will be worthy of the respect and honour bestowed upon me.'_

_She lifted the hood of her cloak once more over her head, and turned towards the door._

'_Think about it carefully, Severus,' she said, pausing at the door. 'Remember that I have kept your secrets to this very day...'_

_But with a whip-like motion of his wand, Severus Prince slammed the door in her face, but not before his present-day namesake had glimpsed the look of sheer hatred that was on his Great-grandfather's face, before he was plunged into darkness. _

The darkness pressed in upon him from all sides, and something hit him in the middle of his chest. He was suffocating, as a sharp pain in his head prevented him from thinking straight. Suddenly, when he thought he could bear it no longer, Madeira's face swam into view, but it was wrinkled, scarred, and trembling with rage.

'Get out!' she screamed at him, 'You've seen enough, now get out!'

She was standing over him, her wand was pointing unwaveringly at his chest, and her face twisted in an expression of hatred similar to the one he had just seen on his Great-grandfather's face before he slammed the door upon Madeira's younger self. He found himself sprawled half-under the heavy table, having apparently fallen over.

'I – I didn't mean to –!' he stammered, still gasping for breath, 'You tried to read my mind, and I, yours! I needed to know what was happening.'

He struggled to his feet, but Madeira's wand followed him,

'Besides I already knew that the girl in the portrait was you, Madeira! I suspected you were in love with my Great-grandfather even before now, and I'm sure he must have at least done his best to help you -'

He didn't know why he was trying to placate her, but though his delving into Madeira's mind had opened up a wealth of information, he still had not found out whether she, or others, were behind Gartak's death, and behind the quest for the book.

Certainly, she knew about it, but now he was fairly certain, from her description, that she was under the impression that he possessed the book containing the secret of immortality, rather than his Great-grandfathers earlier work.

'Done his best to help me? Done his best to _help_ me, you say?' Madeira screamed, bringing her scarred face within inches of his.

She looked quite deranged. He took a step backwards. He couldn't see even the faintest of traces of the great beauty she once was.

'You know nothing at all about me! Or about Severus Prince! _Nothing_!' angry red sparks flew out of her wand. 'Do you know who reduced my face to this mangled, scarred horror?' she asked, her dark eyes glinting with a mad fire. 'Well, let me tell you – it was your Great-grandfather, Severus Prince, who cursed me! Magic so dark, so cruel, that none could fix! And you, the descendant of that same man, dare come and tell me he tried to _help _me? You are not even fifteen years old, and you know _nothing_! Now out of my sight! You have performed Legilimency! That is what you sought me out for, years ago, wasn't it? Like your Great-grandfather before you, you have taken what you needed, now it is time to cut lose! Out with you!'

And she accompanied her words with a slashing movement of her wand that hit him directly in the chest, winding him. He staggered backwards, clutching his chest, and thought it best not to argue. So he made his way hastily down the wooden steps and through the trapdoor in the abandoned shop below.

As he closed the trapdoor behind him, he heard the rushing sound and saw the glow of the spell that sealed the trapdoor behind him.

He knew now, that it would be sealed for good, and he would never find that way open to him again.


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85: A Helping Hand.**

Narcissa Black lay down her head wearily on one of the small marble-topped tables in the Slytherin common-room. It was late, very late, and the common-room was almost deserted. She preferred it that way now, and vaguely wondered if she should leave the alcove where she was sitting, and take her usual seat by the dying fire of the common-room.

The cold marble pressed against her aching head, but it brought no comfort. And her aching head was as nothing, compared to the twisting searing pain in her belly. She had finished the potion that mad old witch had given her, and the pain had come back, excruciating, constant, so that it was all she could do to keep herself together and get through the day without anyone noticing.

Some were, in fact, noticing now. But there was no one she could turn to. She had gone back to Old Mother Madeira, for some more of the relieving and healing potion, but this time the old witch had not opened the boarded up door of the hovel she lived in. She had shouted and called her name in desperation, and only when some sinister looking wizards from the Hogshead Inn opposite came out to see what was happening, did she desist.

She had returned back to the castle empty handed, hunched in pain and tried to get through the day with the customary calm aloofness her friends expected of her. In a few weeks time she would be returning home for the Christmas holidays, and they would know! _Lucius_ would know. She clenched her fists, screwing her eyes against the images that came to her mind.

She had been half-hiding in the shadowy alcove all evening, but even now, when there was no one to bother her, to ask questions – she couldn't even find the energy to get up and go to the fireplace.

She closed her tired eyes for a minute, trying to rid her mind of all the seething thoughts within. Bella had told her there was a way of emptying one's mind of all troubling thoughts, all problems, but she was finding it difficult. It was like trying to empty her soul, and she couldn't – she just couldn't…

A dull thunk interrupted her thoughts, and her eyes fluttered open to see a steaming goblet on the table in front of her. A pale hand with long fingers, dotted here and there with scorch marks and potion stains, was curled around its base.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked up at a tall, thin figure silhouetted against the dying embers of the fire.

'For you,' the boy said, 'Drink it all up.'

She blinked up at him, forcing some alertness into her expression. Although his face was in shadow, she immediately recognised the long, lanky hair and thin face of Severus.

'What - what is it?'

And what was _he_ doing up at this time? But then, most in Slytherin knew that Severus was a nocturnal creature, and, moreover, everyone knew better than to ask him anything about his comings and goings.

'It's a blood-replenishing potion,' he said, 'with some extra…ingredients.'

Alarm bells sounded in her head.

'And why do you think that I need it?' she asked, sharply

'Because you're as pale as death. A hundred times more than usual, and-'

'And what do you know about it? You're not a healer!'

'Why don't you go to Madam Pomfrey, then? You refuse to, even though I've heard your friends urge you to – many times! I'm not the only one who noticed you're sickening!'

'Are you spying on me now?'

'That is not necessary. I _know_, Narcissa.'

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. What did he know? He was just a _boy_, for Merlin's sake!

But looking up at his dark eyes and the unreadable expression therein, she felt, as on occasions before, that this was no ordinary boy. Narcissa knew that she could trust her instincts, and they were telling her never to underestimate Severus Snape. Despite his half-blood status, his was an extraordinary mind, and his knowledge of magic was already legendary in Slytherin House.

However, she was Narcissa Black, and pain or no pain, she would never show herself weak in front of others. She stood up gracefully, ignoring the stabbing pain in her abdomen, and drew herself up to her full height. With some surprise, she saw that he was now taller than her.

'And what, _exactly_, do you know?' she said in her coldest voice, and fixing him with an unwavering stare to match his own.

Narcissa always prided herself that she could control her emotions to suit her purpose. Now must be one of those times, she must not show weakness.

She saw him falter slightly, his eyes flickering guiltily down for a moment, but then he took a deep breath and seemed to come to a decision.

'That book you got from the Library. I – I recognised it, Narcissa. It gave me away to Filch when I was sneaking into the restricted section back in second year. And down in the Dungeon – the upper levels, where there is that disused classroom at the end of the first corridor off the main passageway: someone was brewing illicit potions - there was leftover potion, as well as ingredients: Hellebore; ergot and Rue; powdered Graphorn, and venom from the immature form of the Surubim-rei - it was an Abortive Potion that was being brewed'

Her cool façade almost slipped.

'So what? How_ dare_ you jump to conclusions - !'

'But it was wrong Narcissa! It had been brewed wrong – there was too much ergot, and the Sea Urchin spines were from the wrong species - I could tell.'

Her heart was hammering in her chest, although her face was a mask of indignant affront. How could he have found out so much? And why in Merlin's name hadn't she thought of clearing up afterwards. But even then, she had been in pain. She had fainted, she hadn't been thinking clearly.

'What are you saying, Severus?' she said, forcing her voice to sound politely interested, but she knew he would probably see through her, and she needed to find out what his intentions were. She had trusted him before, but this was different…

He didn't answer at first, but then he looked at her steadily and said quietly:

'I'm saying I could fix it, Narcissa.'

She blinked. There was no mistaking the sincerity of his tone. In spite of herself, she felt a slight tremor of hope pass through her. She so desperately needed someone to turn to, someone she could trust. Madeira had been a desperate, last-ditch attempt, and it had worked, for she no longer carried a child within her. But as for the rest - if her body was whole; if she could ever conceive again…she did not know. She had no-one to talk to, no-one she trusted enough to confide in, no-one that could make this pain in her mind and body go away.

Of course, she was a Black, and she would never shirk from rising above and beyond what needed to be done to preserve her good name, but Severus was making it enticingly tempting to just let go …let go of the pain, at least. What did he mean by saying he could 'fix it'? Perhaps she should let him see…

'What do you mean by that, Severus?' she whispered.

'Stop the pain. Stop the progression of the symptoms. Possibly even reverse some of the damage caused by the potion you brewed…' he looked at her a bit impatiently 'How could you even _think_ of adding so much ergot? You only need three grains.'

She almost laughed. 'Unlike you, Severus, I'm not that good at Potions.'

Then she gave him a slow smile, knowing her words had confirmed her guilt. Her eyes flickered down to the steaming goblet on the table between them, then back up to his. She could not suppress the hope that now fluttered eagerly in her breast. Perhaps she could forget all this, perhaps she could trust him.

She moved round the small table, and put her hand on his arm.

'Just tell me this, Severus: why?'

She felt his arm twitch under her hand.

Any other boy, and she'd think he was doing it because he had a crush on her. It had happened often enough before, and even more now that Lucius was away. She didn't mind. She enjoyed the adoration, never allowing anyone to come close, but skilled enough to never, ever, trample on their feelings, either. It was a fine line, but one which she enjoyed treading. It gave her control. It got them to do things for her they would not have for any other girl.

But Severus did not fall into this category. He fell into no category she could think of.

But she knew his secret.

His love for the mudblood, Evans.

She had even surprised herself by helping him. Perhaps she had been so surprised to know the untouchable Severus Snape was in love, that she just had to overlook his obvious wizarding society _faux pas_. She had even set about the rumour that his friendship with the mudblood was purposeful, and he was spying on her on orders from her sister's friends, to gather information. With Severus' brooding qualities and secretive ways, it was not difficult to spin a tale of mystique that most in Slytherin would easily swallow.

But Severus had not answered her question.

'Why, Severus?' she repeated in a whisper.

The same fleetingly guilty expression crossed his face once more as his dark eyes flickered to hers.

'I guess I owe you more, Narcissa, than perhaps you can imagine.'

And with these mysterious words, he gently disengaged his arm from her hand, lifted the goblet from the table, and held it up to her silently.

Her eyes fixed on his, she took it in her hand and lifted it to her lips. It smelt good. There was an underlying note of bitterness, but it was overshadowed by lavender and bergamot. She had to trust him.

She closed her eyes and took a sip. And another.

It tasted bitter-sweet.

The effect was not sudden: it was a slow, blessed numbness that dulled her pain and eased the tension in her mind and body. It felt warm and radiated from within her. She had taken pain-reducing potions before, but there was something else to this – a sort of wholesome force that gave strength and energy at the same time. She felt his eyes on her. He was watching her closely.

'Well?' he said, unable to keep a note of anxiety out of his voice.

Relief was flooding through her. Freedom from the pain, the fact that she could think straight again, as well as the now strong hope that everything would be fine, that she could forget… Well, maybe not forget - neither Severus, nor anyone else could make her forget, but at least she could get on with her life, she would not lose Lucius. She felt giddy with relief and gratitude.

A slow smile spread across her wan cheeks as she looked at the strange boy in front of her.

She put the goblet down on the table beside her.

'Thank you, Severus!' she whispered, and she threw her arms round his neck and kissed him, smiling as he stiffened at the unexpected embrace.

'I- I will brew you some more n-next week,' he said, as she released him.

Even in the dim light, she could see that his face was flushed bright red. She almost laughed at his confusion. Despite his stand-offish behaviour, Severus Snape was like any other teenage boy after all, and she had certainly caught him off-balance now. She smiled at his reaction, for this was more familiar territory for her. She knew many other teenage boys in Slytherin fantasised about being embraced by Narcissa Black.

Though most of them would not have sidled off, like Severus was doing now. She watched him as he grabbed his goblet and hurried towards the door to the boys' dorms.

True, she was perhaps a bit over-euphoric - perhaps it was the Potion – but she knew that everything would be alright now. She would watch out for the young half-blood wizard, as Lucius had done before her. She was just starting to appreciate what had earned Lucius's respect for the young Snape.

lll

lll

lll

Lily finished packing early on the last day of term. She went down to the Gryffindor common room and looked out of the window anxiously. There was a very light dusting of first snow across the lawns, but the trees of the forbidden forest were as dark as ever, and blustery winds were sweeping across the castle grounds. The snow would not last.

Snow was late in coming this year, and only the distant mountains had snowy peaks.

She had persuaded Severus to accompany her back to Castleforth this year, and spend Christmas with her family. He had agreed to last year, but her Grandfather's death had changed everything. This year, there would just be herself and her parents, for Petunia was off to a skiing holiday.

The powdery snow flitted over the castle lawns in wispy, transparent drifts, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Had there been a heavy snowfall, she was half-afraid that Severus would change his mind and stay at Hogwarts, undoubtedly to use that snow as an ingredient for the potion that was supposed to lead him to whatever was hidden in that skull. She had every intention of being at hand, should whatever dark and dangerous object come to light and get him into trouble.

A noise behind her made her look round. Remus had come in through the portrait hole. He was limping, and looked pale and tired.

'How are you, Remus?' she asked.

He hadn't been to lessons yesterday. She never knew another boy to be absent so often.

'I'm - I'm fine. I just have to get started packing. I haven't done anything yet, and I don't want to miss the Hogwarts Express.'

'I'm looking forward to seeing my parents again,' she continued 'But you went home last month, didn't you? Hope your Mum's better.'

'What? Oh, yeah, right,' Remus' brown eyes glanced shiftily down at his shoes before heading off towards the boy's dorms, after skirting carefully around a group of noisy first-years near the fireplace.

He seemed hedgy about the subject of his mother, Lily noted, but perhaps he didn't want to say what she suffered from. Nor did he ever expound on his own malady, for that matter. As he lifted his hand to the door, the wide sleeve of his robe fell back and she saw his arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage.

'Oy, Moony! How come Madam Pomfrey let you off so soon?' James Potter was kneeling down amongst the group of excited first-years, and she hadn't seen him. He was looking at Remus Lupin, so, presumably, Lupin was 'Moony'.

'She didn't,' Lupin answered, 'but Bertha Jorkins – you know that nosy 6th year? Someone hexed her good and proper. It required all Pomfrey's attention, so I gave her the slip.'

'You should've told us, mate!' Sirius's dark head appeared from among the younger students, 'We could've done with your help here.'

'What're you doing?' Remus asked, curious.

'Creating an Ashwinder,' James Potter explained, 'Well, really, the everlasting fire, first. That's supposed to be where they breed, or something, right?'

'Yeah. D'you know how useful the eggs'll be? Better than anything from Zonko's!'

'Hey, Evans!' James said, noticing her, 'You're often down at Hagrid's, and you're the only one interested in his weird beasties. D'you know how long the magical fire has to last before you get the Ashwinder? Will two weeks do?'

'It's called an '_everlasting_' fire, Potter,' she said, acerbically, 'Yours will only last a few more hours. The house elves'll remove it soon as everyone's gone to the train station.'

'Damn! Forgot about that!' Sirius Black said, standing up and pushing his dark hair out of his eyes.

'Pity. You'd have loved the result, Evans!'

'What – having Gryffindor common-room go up in smoke because of the incendiary eggs the Ashwinder lays?' she said sarcastically. Honestly, these boys couldn't think of any of the consequences, beyond the pranks they concocted.

'Well, yes, they do have that unfortunate tendency. But d'you know what you could _do _with what hatches out after they explode? I'd give you one free of charge, Evans!'

But before she could even answer, a soft moan behind her made her look back. Remus was leaning against the door jamb, pale as death.

'Catch him!' Sirius Black shouted, rushing past her.

He and James Potter reached him just as he fell in a dead faint. They eased him to the floor.

'Where's Wormtail when you need him?' muttered James Potter, looking up at the startled students who started to gather round. 'You – Fletcher!' he said, looking at a wiry third-year boy. 'Run to Madam Pomfrey and tell her Lupin's fainted again! Now!'

The wiry boy left at a gallop without another word. It was the first time Lily had ever seen Potter or Black take anything seriously. Remus must be really ill!

'He shouldn't've left so soon!' Sirius Black muttered to Potter, who kneeling down besides his prostrate friend, 'It was hardly over, and he didn't even wait for Pomfrey to-'

He stopped as Lily knelt down beside Remus and gently placed a cushion she had grabbed from one of the armchairs, underneath his head. With a wrench in her heart she noticed how deathly pale Remus looked, but what worried her more, now that she was seeing him up close, were all the bruises and scratches on his face, hands and arms. Her eyes travelled down the length of him, and she saw that beneath his robe, even his right leg had a blood- soaked bandage around it. There was even a red sticky trail of it over his trainers.

She had seen bruises before – she would never forget how bruised and beaten she had once found Severus- but this was different. Somehow it made her skin crawl. And if Remus had fainted because of blood loss…

'He has a furry little problem, you see.' James Potter was looking at her intently over Lupin's unconscious form.

'Yeah. A – a dog. Can get rather vicious sometimes, you know. A bit like that three-headed monstrosity Hagrid's got!' Sirius Black offered.

'What? A dog? Like _Fluffy_? But where does he keep it? And why is he allowed - ?'

'I think we should get him to the dorm.' Potter interrupted, looking away from her and across at Sirius Black, 'I could use some of that dittany I have, till Madam Pomfey comes.'

His friend nodded, and Lily saw them exchange a quick look. Potter surreptitiously pulled back the sleeve over his unconscious friends' bleeding and bandaged arm before placing his hands under Lupins arms, as Sirius Black took his feet. With the help of some other boys, they struggled up the spiral steps to the boys' dorm, which was where Madam Pomfrey found them, minutes later.

She shooed everyone out of the dorm as she tended to Lupin, but barely a quarter of an hour later, she emerged to tell them he would be fine and fit to travel with them later on the Hogwarts Express.

As she left to go back to the Hospital Wing, and Potter and Black raced back up the stairs to see their friend, Lily could not help wondering if they had told her the whole truth.

Hours later, she was able to see for herself, for once aboard the Hogwarts Express she stowed her luggage and went looking for Remus Lupin's compartment. He would obviously be sitting with Black, Potter and Pettigrew, or 'The Marauders' as she believed the four styled themselves now.

She found them in a compartment at the back of the train, from whence loud guffaws were issuing. Opening the compartment door, she was greeted with an unusual sight. Pettigrew, who was sitting opposite Potter had had his arms transformed into furry, clawed feet that greatly resembled the forelegs of his own pet rat, who was in a cage by his side.

Potter and Black were doubled up with laughter, and Remus looked anxious, but amused.

At least he had a bit more colour in his cheeks, Lily thought.

'Put them back or I'll –!' Pettigrew was saying, scowling, his wand lying uselessly at his side.

'I'm sure you can still hold a wand in those nifty little rat's paws!' James Potter answered, 'Oh, hello, Evans! Come to admire our handiwork?'

'What did you _do_ to him, Potter? Turn him back! He can't go home like that!'

Something shifted behind James Potter's eyes.

'Jumping to conclusions, aren't we, Evans? Who said _I_ did that to Wormtail?'

'Oh. I thought – '

'Nah! The idiot did it to himself,' Sirius Black explained, 'Needs to brush up his transfiguration skills, see?'

'Don't worry! I can take care of it! Watch and learn, Evans!' and with a wave of his wand, and a muttered incantation, James Potter cast the spell that transformed Pettigrew's arms back to their original form, short stubby fingers and all.

'I can see you do that any old time, in McGonagall's class, Potter!' she said, repressively, ' I just popped in to see how Remus is doing.'

In reality, she had no idea how to fix whatever Peter Pettigrew had done to himself, but Potter's cockiness about it irritated her.

'I'm fine now,' Remus replied, rather shamefacedly, 'should've stayed a bit longer in the Hospital wing.'

'Well, good. I'm off now.' She did not even bother to ask what had caused the problem in the first place, for she knew he would not answer, or more likely, he'd lie about it.

'Why don't you join us, Evans? Who're you with?' Potter offered.

'Severus, of course, and Abbott and Boots.'

'Snivillus ruddy Slytherin and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws? ' Potter said, scowling angrily from behind his round glasses, 'Merlin, Evans, what's wrong with sitting with your own house? Four full-bloodied, handsome Gryffindors such as ourselves?'

'I think that just about answered your own question, Potter! See you next term!' and she slid the door of the compartment shut, rather more forcefully than was necessary.

Back in her own compartment, she found Severus talking to Boot's friend, a Ravenclaw in their year who was in the seat in front of him.

'What took you so long?' he said, as she sat by his side.

'I was just checking on Remus,' she said, as she explained what happened earlier that morning.

'Fainted from blood loss?' he said frowning.

'Yes, strange isn't it? Perhaps he got some vicious pet from home – he goes to see his mother every month.'

'Every month?'

'Yes, unless he's sick. But he doesn't seem to want to talk about it.'

Severus said nothing, but frowned thoughtfully.

'Anyway, where were _you_? You took off as soon as we came into this compartment…'

'Been speaking to Rosier. Apparently there was a last minute change of plan, and he's invited me to go to his place for this weekend.'

'Oh.'

She hadn't expected that. Truth be told, she knew she was perhaps unjustly relying on Severus' presence to tide her through the holidays this year. She didn't know what she would find at home, but the memory of last Christmas was bad enough to make her turn to her friend even more than she had expected she would.

'Just tomorrow and Sunday,' Severus said. 'I'll be seeing you Monday if – if you've got nothing to do.'

'Sure, Sev,' she said, forcing a smile.

Probably, it was far more attractive to go to the rich Rosier estates for the holidays than to Castleforth, with his dubious welcome at Spinner's End, and a morose and sad family such as hers would be this Christmas. She knew she was being selfish. But at least, he wouldn't be getting up to mischief all alone at Hogwarts. Though what he would be getting up to at the Rosier's, given their increasingly pro-war reputation, she could only wonder.


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86: Ransacked.**

Severus heaved his old school trunk towards the handsome marble fireplace. With the exception of the old Grandfather, who was bedridden, the whole Rosier family had come to bid him goodbye. Being an extended family, there were quite a few people gathered around the ample hearth of the dining room fireplace, including Evan's Grandmother Eleonora, whose Aunt Morgana had married Severus Prince.

They had been a pleasant two days, for the Rosier estate was vast, with acres of wooded land and a large, old mansion that appeared to follow no discernable architectural style, having been added to and modified many times in preceding centuries. Judging by some of the ruinous and irremediably damaged parts of the west wing, the old building must have also seen its fair share of curses and wizarding wars.

At the Rosier's, Severus could find none of the interesting magical objects that had been so apparent in Reg's London house, but then, the place was so vast that it was difficult to explore. On the other hand, he found the Rosier family much more outspoken about their allegiance to the rebel forces of the Dark Lord, their firm belief in the supremacy of the wizarding world, and its imminent restoration to power.

It was the sole topic of conversation during the lunchtime banquet, which were lengthy affairs, though not quite so formal as the ones at the Black residence. Possibly, their isolation gave them a sense of security, and although they had treated him with curiosity and some reserve at first, they had soon come to accept him.

In fact, he had spent the afternoon of his first day there helping Evan's mother, Gweneth Rosier, an intelligent witch with the same square jaw and sharp, dark-blue eyes as her son, brew potions, (Evan having apparently extolled his virtues in the potion-making field). He wasn't naive, so he knew that the seemingly innocent and rambling conversation during their brewing was a form of cross-examination, but he thought he had held his own, overall, revealing a lot of what she wanted to hear, and very little of what she didn't. They brewed mainly healing Potions, and Severus wondered why Mrs Rosier wanted to brew such large amounts.

'You never know what you might need,' she had explained, 'As a family, we Rosiers avoid going to St Mungo's. We don't trust the place.'

Severus knew that some of the older members of the Rosier Family were heavily involved with the Dark Lord's followers. According to Evan, they never stayed long at home nowadays, but cousins, uncles and aunts came and went irregularly, so as not to draw attention to the family home.

'Goodbye, Severus, and do come and visit us again.' quavered Evan's old Grandmother Eleonora. She appeared the friendliest of them all. Possibly because she had spent all that morning reminiscing about how her Aunt had met his Great-grandfather, how in love she had been; how she herself, as a young girl, used to travel with her young Aunt to Ireland, and then spend hours helping her get dressed for the balls at the Prince residence, a fortified old castle set close to the cliffs on the rugged west coast of the island.

Severus let her prattle on, gleaning whatever information he could, but as soon as he tried to dig deeper, and mentioned Madeira's name, the old witch scowled, and wanted to know how in Merlin's name he knew that 'filthy, foreign witch.'

'Always philandering, always lying and causing trouble, she was,' the old witch hissed, 'Morgana told me that Madeira's family were embroiled in blood feuds, even back where she came from. She escaped her native islands to land in Ireland, where my Uncle-in-law, unfortunately, took pity on her. Phah! I should hope you keep clear of her, young man!'

He had been saved by Evan, who had dragged him off to go flying over the woods that covered their estate. It was freezing cold, but Severus had been glad to escape the old witch's suspicious stare, and happier still that he had accepted Evan's offer, for it had been ages since he was on a broom. To his delight, he found he hadn't forgotten how to fly, and neither the exhilarating feeling of the speed and power of riding a broom (Rosier had the latest models.)

So now he bid a reluctant, and rather awkward, goodbye ( he wasn't used to so many people standing around just to bid him farewell) to the Rosier family, as he heaved his school trunk inside the fireplace, and helped himself to a handful of floo powder from a jewelled casket Evan held out to him.

Taking a deep breath, and knowing that what he would find on the other side of the green fire would stand in stark contrast the old-world elegance and grandeur of the Rosier estate, he threw the powder onto the flames and muttered:

'Spinner's End!'

The spinning sensation had hardly ceased, when he knew immediately that something was wrong. He felt a stinging, tingling sensation as he arrived, with a jolt, on the grey, empty hearth of his home. He knew he had passed through some magical barrier of some sort, and as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he stepped over the threadbare hearthrug into a scene of devastation.

The small room looked as though it had been hit by a cyclone. All the books that were on the shelves lining one wall of the small living room, were now strewn haphazardly on the floor. Torn pages, book covers, broken glass and other odds and ends littered the floor. The small table had been up-ended, and the little drawer wherein his mother had sealed the old photographs had been blasted open. There were scorch marks even on some of the armchair cushions.

Wand in his hand, Severus peered cautiously into the kitchen, but it was dark and deserted, although there was broken crockery on the floor, and the cupboard doors hung wide open.

The place had been ransacked! And it wasn't burglars – there were signs of a magic everywhere! He went back to the living room, and made straight for the small door that led to the bedrooms upstairs, his heart hammering in his chest. What had happened to his mother?

But as he opened the door he found himself face to face with Eileen Snape, her wand pointing straight at his face.

'M-Mum! Wh- what - ?'

But his words died on his lips. His mother's face was in shadows, but he could see that she was in a terrible state. Her hair was tangled and loose, her face pale and wet with tears, and the wand she was holding was trembling violently.

'Th- thank Merlin! You're safe!' she said in a choked voice, as lowered her shaking wand. 'I – I thought for a moment they had come back for you!'

''They' who? Can you tell me what's happened?' he asked, scrabbling in the dark for the light switch.

The bare yellow bulb lit the staircase in a harsh, jaundiced light.

'No! Not that infernal electricity!' his mother shouted, suddenly, 'It's too strong!'

She slammed her hand on the switch, and they were plunged once more into the darkness of the narrow staircase.

'Can you tell me what's going on-?' he bit out.

'Why don't _you_ tell me that? They came looking for _you_!' his mother shouted, 'Two masked men in black robes with skull symbols!' Her eyes were wide with fear and anger, but when she spoke again her voice was anguished:

'What have you been hiding from me, Severus?'

'Mum, I don't know who you're talking about, I don't know - ' But his heart was hammering in his chest, the feeling of dread intensifying. His mother's expression hardened.

'I'll show you what! Come with me!' and she grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs, down the short corridor towards their bedroom.

'They _tortured_ him, Severus! They tortured your father with the Cruciatus Curse!' She opened the bedroom door, and by the dim light of a single candle, Severus saw his father lying very still on a tumbled bed.

He drew near, feeling strangely uneasy as he looked down on the still figure. Tobias Snape's eyes were closed, but sweat beaded his brow and his unshaven lip. He was not actually still, Severus realised, for every few seconds small tremors passed through his long frame. He remembered Professor Grimstone's words on the Cruciatus Curse: "_Some signs are obvious, some more subtle. Some signs are immediate, and some may appear later."_

'He challenged them,' his mother whispered, looking down at her husband's body, 'The great big fool doesn't know when to stop. Doesn't know how useless it is – how a muggle can never hope to do anything against magic! He just kept on trying, and they –and they -'

Her voice shook.

'They enjoyed it,' she added in a whisper.

'Will - will he get better?'

She shook her head. 'I don't know. The immediate effects will wear off, I think. But sometimes there's a body memory. Worse still, it leaves a scarred mind. The few times he's been lucid, he's asked for a drink!'

She looked at Severus hard when she said this.

'You had better start explaining, Severus!'

His throat felt suddenly dry and he swallowed hard,

'Did they – did they say why they were looking for me?'

'They said you had something they needed – a book! They said they would leave us alone if you gave them that book,' his mother answered, fixing him with a gimlet look.

Severus felt his insides turn to ice. He had been suspecting something of the sort, but when he remembered the fate that befell Gartak, Madeira's unease and fear, the 'many enemies' his Great-grandfather mentioned in his letter, he realised that he could easily have found his parents dead. A cold shiver of fear passed over him. He hadn't thought about this. He hadn't thought that others beside him and Lily could be targeted, for only they knew about the book. And he had been too absorbed in protecting his friend to think that his parents might be considered too. And now that he was actually faced with the reality that his mother - his father, even, - could have died because of him, he felt far worse than he could have imagined.

'They searched your room thoroughly,' his mother was saying, 'but apparently, none of your books was the one they were looking for…'

He ran out of his parent's bedroom without another word, and into his own.

It was in shambles. Clothes, torn books, parchment and old quills were scattered everywhere, but what he was afraid of was, that they had found what was hidden under the broken floorboard.

To his dismay, he saw that they had found his hiding place, and all the little treasures he had hidden there. Lily's handkerchief, the one she had once used to wipe the blood off his face, was sitting like a brightly-coloured butterfly on his battered second-hand copy of Intermediate Transfiguration. He had cleaned it, but never given it back, for it had her smell. Several of the pamphlets they had used to use to communicate with each other back before they were Hogwarts students, were scattered all over the floor. Her childish, round, handwriting was on many of them, though visible only to him. A box of sweets she had once given him at Christmas, several shells and stones she had brought back specifically for him from her seaside holidays.

He did not know himself why he kept these odds and ends belonging to Lily, signs of their friendship. He felt slightly ashamed of it, but he had nonetheless squirreled them all away beneath that broken floorboard where once he used to hide his book on Dark Arts.

The book that had brought so much unwelcome attention.

'I haven't had time to clear up,' his mother said from his bedroom door, 'I've been with your father all afternoon.'

Severus hastily pushed the bed back to its proper position, over the empty space where the broken floorboard used to be, and made towards the door.

'I'll do it myself,' he said shortly, wanting to avoid her seeing anything she might recognise as Lily's. He thought fast as he slipped past her to the corridor outside, closing his bedroom door behind him.

'Severus, your father's been tortured, our house ransacked, and if you don't answer - !' she started angrily, following him down the stairs.

'Look, Mum, yes, there is a book,' he said, carefully, turning to face her, 'And I guess, had things gone a bit differently, it would've been yours!'

'What? Mine?'

'I found it in your old school trunk. There was a false bottom and the book was inside. Here look –' Severus hauled the trunk from near the hearth, and showed her how the secret compartment there opened.

'I used the trunk for years,' his mother said, 'I never realised… So where is it now? That's empty! And how do you know it is mine?'

'There was a letter, a message, addressed to you in the book. It was from your grandfather, Severus Prince.'

'But why was it hidden?'

'Well, it was a book of spells he had compiled - 'ancient magic', according to him, and 'dark magic' to some, so I suppose he had to hide it. I suspect whoever wants it may be after the spells ….'

'Perhaps. Knowledge of the ancient arts may be useful in a war. But why did he leave it to me?'

'Dunno,' he lied, 'You said you were his favourite, didn't you? Or perhaps because you were the first to go to Hogwarts since he was there. Some of the portraits at Hogwarts said he was happy there until he was… forced to leave.'

His mother was looking at him suspiciously. 'Found out quite a lot, haven't you? And since when have you known all this? And you haven't told me where the book is now.'

He shrugged. 'I found out only recently, and I suppose I must've let something slip. Didn't know it would be so attractive to sinister wizards…'

'Don't be flippant, Severus! Your Great-grandfather was a prodigious scholar – anything he may have discovered, or created, may be considered a weapon in these circumstances!'

'Wasn't being - !' he made an exasperated sound, 'Never mind, the book is safe, now.'

'What do you mean?'

'It's at Hogwarts,' he answered simply.

This was true. For the first time in four years he had decided to leave the book behind. Well, it was the first time in four years he was spending Christmas at Spinner's End, and given recent events, he had thought it better to leave the book in the charm-protected hideout deep in the dungeons.

A decision he was feeling very grateful about, now. His mother was still looking at him suspiciously, but he thought she had believed the tale he had spun her. After all, half-truths were more convincing than outright lies, and he was in trouble enough now, without her knowing there was another, potentially more dangerous book he, as well as others, were after.

'I want you to send it to me by Owl as soon as you get back', she was telling him, 'And you must not leave this place, the Ministry put Protective Charms over our house.'

'The Ministry? They were _here_?'

'I called them as soon as they left! They used the Cruciatus Curse, Severus! I had no choice. They sent two Aurors, early this morning.'

'And did they say who-?'

'Who the hooded men were? According to them, Death Eaters. They said Death Eaters are attacking muggles and blood-traitors!' she scowled angrily 'I told you we'd come to this, Severus! Years ago! When I explained why you shouldn't befriend that Evans girl!'

'And do you believe them?' he said cutting her off before she could start a tirade against muggles. Something in her voice made him think, that, despite her prejudices, she, too, did not quite believe the conclusions the Aurors had jumped to.

She looked at him in silence for some minutes. Then she said:

'I did not tell the Aurors that they had come looking for a book. _Your_ book. I wanted to see what _you_ had to say about it. Death Eaters could, of course, find a use for that book in their war…'

'But they were not Death Eaters. You said they had skull symbols on their robes, Death Eater robes are plain black.'

'I - I - ' his mother sank into the armchair with the scorched cushion and passed her hand wearily over her eyes.

'They broke through my protective spells easily;' she continued after a while 'it was late yesterday night, and the door just burst open. I - I wasn't expecting it, and they disarmed me immediately. They wanted to know where you were, and didn't believe me when I said at Hogwarts. They knew you had left. So they insisted. Then Tobias heard them – he was upstairs. Saw them threatening me, and he – he –' her voice quavered 'He tried to fight them. When he lost consciousness, one of them said they'd kill him unless I told him your whereabouts. But before I could answer, the other one found your letter. The one saying you'll be at the Rosier's for a few days. Thank Merlin, you did not say for how long. They left then, after ransacking the whole place. I thought they'd be after you, but I couldn't warn Gweneth Rosier by floo, because they destroyed my supply. I used the same owl that I'd sent to the Ministry to write to Gweneth and to you, telling you to stay put at the Rosiers. But you never answered.'

'It never arrived.'

She looked up at him, and her expression was unreadable.

'The symbol on their black robes was a skull. It was embroidered in silver on their left sleeve,' she said after a while, her eyes never leaving his face.

'And have you seen it anywhere before? Do you know what it means?' his heart was hammering in his chest as he asked the questions eagerly, and with some trepidation. His mother, was, after all, a Prince. She might know about the Knights of the Walpurgis.

She was looking at him with narrowed eyes, and did not say anything at first.

'My Grandfather was laid to rest in robes of black velvet with a skull embroidered on the left sleeve,' she said, after a while, 'I was still very young, but I remember the funeral clearly. I remember asking my father - your grandfather Aileran, - why Grandpa Severus was being buried with a silver skull on his robes. He said they were ceremonial robes. The skull is a common symbol used by scholars of the Dark Arts. He said he was the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Walpurgis, a brotherhood of wizards who studied the ancient magic lore. He insisted that Severus Prince would be the last to wear those robes, for the knights were disbanded when he died. There had been some internal conflict for some time, but I was too young to understand.'

'So these wizards, the ones who came yesterday - ?'

'They're frauds! They must be! Perhaps there may still be members of the knights still alive, I wouldn't know, but your Great-Grandfather was the one and only leader of that brotherhood. The Knights disappeared with his death, so I do not know who these imposters are. They were masked, but appeared to be in their sixties, and, from their words, brothers. They thought I was too far gone to be listening, but I overheard them speaking when they were searching your room. One of them mentioned an old father, and they had a foreign accent, and unusual names: Ivan and Igor. Do these names mean anything to you?'

He shook his head, slowly realising what she had just said. 'When you say you were 'far gone', do you mean they used Cruciatus on you too?'

She made an irritated gesture. 'I told you they insisted, didn't I? But your father bore the brunt of it. He shouldn't have tried to interfere. He does not know the full extent of a Dark Wizards power…'

Severus tried to imagine his father coming to his wife's rescue and failing, miserably, to do so. His mind shied away from the potential consequences of this encounter on his father. Eileen said the effects would wear off, but he had been in a fragile state, even before that. He had been sick last summer...

His mind went back to the two mysterious wizards. The names rang a bell, but he couldn't quite remember where he'd heard them before. To give himself time to think he picked up a candle stub from the floor and went to the kitchen to light it. When he came back, his mother had straightened up on the armchair.

'You must give me that book, Severus,' she said 'They'll be after you again, after _us,_ and –'

'I am _not_ going to owl you the book. That's stupid and dangerous. It's safe at Hogwarts, and besides it's rightfully ours – _yours_! It was passed on to you by your Grandfather.'

'But it would not be worth risking your life – _our_ lives over it, Severus! Do you _understand_?'

He looked at her tired, drawn face in the yellow light of the candle.

'No, it would not,' he answered, quietly.

'Then I want you to hand it in to your Head of House. He'll know what to do.'

He nodded, 'I'll see to it that the book reaches the right hands, ok? Anyhow, I've read the whole thing now.'

He hoped that would satisfy his mother, for he had no intention of handing it over to anybody – least of all Slughorn or Dumbledore. His mother didn't know half the story behind that book. He had, in fact, now largely moved beyond the magic that was written in this earliest of his Great-grandfather's three books. He had mastered most of the spells that could safely be cast in his dungeon hideout at Hogwarts, and, apart from the blood-imbued message on its last pages, he no longer needed the book for its spells, but he felt that it was his inheritance, and he was not going to give it up. Even though whoever was seeking it might have been members of the Knighthood his own Great-grandfather had set up, he felt he certainly had more right to it than they.

According to what he had seen in Madeira's memories, she was the only one who knew about Severus Prince's secret book, but he had not missed the veiled threat in her words.

Had his Great-grandfather allowed her to become a member of his Knights? If he didn't, she might have given away his secret. But if what he remembered from one of his earliest lessons on Occlumency was correct, she had succeeded. On that occasion, Madeira had attempted to teach him languages by forcing her own memories directly into his own head, and in those memories he remembered her saying that she would be the first witch to be accepted into the ranks, and the two young wizards at the bar had congratulated her, and they had…

Suddenly it dawned on him: Igor and Ivan – that was where he had heard the names before! Madeira had been using her unorthodox (and painful) method of teaching languages – Russian, in that particular case, and he had seen, through her own eyes, the young wizards who had just ransacked their house! It had to be them! They were in the company of their father, and, in hindsight, Severus knew that the 'ranks' they had referred to, were probably those of the Knights of the Walpurgis, and the 'Grandmaster' was none other than his own Great-grandfather. They would be older now – he quickly did the sums in his head. They would be in their sixties now, as his mother had said.

He had thought long and hard about what he had seen in Madeira's memories since that fateful night, some weeks ago, when he had invaded her mind during his first attempt at Legilimency. But the events he'd seen then had happened so long ago, he had found it hard to believe that the brotherhood was still active. However, Gartak's mysterious words about 'a brotherhood', and now this, confirmed his belief that _some_ members of the old Knighthood, at least, were still alive, and knew about the Secrets of Immortality in his one of grandfather's book.

Unfortunately, they mistakenly thought it was the one he possessed. They did not know that the one they sought had been hidden by Severus Prince somewhere in Hogwarts' vast interior, and that the key to finding it lay in the message he had left Eileen at the back of his first book. Which was another reason why he had no intention of giving it up.

Another thing that was bothering him was the much-publicised Dark Mark that had hung over Gringott's when Gartak was murdered. That was a sure sign of Death Eaters, yet why did they kill the old goblin? He could understand why Madeira might have leaked the secret to other members of the Knights, but the Dark Lord's Death Eaters were a more recent organisation – Could they, too, have known about it? Gartak seemed to be working on behalf of the Knights. Was he murdered because he was after the book and its secrets, or because, as Lily kept insisting, he had failed to get it?

Lily! He'd forgotten! He had to warn her-

'Severus? Severus!'

His mother was saying something and he had been lost in his own thoughts.

'I want you to promise me you will not go out, Severus!' his mother had got out of her chair and was facing him grimly.

'Promise _what_?'

'They may be coming back for you any time. They may be waiting outside as we speak! The Ministry placed protections over-'

'I'm not going to be imprisoned here like some –!' he started angrily, but his mother cut him off:

'You will do as you are told, Severus!' she shouted, 'Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Look at this place! Look at us! All because of your stupid philandering in things that don't concern you!

'What _things_ exactly? The book? _You_ gave me your school trunk, after all, and how was I to know anyone'd be after that damned book?'

'You should've told me what found! You don't understand _anything_ about my Grandfather at all!'

'Tell me, then!'

But Eileen looked as though she had regretted her outburst. She bit her lip and said:

'You will remain inside while you are here, Severus. And I want you to carry your wand at all times. Perhaps I will come up to Hogsmeade after the holidays, if your father is better, for I will not rest until I know that that book is given to-'

'There's no need for that!' he said hastily, and wondering why in Merlin's name his mother thought that by giving it up to Slughorn he'd get those wizards off his back, 'I - I know what I have to do. Besides, right now they still think me at the Rosiers. I could write to them. Tell them to pretend I'm still there. They're a large family, and their estate is like a stronghold – they won't be cowed by those wizards.'

His mother did not answer for a moment, but he saw she was giving it some thought. Then she wordlessly went over to the upturned table and waved her wand. The table righted itself and the small drawer beneath flew back into its place. With another wave of her wand the various papers and odds and ends that had been on and in the table flew into a jumbled heap back on its surface. She extracted a quill from beneath the tumbled mass and handed it to him.

'Do it now,' she said, curtly, 'And make sure it is unintelligible, should it fall into the wrong hands. I will floo Gweneth as soon as I get more powder.'

Just then, a strangled moan from upstairs drew her attention, and she grabbed a potion bottle from the kitchen and proceeded upstairs, leaving him to it.

He righted one of the upturned chairs and sat down at the table. Evan Rosier could be relied on to help him and keep silent about it. He needed to keep those wizards away from Castleforth at all costs. And he'd have to be careful not to allow anyone see him anywhere near Lily's house. He'd need to invent something to keep Rosier from knowing the whole truth, but that would not be too difficult. Considering what his family estate was like, the Rosier clan was used to these things.

Just then, a flurry of movement caught his eye. He realised that among the torn papers, broken pencils, books and sundry other items Eileen had piled haphazardly on the small table, were some wizarding photos. Some were those she had shown him last summer, others he had not seen. They had been locked in the small drawer.

One in particular stood out.

For a wild moment he thought it was a photo of himself in his Hogwarts robes, but then he saw that it was a very old, black-and-white photo, yellowed with age, and its occupant was not himself, but Severus Prince. He was even younger then when he had seen him in Madeira's memories, and very obviously, a Hogwarts student, for there was the castle in the background. Given the angle, it was taken from a secluded spot by the far side of the lake, though still within the school grounds.

Severus observed the young Prince carefully. He appeared to be about his age, around fifteen years old, tall and thin, with dark hair that fell to his shoulders, and rather deep-set, dark eyes. He was clutching a heavy book bound in black leather to his chest, and he was shifting uneasily in the photo, his expression tense, and his dark eyes darting sometimes sideways, and sometimes at something, or someone, beyond the edge of the photo.

Severus turned the photo and on the back, in slanting, loopy, handwriting, so faded he could barely make it out, was a small inscription:

'_Thought you might like this memento, old chap! It's as difficult to get you in front of a camera as it is to get a Snargalaff stump to release its pod! Anyhow, here it is – I thought you might like a record of your most important work, and one to which I can humbly say I contributed almost nothing._

_Your friend, _

_Albus_

Below was a more recent inscription in a handwriting that he recognised immediately as that of his Great-Grandfather:

_Eileen, this little keepsake is for you now that your attendance at Hogwarts is assured. I hope it inspires you to seek the knowledge you see within._

_Your Grandfather Severus._

Apart from that cryptic message, there was none else. Possibly the other message was from Dumbledore, taken when the two were still friends. Scowling, Severus turned the picture over, but only saw his pseudo-image look back up at him mistrustfully out of dark eyes that were so much like his own. He slipped the photo in his pocket and rummaged among the mass of objects in front of him.

He remembered that his mother had not wanted him to see them all. She had sealed them in the little drawer. What had she wanted to hide from him? Now was his chance! He searched carefully for any other old wizarding photos but there were none else of importance that he could see.

What he did find, however, was a great quantity of muggle photos – all featuring a dark-haired, solemn little child of a year or so. Some featured the same child as an infant, and some, slightly older, gazing cautiously up at the camera with large, dark eyes in a small pointed face. Severus realised that they were himself as a very small boy. He had not even known about them. He searched some more but there was nothing of any importance. Were these the photos that his mother had sealed away? Photos of her only child?

Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. He and his inherited magic had been largely the bone of contention between his parents. He was still wondering at the unpleasant implications of this information, when loud thumping from upstairs distracted him. It was followed by his father's angry voice and his mother's pleading one.

With a sigh, he rose from the table and made for the stairs to his room. He would call Lily on the two-way mirror and warn her not to go out without her wand, (though, possibly, after the Dementor attack last summer, she would always take that precaution). She would want explanations, of course. He could see no way of avoiding that, but he'd rather he was face to face with her when he explained.


	87. Chapter 87

** A very Happy Christmas to all my Readers and a heartfelt Thank You for all your words of encouragement. A big Thank You also to my wonderfull Beta, TuesdayNovember, who has worked on this Fic even though it's Holiday time! **

**I hope you enjoy the next Chapter. I didn't think, when writing it some weeks ago, that posting it would fall on this day. So I called it, appropriately enough: 'Christmas Eve' **

**Chapter 87: Christmas Eve.**

Lily lay back on her bed and sniffed loudly, peering at her swollen eyes in the small mirror in her hand. It was the two-way mirror, but it only reflected her own face, pale and shining with tears in the cold moonlight that filtered in through the window. It had been two days since she had seen Severus's face reflected there. He had called her late Sunday night, and she had responded eagerly, happy to see that he was back from the Rosiers. But what he told her had upset her. She could not understand what he was saying at first, her eyes focussing on the peeling wallpaper on the wall behind him, and wondering what his bedroom looked like. She'd never been inside his house before. But he had seemed very uneasy, and was warning her not to leave the house without her wand.

She had seen through him immediately of course, knew he was hiding something, and had demanded an explanation. He hesitated to explain, and she had jumped to conclusions, which had set him on the defensive. They had quarrelled, and she had cut contact.

It was Christmas Eve now, and the house was silent, for her Mum and Dad had long gone to sleep. Since they used to spend Christmas with relatives, the Evans this year had found themselves rather at a loss as to what do for the holidays. Their relations had either emigrated or passed away, and even Petunia was on a skiing trip with friends.

Lily had spent the weekend quietly catching up on her parents' news and giving her father the latest (watered down) news of the wizarding war. Her father's health was not too good, and there was the unspoken aura of their sad loss last Christmas, making her tense and unhappy, without anyone actually having said or done anything.

Perhaps that was a factor for her behaving so damned childishly when Severus called her on the mirror late Sunday night. His news of more fear and doom grated on her nerves, and she had lashed out at him and his stubborn-headed insistence in delving into the Dark Arts, blaming him for bringing trouble upon them. It had escalated quickly after that, for Severus could never bear any slight on the Dark Arts.

Tears leaked down her face again. She picked up the mirror for the umpteenth time, and for the umpteenth time put it down again. Given the harsh words, she had not expected him to contact her yesterday. Today, however, she had tried to call twice, but he had not answered.

She was not going to do it again.

But she missed him. Merlin only knew why, but despite their disagreement, she found herself looking again and again at the mirror, willing it to change so that she could see his familiar face again.

Not that she didn't have anyone to talk to – Mary MacDonald had called yesterday and today, Jenny did. She spent hours talking to them, even though it had been only a few days since they had left Hogwarts. Lily knew they were doing it because they knew last Christmas had been awful for her, and they probably thought they could cheer her up.

They did, of course – it was wonderful to hear their cheery voices and all their plans for Christmas feasts and celebrations, but despite it all, despite her yearning for the bright colours and laughter and warmth and joy of the season, something else was on her mind now. Something that made all those bright lights and festive decorations seem frivolous – unnecessary, somehow.

Perhaps it was that her parents needed her – perhaps it was because she knew Severus was somewhere at Spinner's End or Merlin knew where, possibly in fear of whatever he had tried to warn her against. She didn't even _know_, for she had never let him finish, she had just cut him off in a huff.

She sniffed again, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Checking the small clock with luminous hands on her bedside table, she saw it was past one in the morning. She couldn't get to sleep. There had been some carollers down their street sometime before midnight, but they had left now, and the house was even more silent by contrast.

A silent night. How ironic.

Her mind was full of tumultuous thoughts, each drowning the other in loud protest. She looked up, her eyes falling on the jars of dried leaves and herbs on the shelf above her bed, relics of more uncomplicated times, gleaming brightly in the moonlight. What if something had happened to Severus? Was that the reason why he hadn't answered her call? What if that damned book of his had got him into trouble somehow? He had assured her it was safe, that he had left it where he had hidden it. But that didn't necessarily mean that whoever was after it might not target her friend.

Was that what he was trying to tell her? She sat up in bed her heart pounding. She had forgotten all about it. She had not heard of anything sinister since Gartak's death, and she had been lulled into a false sense of security by Hogwarts' protective walls, by Dumbledore's presence...

How could she have been such a bloody fool? She should have realised. And it was she who had persuaded him to leave the safety of Hogwarts, hoping, that way, to prevent him using his Great-grandfathers Dark magic to discover something even more sinister when alone in the castle. Hoping, in a totally selfish and irresponsible way, that her holidays would be that much more bearable with his familiar presence. It was all her fault! She had only made it worse! Here in old Castleforth he was completely unprotected. She got off the bed and started pacing her room.

She needed to see he was alright. If he didn't answer the mirror then she'd go herself! She'd risk the wrath of Mr and Mrs Snape, but at least she'd know. She ran back to the bed, switched on the small bedside lamp, and searched feverishly for the small mirror among the tumbled bedclothes.

'Severus!' she whispered, into the small square mirror.

He had to be home! It was half-past one in the morning, for Merlin's sake! From what he'd let slip it about his home life, it was hardly likely that the Snapes were out celebrating Christmas Eve.

'_Severus!'_ she repeated, more urgently this time, but the mirror reflected back her own pale face, tunnelled by the long, dark red hair as she bent over the mirror. Desperately trying to quell the panicky feeling inside her, she called his name several times more, but to no avail.

Her heart was thudding in her chest now, and she gave up. She had to go to Spinner's End! If there was a logical and simple explanation to his silence, (she certainly hoped it wasn't because he was still simply angry with her) she didn't know what Mr and Mrs Snape would say to her turning up on their doorstep at two in the morning, but she couldn't stand the feeling of dread any longer! From his description, she thought she'd recognise his bedroom window, so perhaps she could call him somehow, without risking that he'd get into trouble with his parents.

She pulled her nightdress over her head, and fished around at the foot of her bed where she had left her jeans, shivering slightly through nerves and the chilly air. Hopping into them quickly, she reached up to the shelves above her bed for her wand, which she tucked in the waistband of her jeans. She was still groping about in the dim light for her jumper and shoes, when a tinkling noise outside her window made her freeze.

Her first reaction was to place her hand over her wand – her anxious thoughts had made her tense. Then the sound came again, and she realised it was a small stone hitting against her window pain.

Could it possibly be-?

She switched off her bedside lamp, and approached the window carefully, her hand still curled round the wand in her waistband. The front garden of their house came gradually into view, coated in a light frosting of an earlier snowfall, but even though the moon shone through slow-moving clouds, she could not see anyone. Many footsteps, made by the carollers earlier, disturbed the pristine whiteness of the snow, so she could not tell if there were newer ones.

Her heart was beating so loudly, that she was afraid it could be heard. Was this a trap, or was it the one person she had been so worried about? Wishing she could cast a Disillusionment Charm, she put her hand on the window latch, her bare arms very visible in the moonlight. Opening the window silently, she was about to lean out and see who was down below, when a dark shadow loomed up before her.

She shrieked and moved backwards, but it took only a split second for her to realise it was Severus. He tumbled in through the window, making a shushing gesture.

'Shh! It's – it's only me, Lily!' he said.

Relief flooded through her, dissipating all the anxiety and dread of moments earlier. With a stifled sob, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely and crying with relief. He staggered backwards momentarily with the force of her embrace, but recovered quickly and after a moment's hesitation, she felt his arms around her, cold and wet with sleet.

'I – I thought something had happened to you! And it's all my fault! I shouldn't've told you to leave Hogwarts! And I didn't even listen to you!' she blurted out.

She knew she probably wasn't making any sense to him, but she didn't care. Just having him there, knowing he was alright, and breathing in that so-familiar smell of him was enough, even though, with the exception of his middle, where she was still hugging him, he was as cold as ice, and droplets of melted snow were dripping from his clothes and hair onto her bare flesh.

Her bare flesh! She broke away, realising that she was dressed in just her jeans and bra. Not that it mattered to her at that moment. Severus's back was to the window, his face in shadows, but she could see he was still looking at her. The moonlight glistened on the fine droplets covering his jacket, and his hair was slick with moisture.

'L-Lily, I ... I ...' but he seemed to have forgotten what he had to say.

Probably, he hadn't expected such a welcome, after the way they parted two days ago. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she fished up her jumper from the floor, and slipped it over her head.

'Here, take off your jacket,' she said 'you'll catch your death, wet through like that!' she took a blanket off the bed and held it out for him, for he hadn't moved. He took it from her, and she padded over to her bed, switching on the bedside lamp again.

Even in its dim light, she could see that something was wrong. He had bruises on his face, and dark circles under his eyes that showed up even in the soft yellow glow of her lamp. She knew better than to confront him with that right away though.

He was still standing there, looking at her, blanket held limply in one hand. The expression in his eyes was fiery, and in strange contrast with his bedraggled appearance.

'What were you thinking of, Lily?'

She blushed, feeling chastised. 'I'm sorry, Sev. I shouldn't have jumped at you like that. It's just that – '

'No, No! Not _that_,' he retorted, quickly – too quickly, 'But when you said you shouldn't've asked me to leave Hogwarts. Did you mean -?'

She smiled, glad he was not mad at her for flying at him, 'It means I was just going out of my head with worry about you. I didn't realise how dangerous it could be for you outside Hogwarts. I had completely forgotten about Gartak – I mean, we've been to Hogsmeade several times this term, and nothing happened, so I didn't think, when you called me last Sunday - '

Her voice faltered, for she could see his eyes getting darker the way they did when he was keeping his anger in tight control. She took a deep breath and continued:

'It was unforgiveable of me to say those things, Sev. You – you're entitled to your secrets, and if you can't explain, then fine. It's just that then I couldn't contact you, and tonight I started wondering if something happened to you...'

'I'm fine,' he answered quickly.

She said nothing, but let her eyes linger over his bruised face, half-covered by the black strands plastered across it. His expression had changed now, and he looked tired.

'Maybe you are,' she said with a small smile, as she padded over to where he was still standing, 'but you're still wet through. Come on! Give me your jacket!'

After a moment's hesitation, he shrugged out of his jacket and Lily grabbed his ice-cold wrist, and pulled him towards the bed. He offered no resistance and she pushed him gently backwards till he sat down abruptly on her bed. She thought he must be freezing cold, but he was not shivering, and he sat with bent head, gazing fixedly at his hands. She knew something must have happened, she could see it in his eyes, but for now she was just glad that he was here with her, safe and sound. Taking the blanket from his hands she opened it and threw it around his shoulders gently.

'I was coming over to your house, you know,' she said sitting down cross-legged next to him. 'I was just getting dressed when you –'

Her words roused him out of his reverie, and his voice was anxious: 'No! No, you mustn't Lily! Don't even leave your house unless you have to! And never without your wand!'

She looked at him fixedly.

'_You_ did,' she said, quietly.

'I – I saw the light in your bedroom window, so I thought you might be up.'

She did not answer, but let her eyes ask the next obvious question: _But why did you come?_

His eyes fixed on hers, she saw his Adam's apple rise and fall as he swallowed, as though his mouth was dry. Then he blinked and looked away again, gazing down at his clasped hands. They were clenched together so hard, she could see his knuckles turn white.

'You – you once said, years ago,' he started in a low voice 'that – that I could come over if - if – '

'If things got bad at home?' she continued for him, gently.

She remembered that occasion clearly. He had been in an even worse state, but he had refused her help then.

He nodded, still keeping his eyes on his hands, strands of slick, dark hair falling down to cover the bruises on his thin cheeks.

Her heart went out to him. He must indeed be in dire straits, if he had come to her. Perhaps it was something even worse than the usual fall-out with his father. She was very touched that he'd come, but knew how proud he was, and that he'd just run off if she dared say anything he'd interpret as pity.

But she had to show him she cared. She leaned over and gave his white-knuckled hands a gentle squeeze.

'You know you can come to me anytime, Sev,' she said, sincerely.

He looked down for a moment at her small, freckled hand as it lay on his, then he looked up at her with an expression in his eyes that alarmed her.

'Wh- what happened at home, Sev?' she asked, fishing for clues, 'You had said, last summer, that your father had stopped drinking. Is he -?'

Severus eyes stared into hers, and he seemed to come to a decision.

'He started drinking again,' he said, 'but that's not all –'

She knew then, that it was even more serious. He looked back down at his hands again, speaking in a low, bitter voice.

'Our house was ransacked, Lily. Masked wizards. They came on Saturday, the day we were s'pposed to arrive from Hogwarts.'

Her hand flew to her mouth, and her blood ran cold. It was just as she had suspected!

'They searched the house, and used the Cruciatus curse on my parents,' Severus was continuing, 'I was still at the Rosiers.'

'The _Cruciatus_ curse? But that's illegal – !' Something clicked inside her head 'They were looking for the book, weren't they?' she breathed.

He stole a quick look at her and nodded. She took a deep breath, acknowledging her worst fears. He probably expected her to start with the 'I told you so', but she knew better this time.

'Your parents - how are they? What did they say to this?'

'My mother's okay. I don't think the Cruciatus affected her as badly as my father's starting to drink again. As for _him _– I don't think he took too kindly to being subdued by wizards. He got violent when Mum insisted he keep away from the bottle. Finally, we had to use magic to calm him down – but that made it worse, afterwards! I told Mum to hell with him, that she should just let him drown in that shit he's drinking, but...' he shrugged in frustration.

'She's just hoping to save him, Severus! Don't you see?'

'No I don't! She's fighting a bloody losing battle! I've seen how these men end up – vomiting their guts out in some alley behind the cheap pubs downriver, living in the gutter till they're picked up by the –!'

'Severus, he's your _father_!' she pleaded.

He looked at her wordlessly, but his eyes blazed with equal amounts of hatred and hurt, and beneath that something else – something that looked like remorse. It took her by surprise and even frightened her. She did not know what to say – she felt so hopelessly inadequate, for she had little experience of his harsh realities. Her own father, her grandfather – they were so different. It was so unfair for him!

'Look, Severus – I – I know I don't understand much, but the fact that he'd stopped-'

'He stopped 'cause he got sick!'

'Well, yes, but he made the effort, nonetheless, and you said things were better-'

'_Stranger,_ not better!'

He still looked thunderous, so she changed track,

'What are we going to do now?'

'There is no 'we' in this, Lily, I came to warn you as - as - much as everything else! You must stay out of this! You must - !'

'Who were the wizards who did this?' she asked, cutting across him. She did not want to hear that she was 'out' of anything! She wanted to help him, and nothing he said would deter her.

'They weren't Death Eaters, if _that's_ what you're thinking!' he snapped.

'I didn't suggest they were,' she answered coolly, 'I just wondered how they came to know about it.'

He seemed to weigh his words carefully before he answered.

'There was an organisation of sorts – the 'brotherhood' Gartak mentioned. They were set up by my Great-grandfather to study ancient spells –'

'Dark magic, you mean!'

'Same difference!' he snapped 'These wizards who ransacked our house – they seem to belong to that brotherhood. 'Knights of the Walpurgis', they called themselves. I would've thought it'd be defunct, after so many years, but apparently, some of them are still around. They knew about the book, and now they think I have it. My Mum overheard their names: Ivan and Igor, but she doesn't know them, or why they're after it.'

'Your Mum told you all this?'

He looked away. 'She remembers some things about her Grandfather. She always said he was a scholar...'

'But where's the book, now? Is it still at Hogwarts? How could you risk coming here tonight, if those two are after you?

'They're not. I'm not so stupid as to lead them up to your doorstep, am I? They think I'm still at the Rosiers, and they haven't dared show themselves there. Evan told me.'

'You told Evan Rosier about them?'

'Just described them as shady characters, and spun him a tale about how they're bent on learning some useful curses from me. Curses I have no intention of teaching them. He believed me, I think. I told him they might turn up and not to give away my whereabouts, if they do. Evan owes me. He wrote back and said he'll spread the word that I'm staying at their place for the rest of the holidays. He said his uncles scoured their estate, but saw no sign of them.'

'But Sev, you can't hide forever! This is really, really bad! And you haven't answered my question. Is that book still at Hogwarts?'

He hesitated a minute before answering:

'Yes'

'Then you must give it up! You must tell Dumbledore or –or your Head of House about it. It's dangerous, and I can't believe you're risking your life for - !'

'We've been through this already, Lily! I'm not giving the book to anyone, least of all to Dumbledore! He'd have me expelled! And d'you really think they'll stop hounding me, even if I did? Besides, I told you – I think they're mistaken. They think I have one of the other books my Grandfather wrote – the ones that were confiscated! Probably there are spells there that are more worth knowing than what's in mine.'

'Then what do you propose to do, huh?' she retorted, feeling her temper rising at his stubborn attachment to that damned book. 'Meet them over a couple of butterbeers in Hogsmeade and explain to them that they're after the wrong book? For Merlin's sake, Sev – they used Unforgiveable Curses on your parents!'

His head snapped round to look at her then, and she expected a sharp angry answer, but he said nothing. Instead, there was so much pain in his dark eyes, so much guilt, that she bit her lip, forgetting all recriminations. He was blaming himself for what had happened at home! His vitriolic outburst against his father was just a reaction to what had happened – to what he thought as his fault.

He had looked away now, and resumed staring at his own hands, his face whiter by stark contrast to the darkening bruises on his face.

'It's – it's not your fault, you know,' she said. 'You never intended this to happen-'

'But it _did_, Lily! _I_ should've been there when those bastards came for it!' he said, his voice rising, 'I could've stopped them! I could've - !'

'Shh! You'll wake Mum! Look, if you're sure they're mistaken, perhaps we can duplicate that book by magic, and let them have a copy, or something.'

'No good. They'd know it's a copy, the magic wouldn't last long!'

'We could at least try!' she got off the bed, and started pacing the room in agitation. She had to find a way out of this! 'If you're so adamant in not letting qualified wizards handle this, then perhaps we could just get those knights or whatever they are, to realise they're mistaken! Duplicating the book and letting them see it...'

'What do you propose, Lily? That I stand in a corner in Hogsmeade, and offer it to the first masked and cloaked wizard called Ivan or Igor that comes along?' he said, sarcastically.

She stopped her pacing to stand in front of him, hands on hips. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He was right of course. With a defeated sigh, she flumped down on the bed beside him.

'I wish I knew how they know _you_ have it!' she said, crossly. 'You wouldn't be in this predicament otherwise! I've often wondered about it. I never ever mentioned that book to a living soul, and no doubt you've been more silent than the grave!'

She felt him shift uncomfortably beside her. Something about his silence alarmed her.

'Sev? Did you tell anyone but me about that book?'

He shook his head, his long hair jumping about his face, and he spoke in a low voice without raising his head.

'No, Lily. Only you've seen it, since I first found it. The only other person I spoke to about it was my mother, just now, for she wanted to know what book those wizards wanted from me.'

Of course! She had forgotten – Mrs Snape! The runic message had been addressed to her! The book had been intended for her, but she had never found out about it. And now she must have had a very rude awakening to the fact that it was really her book that had caused the attack. If only Severus had confessed his find to her way back when they were still children! This might not have happened.

'What did your Mum say? Was she angry?' she asked.

Severus shrugged and leaned back against the wall, passing a hand wearily over his eyes. 'Wanted me to send it to her by owl. Ridiculous!'

'She was trying to protect you.'

'She'd do better to just protect herself!' he bit back, harshly.

Lily bit her lip as the implication of his words hit her. She said nothing for a while, but observed him in silence. He looked as if he hadn't slept for days, but his eyes were still smouldering angrily at the memory of recent events.

'You tried to help her, didn't you? You used magic on your father,' she asked, understanding what he had left unsaid, 'He blamed you for bringing trouble. He – he lashed out at her – at both of you, for his humiliation!' She felt her eyes prickling with tears but she fought them back.

He did not answer her, but continued staring ahead, his eyes focussed on a violence she could only half-imagine. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was so painfully thin. These last two days must have been hell for him. He needed rest now, and a blessed oblivion from all that troubled him – even if only for a few hours. He had come to _her_ after all, and she would try and do her best...

'Look, don't worry about this, Sev. We'll talk tomorrow. Just get some rest now, okay? Here, budge over a bit -' she grabbed her pillow and some cushions and placed them behind his back. He gave her a surprised look, but did not protest, just did what he was told. Then she leaned over and switched off the bedside lamp, plunging them into darkness.

'I'll wake you up at dawn,' she whispered, getting up and padding over to the window.

She drew the curtains against the cold moonlight, as though shutting all their troubles outside. Then she went to her wardrobe and rummaged inside for another blanket and pillow. When she turned back to her bed, it was too dark to see more than a dark, huddled heap across her bed.

Throwing the blanket around her shoulders, she moved closer and saw, with a smile, that Severus had fallen asleep. He was still sitting rather lopsidedly propped up by her pillows, and his head was bent sideways at an awkward angle, his face completely covered by a curtain of dark hair. But his chest was rising and falling with deep, slow, breaths, and although she couldn't see his face, he appeared at peace finally.

She sat down carefully beside him, trying not to disturb him. She needed to wake him up before dawn, so that he could steal away to Spinner's End without getting into further trouble with his parents.

Or with hers. She almost giggled at the incongruity of the situation - at least that's the way it would appear to her parents! To her there was nothing incongruous about it – her friend needed her and she simply was there for him!

The dangerous situation he found himself in was something that worried her far more. If only he had never found that blasted book! Or was so fascinated by its contents! Had he given it up then, years ago, his parents might never have been attacked, perhaps the rift between his Mum and Dad might have healed, and he could have had a better home life.

She sighed. It wasn't all his fault, after all. She hoped his parents would forgive him.

She certainly would, had it been her.

Just then, Severus sighed in his sleep and shifted a bit so that he slid further down along the wall, the blanket on his shoulders slipping off his thin frame. His head rolled backward slightly, so that the strands of long, dark hair, like rivulets of ink, fell back to reveal his pallid face. His skin glowed white in the moonlight, except where the mottling of the bruises along his cheekbone darkened it. His thick eyelashes were black smudges against his cheek, and she noted with a smile, that there was a darker, barely-there growth on his upper lip. Her eyes followed the sharp but delicate curve of his jawline, which was similarly discoloured, down his neck to his exposed throat, where she could see a vein pulsing steadily beneath the open- necked shirt he wore.

Thankfully, there were no dark bruise marks here, and her eyes were drawn once more to his face, noting again, as she had done once before the previous summer, how different Severus appeared when asleep.

She felt a slow smile spread across her face, and a strange warm feeling spread through her, as she watched over her sleeping friend. Then she remembered how, on that occasion last summer, something had happened when Severus had woken up to find her looking at him. It was as though she had - not read his mind, - but his feelings, somehow.

In hindsight, given how strangely magic worked between them, she supposed that it could have been a manifestation of the '_compatible magical energy or synchronicity of bonded souls'_ that the book of wandlore hypothesised about. The implications had made her nervous, but Severus had not wanted to discuss it, and even on that summer's day, he had shied away from explaining what had happened; had seemed embarrassed, even. But she could not help wondering, more and more often in recent months, whether Severus thought about her differently...

But it would be so uncharacteristic of him! And they were best friends - they grew up together, for Merlin's sake!

And yet, there were times, like when they had shared wands in that dark tunnel, when she caught fleeting glimpses of such hunger, such a dark fire in his eyes, that it left her breathless. She couldn't stop thinking about it for days after, and, to her embarrassment, had caught herself looking at him, just as she was doing right now, noticing the small details – like how fine and silky his hair was, when he bothered to wash it, how his hands clenched and unclenched when he spoke vehemently about the perceived injustices of the Ministry; how his eyes shone a warm, rich brown on the rare occasions he shared a joke with her that did not involve sarcasm at someone else's expense. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards then, and she had started to feel tingles of pleasure at his rare smiles.

He must have noticed, for his behaviour towards her had changed suddenly, becoming cold and even stand-offish. She had been so confused and hurt, at first, but she had wondered since then, whether he was doing it to protect her.

Given what had just happened, that was plausible.

But there had been occasions at Hogwarts recently, when he had walked by with a group of his Slytherin friends without even acknowledging her small, discreet nod of greeting. This had set her wondering whether the increasingly anti-muggleborn attitude of some Slytherins he hung around with had anything to do with it. She knew their views, and because of it, had even tried to give Severus some space this year, but it hurt, nonetheless.

And then there had been some nasty incidents among some senior students last month. Hexes had been fired, and the word 'mudblood' slung around. Worse yet, it happened between some sixth-year Slytherins and some seventh-years from her own house, Gryffindor. She knew Severus would never sink to _that_ level, but still...

She sighed, looking down at the thin, pale youth slumped back on her pillows. Life was becoming so complicated now – she wished they were back being children, in those far-off summer days, when they used to wade along the muddy edge of the river catching Gillyworms, or pretending to brew potions in eager anticipation of schooldays to come.

Just then, Severus shivered, the blanket having slipped off his shoulders. He muttered something unintelligible in his sleep that ended in a sigh, his brows furrowed in a worried frown. She smiled softly down at him. He was still _Severus _after all, her first and best friend, the same strange little boy who had, so many years ago, with expressive eyes peering eagerly, yet shyly, from beneath an untidy fringe of long dark hair, revealed to her a hidden world, opening up each little magical wonder carefully before her amazed eyes, and she loved him dearly. She didn't care, right now, what kind of love it was - whether it was _that_ kind of love, or not.

At this moment, all she knew was, that right now, as he lay there, so vulnerable, before her, with his ill-fitting clothes, limp, wet hair, and bruises darkening against the pallor of his face, she would do anything to protect him – to keep him from coming to harm.

The warm feeling she had felt moments before washed over her again as she took her own blanket from around her shoulders and wrapped it cosily around them both.

Her movement roused him a bit.

'Lils?' he said blearily, raising his head slightly and squinting, but she shushed him back to sleep, smiling at the shortening of her name.

Then she curled up near him.

He let her do so without his usual nervous twitching away at the familiarity of physical contact. She remembered how he had comforted her in this very room, last summer, when her Grandmother died.

It was her turn now.

She would watch over him until he woke up, hopefully rested and able to face whatever awaited him at Spinner's End. Minutes later, his breath fanned her cheek as he drifted back into sleep, and his head slipped down once more, coming to rest on her shoulder.

It was to this gentle rhythm that she, too, fell asleep.


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter 88: Christmas.**

It was the chilly breeze that blew in from her curtained window that woke Lily Evans up the next morning. Something was bothering her, and even before she fully opened her eyes, a panicky feeling was rising within her.

Of course – Severus! She sat bolt upright in her bed, finding she had slipped down over a pile of pillows, and her head was at the foot end of the bed. But Severus wasn't there. She threw off the blanket and ran to the window, which was slightly open.

It was snowing lightly again, but judging by the grey light, it was well past dawn. So much for keeping a wakeful vigil over her friend! She had fallen asleep – overslept, probably, for she could hear sounds of her mother in the kitchen below.

Thank goodness, Severus was a much lighter sleeper than she was, and had probably left at dawn, for there were no signs of footprints in the snow beneath her window. She closed it hurriedly and shivered in the chilly air.

As the events of the previous night came back to her, her feelings of anxiety rose once more. Had he arrived home safe and sound? And if he did, was it only to face a drunken and violent father? And what if those sinister wizards decided to check if he'd pay a visit home on Christmas day?

_Christmas Day?_ Lily realised that today was, in actual fact, Christmas, and if Severus kept to what he'd promised her at Hogwarts, he'd be around for tea at their house this afternoon.

She'd forgotten! The feeling of anxiety doubled. She ran a brush quickly through her hair. She'd call Severus on the two way mirror, see if he was ok. Perhaps today, of all days, he should stay home. At least his mother was a qualified witch, and doubtless she'd be on her guard now.

Somehow, however, that thought brought no comfort, and her room seemed cold and strangely comfortless as she turned to her empty bed, searching the tumbled bedclothes for the mirror.

Hours later, as she waited in her room for five o'clock to come, jumping up at every muffled sound from the snow-covered street outside, she wondered what precautions he would be taking. She had called him on the mirror and he had assured her he would be safe, for the Ministry officials who had called to investigate the incident had left a magical device for their protection, which would alert them to any sinister activity. A Sneakoscope he had called it.

She had never seen one, but the fact that his mother had called in Aurors from the Ministry had assured her somewhat, so now she was waiting with some trepidation for Severus to come. She had dutifully joined her parents in phoning Petunia at her skiiing resort to wish her a happy Christmas, but now she had retired to her room on the pretext of clearing it, lest her mother or father noticed her unease.

The doorbell rang suddenly, rousing her out of her thoughts. A brief glimpse out of her window revealed a thin, dark-haired teenager standing at their door.

'I'll get it!' she cried, as she burst out of her room and ran down the stairs.

Her heart was beating fast for some reason.

She opened the door and Severus stood there. His appearance took her so by surprise that for a moment she did not say anything. She had not known what to expect, but certainly not the tall, solemn boy that stood before her.

There was no trace of the livid bruises on his face or of the dark circles beneath his eyes, and his hair was dry, and not covering his face as usual, for he was holding himself differently, somehow - straighter, more upright. Gone were the torn clothes and tense, angry posture of last night. Perhaps it was that the old jacket he was wearing, though too large still, made him look older. Snowflakes were floating softly down on his dark hair and the shoulders of his jacket, before she realised she was staring, and shut her mouth.

'H- hello, Sev,' she stammered, 'Y- you look good-'

If she wasn't so sure, she'd have thought that she had dreamt it all, for there was no trace of the bitter and guilt-ridden boy who had sought her out the night before, in the tall, confident teenager standing before her. His eyes flickered on hers briefly, and his smile faltered momentarily.

She knew then, that he was just as anxious as she was, and possibly, given how proud he was, he might be feeling awkward at having come to her the night before.

'Told you I'd get here all right, see?' he said, recovering. 'I've got this with me. The Aurors left a couple of them at our house and it's been silent since.'

She smiled. He was Severus Snape - he was never going to admit he'd needed her! But she leaned over to see what he was pulling out of his jacket pocket. It was like a strange mechanical top, shining and metallic. Must be the Sneakoscope he mentioned.

'Severus! My dear boy, come on in!' cried Mrs Evans, who had come into the Hall from the kitchen that minute, 'Good heavens, Lily! He's covered in snow! What were you thinking, leaving him standing there in the cold?'

Severus hastily pushed the Sneakoscope back into his pocket, as Rose Evans bustled over and pulled him over the threshold.

'My goodness, Severus, you've grown so tall,' her mother started. 'We haven't seen you for months now, you know', she stood back and surveyed him critically 'but you're even thinner than the last time I saw you.'

Severus was saved from having to answer by the entrance of her father, who had been watching the Queen's Christmas speech on the TV in the living room.

'Merry Christmas, lad,' he said.

Lily winced as her mother echoed the greeting, wishing him the seasonal happiness Lily knew he didn't have. But Severus took it calmly in his stride, returning their wishes civilly, and without even the slightest trace of bitterness or sarcasm.

A slow smile spread across her face. He was putting on a show, she guessed, but perhaps it would not be such a bad Christmas after all. He was here after all, away from the cheerlessness of his home, and she'd try and make it worth his while. Her mother bustled off to the kitchen to set the water boiling, and her father led the way to the dining room.

'Oh, and thanks for waking up on time this morning, Sev, ' she whispered in his ear as she slipped past him on the way to the dining room, grinning at the flush that instantly suffused his cheeks. ' I hope you've brushed up on your dancing skills, for we'll be dancing to Mum and Dad's fifties records after tea, with some carol-singing after that, and perhaps a game of monopoly ...'

But the wide-eyed, alarmed look he shot her, his carefully-constructed poise gone in an instant, made her laugh out loud, and she was unable to keep up the joke.

He had actually believed her. He scowled at her merriment - an altogether more familiar expression - and she grinned even wider, but a mental image of herself and Severus dancing to slow music unwillingly crossed her mind.

It wiped the grin off her face, replacing it with a nervous blush.

She sat down hastily at the table and busied herself with the cutlery, as John Evans indicated that Severus should sit down next to her.

'Good of you to come over lad, even though we'll be having a very quiet celebration this year,' her father was saying, 'most teenagers would prefer to spend their Christmas in one of those disco-places they have up in the High Street.'

'That, Mr Evans,' replied Severus, with conviction, 'is one place you'd never find me except on pain of death. There are simpler ways of having your mind numbed by flashing lights and loud noise. So, unless it's a matter of importance, I'd rather play a game of ...monopoly...than spend a single minute in those muggle - !' he restrained himself, and then gave her father an innocently quizzical look ' But I thought you'd have known me enough by now, Mr Evans.'

Her father returned his gaze levelly. 'Well, Severus, you're growing up now. Your tastes may have changed, somewhat. Mine certainly did, when I was your age. Though, really, I would never have gone so far as to wear the kind of glittery, glitzy stuff some young men do nowadays, and the music had melody in it then, whereas now... ' he shrugged and continued: 'But my eldest, Petunia, assures me I'm becoming a right old fuddy–duddy when it comes to young people's tastes, so I just wondered...'

Severus raised an eyebrow but did not say anything. He was as far from the fashion-conscious disco-going teenager as it was possible for any boy to be, and he had always been that way, so Lily wondered at her father's strange remark.

It continued like that throughout the rather elaborate high tea her mother had devised. She was uneasy, but could not quite put her finger on what was happening. It seemed a game of some sort, and she didn't like it. From the carefully-worded questions her mother put to him about his parents, to the just as carefully-phrased replies on Severus's part – polite and informative, revealing only enough to be convincing, but stopping short of showing what he needed to conceal. From her parents anxious demands to know about the progress of the war, and whose side he thought was getting the upper hand, to Severus' pointedly ignoring and leaving untouched the small glass of Port her father put before him.

Severus seemed oblivious to it – or else was taking it into his stride, though at times there was a steely look in his eyes that belied his calm voice.

She, however, was finding it hard to take. She preferred outright straightforward talk, to all this polite beating about the bush, if that's what it was. She had thought her parents had stopped worrying about the neighbourhood Severus grew up in after her angry outburst last summer. She thought she had made it clear that her friendship with Severus was not going to be jeopardised by any prejudices her parents held (whipped up by Petunia and into something even bigger) but, evidently, she had been mistaken.

Perhaps the increasingly obvious muggle involvement in the war had changed things. They had wanted to know whose 'side' Severus was on. He had evaded answering, of course.

Her nerves were frazzled by the time the meal was over, even though she was sure nothing had been specifically said to warrant it. But she had felt the undercurrent of distrust that flowed back and forth across the table, and she wondered how Severus could remain so calm. Especially considering his otherwise notoriously short temper.

'C'mon, let's watch some TV,' she said, as soon as she could leave the table, and grabbing his arm, she dragged him over to the living room, while her mother and father disappeared into the kitchen. Probably to hold a whispered conference about what they had learnt.

'I thought we're supposed to be dancing to fifties records and singing carols, now,' Severus said with a smirk, as she flumped down crossly on the sofa in front of the television. A tinsel-wrapped Christmas tree flickered in multicoloured brightness in one corner of the darkened room.

He sat down beside her, but she continued to glower at the TV, which was showing a Benny Hill comedy ... She couldn't understand why he was taking it so lightly. Though what 'it' was, she was finding it hard to tell. But, to her, it felt like the Christmas spirit was seeping away from her, just as the snow drifts piling up against the living room windows were creating the perfect white Christmas she had always liked so much.

Severus was looking at her intently, a strange half-smile still on his face, so she tore her eyes away from the TV to glare at him instead. She felt instantly ashamed of herself. She had wanted to offer him something of a homely, cheerful Christmas, here at her house, and all her parents had done was to...

'It's ok. I was expecting it, you know,' he said in a low voice, looking at her seriously now, 'Don't worry about it.'

'You – you felt it then?' she gulped 'They were - I don't know what they thought they were doing – '

'They haven't seen me for some time. They're only doing what comes naturally, - protecting you, I s'pose.'

'Protecting me from what?'

He flushed. 'From the likes of me,' he said, finally. 'And I can't blame them really,' he added in a bitter undertone, 'Especially now that there's a war which they know they're being kept in the dark about. Possibly they've linked some of the recent mysterious disappearances that were even in the muggle news to the War. And they don't know the half of it.'

She didn't like the implications of his words, but couldn't offer a word in her parents' defence, for Severus had said it all. But it made her angry and not a little sad, to realise that that was all he had expected. To be mistrusted and cross-examined. And despite his words, she knew he was angry about it.

'I'm sorry, Sev,' she muttered, with her head bent, for she could not quite meet his eyes 'I'm sorry, I ruined your Christmas –'

'Don't be,' he replied, sincerely, 'I've – I've had the best Christmas ever,'

Her head snapped up at his words, but there was no mistaking the look in his dark eyes and she knew he wasn't referring to the afternoon tea.

'And besides, Lily,' he continued, softly, 'It won't always be like this. Once the war's over, once everything's as it should be, there'd be no more of this - this distrust you've just seen, this careful stepping around truths that we both know exist! You'll see! It'll be better!'

His eyes glowed with a kind of inner dark fire that forcibly reminded her of when they were little – even then, his utter conviction that they were destined for better things had impressed her '_we'll get the letter, you and me_', he had told her, when she had doubted that the Hogwarts letter would ever come, and even now, as then, he spoke with the same quiet conviction, the same confidence in what and where his path lay. Even the harsh, angular lines of his face seemed softened, both by the muted lights of the Christmas tree, and by the fervour with which he spoke.

But she didn't like the sound of it. She knew what he was saying. She had followed the happenings in the world outside Hogwarts more than he gave her credit for, and, though admittedly, there was vast room for improvement in current Ministry standards, and she could also see how attractive it was to be free, and to be able to walk proud and say she was a witch to all and sundry, yet what the Death Eaters were proposing was nothing short of glorified slavery to her mind, for she knew their attitude to muggles.

And muggleborn witches and wizards.

Their methods, besides, were brutal and violent, and they targeted innocent muggles for sport. A pointless loss of human lives she could never condone, whatever the reason behind it.

'Sev, I –'

She wanted to tell him he was mistaken, that it could never work out, that there was something in human nature – muggles, too – that would never accept being enslaved. He was still looking at her with that same fervid look, and she shut her mouth again. Their arguments were becoming increasingly frequent whenever they discussed the War. To the point that Severus was becoming increasingly reticent with her about what he thought of outside events, so it was usually she who brought up the topic, for she was becoming worried about the increasing atrocities reported in the _Prophet._

Except now. He had brought it up now. Perhaps he thought that her parent's suspicious behaviour had proven his point, she did not know, but today, of all days, she wanted to avoid an argument. In spite of everything that had happened in recent days, he's surprised her by saying he'd had the best Christmas. It made her feel strangely proud and warm inside to think she could have done that, so she just smiled at him and nodded.

There would be other occasions when she could show him the errors of placing his faith in the wrong side.

Just then her father came in with dark wedges of Christmas pudding on a plate. Lily noticed he was wheezing slightly and had a flushed look.

'Dad, are you ok?' she asked anxiously, getting off the sofa and dropping a large book that was on the armrest in her haste,

'Fine, Lily' he answered. 'Too much festive fare, I warrant,' but he let her lead him to the armchair, and did not protest as she took the plate from his hands.

'You rest a bit now, Dad' she said, taking a fleecy tartan blanket from the back of the armchair and throwing it over his legs, ' or you'll be tired this evening.'

She placed a newspaper in her father's hand, a worried frown on her face, but as she turned round to pick up the book she had dropped from the floor, she caught Severus looking at her with a strange expression as she fussed over her father. It was a fleeting look that was gone in an instant, but she saw such bitterness and raw hatred there, that it made her stop. She knew that it wasn't directed at her, or her father, but rather, at his own.

'I got that from the Library the other day,' her father said, interrupting her thoughts and indicating the book in her hand.

She glanced down at the Title : '_Heraldic Emblems and Geneology'_ were written in curly letters on the front cover.

'Since when are you interested in this stuff, Dad?'

Severus or Rosier were one thing, but her own father had never shown the remotest interest in finding out more about his family tree, other than knowing and caring for immediate relatives who were still alive.

'I'm not really. But I've been wondering, Lily, ever since you explained how most young witches inherit their magical gift from one, or other, of their parents, why you are special, because, well, neither your Mum, nor I, can do magic - so I started wondering whether there's someone in our family tree that could explain it –'

Lily sat down slowly on the sofa, book still in her hand. Had her father deduced more from the brief account of the war she had told him about? Had he realised to what extremes the Pureblood creed could go to? She hadn't wanted him to worry...

'Of course, that book is absolute rubbish', her father continued 'Too generic. Describes coats–of-arms; the origin of surnames; and suchlike, so I didn't even bother to finish it. I guess one has to go to church records and such, for detailed information. As I said, I was never really into this heraldry stuff. Turn the Channel a bit, won't you, Lily? If I hear this Coke Cola tune one more time…!'

Lily put the book down and got up to turn the TV channel, so that the '_I'd like to teach the world to sing ..._' lyrics were cut in mid-phrase. Her father settled down happily to see the BBC news, and Lily turned back to the sofa to find Severus perusing the colourful and thick book.

'Anything interesting about _Muggle_ geneology?' she asked, unable to prevent just the slightest note of sarcasm from her voice as she settled down beside him.

Severus shrugged, but did not put the book down. She leaned over, curious in spite of herself. The book was open on a page illustrating some very colourful and elaborate Coat-of-arms.

'What're you looking at?' she asked.

'The Evans Coat-of-Arms, Lily,' he gave a derisive snort, 'Of course, it had to be a bloody Lion Rampant on the shield! Looks like the damned Gryffindor house symbol!'

'Don't be a nasty little reptile, Slytherin!' she teased, trying to pull the book from his hands, but he held on fast.

'I want to see what _yours_ looks like, Sev! Leggo!

Their tussle elicited a loud snore from Mr Evans, who had fallen asleep on the armchair. They stopped struggling, and Severus reluctantly let her have the volume.

'I've told you before not to ignore your muggle roots, Severus!' she said with a smirk, 'Now's your chance! And you'll have to see it, whether you like it or not!'

' 'Or not', I think' he said, frowning, as she flipped through the pages to the letter 'S', but he glanced over to see, in spite of himself, as Lily opened the page on another set of brightly coloured illustrations.

'Oh, wow!' she said softly to herself.

'What?' he said, his eyes sweeping swiftly over the elaborate drawing of the Snape Coat-of Arms, 'The shield? The portcullis?'

'The what? There's nothing on the shield, Sev, I –'

'What d'you mean _nothing_ on the shield? That's ermine, and it's a mark of-'

'I thought you didn't care! Anyway, I meant the animal on top, above the helmet: it's a buck! Isn't he nice?'

'You and your animals! Deer in particular. You're going to end up like Hagrid! It's just a heraldic crest, - a symbol!'

But she felt him lean in closer to see better. There was a puzzled look on his face.

'I've seen that Coat-of-arms before,' he said frowning down at the page.

'Really? Where?'

'An old photo.'

'Your Dad's?'

He threw her a quick look and then nodded.

'Did he have it on a wall, like, or-?'

'It was in my Grandfather's house, there was this old photo of my Mum and Dad there, before they ...' he paused, '... before they got married. But no, Lily , I don't care what they looked like, or how they were then, ok?'

She had opened her mouth to ask just that, but shut it again at his brusqueness. Undoubtedly, any reminder of his father was very unwelcome at the moment.

She traced her finger along the proud head of the young buck, lost in her thoughts.

'There's one on yours, too, you know,' he said, after a while.

'Hmm? There's a what?''

'Same crest.'

'A deer? Really? And what does it mean?'

'Dunno. Don't remember them all. 'Sides, I never went into such detail on the muggle part of me.'

'Well, I never bothered at all, Sev, muggle part or otherwise, but I want you to promise that you won't forget your muggle roots completely, in spite of... you know ..' she lowered her voice '... your father's mistakes, because... because it's like that young buck on our Coat-of-arms. It's a connection to you, of sorts,'

She saw his eyes fix onto hers, but even in the soft glow of the Christmas lights, his expression unreadable.

'I- I mean - ', she added hastily, 'I know your Prince side is rich, magical, very important, and certainly fits in more with your idea of – '

'I promise.'

She stared at him for a full moment, for she thought she hadn't heard well. She had expected him to pass some snide remark, or some sarcastic comment about his muggle roots, but he hadn't.

'Oh.'

He was still looking at her seriously, and she felt suddenly elated, as well as strangely triumphant. A slow grin spread across her face until her attention was caught by the loud music and Lion's roar of an old MGM movie about to begin.

'C'mon, let's change the channel before Dad wakes up,' she said still grinning broadly, 'otherwise we'll be seeing Fifties movies for the rest of the afternoon!'

It was with mixed feelings that, a couple of hours later, she watched him disappear down the dark street. He had whispered urgently to her, before her parents came to the front door to bid him goodnight, that she must keep her wand about her at all times 'just in case', and with that warning he had turned and left, shoulders hunched against the snow. She could only draw what little satisfaction she could from the fact that the magical gizmo in his jacket pocket, that detected stealth and concealment, had remained silent all afternoon.

The remaining days of the holidays passed like a roller-coaster ride: sometimes time seemed to drag – for there were days when she did not see her friend at all, - he was 'helping his mother' was all the explanation he would offer, - other days they met briefly for a cold walk in the park, or went to the local Grocer shop, but Severus was too jumpy to make these enjoyable occasions, though a few times he consented, to her delight, to work on their holiday homework at her house. Her mother would prepare them hot chocolate then, and she'd enjoy seeing him pretend he did not want it, but then hungrily drink it up in minutes. It also made her sad, for judging by his gaunt look, meals at the Snape household were disrupted by recent events.

But the worst - and best - part of this roller coaster ride was when Severus came at night.

Like he had done on Christmas Eve, there were several other occasions when, in the dead of night, he would sneak silently up to her window and tumble into her bedroom like a blast of cold, dark wind.

Then he would sit huddled into a tight ball at the foot of her bed.

She learnt not to speak to him on these occasions. He never again appeared to have come to blows with his father, for she seldom saw bruises again, but when she asked what happened, he'd just growl 'the usual', and would sit glowering darkly at nothing at the foot of her bed, for hours on end, without saying anything further.

So she would just silently throw a blanket around him, and curl up at the other end of the bed, until his towering rage burnt itself out, and she saw the sharp contours of his silhouette against the light from her window relax, and he'd fall asleep. More likely, she'd fall asleep before him. In either case, he would always be gone before dawn, as silently as he came.

The next day he would, as likely as not, stay away. But if he did appear, and she dared ask him how things were at home, he'd scowl angrily and start pouring vituperations on one, or both of his parents, or else he'd change conversation abruptly and pointedly.

From the few words she _did _manage to get out of him, she realised his home life was swiftly spiralling down to something even worse than what it was in the beginning. Apparently, his father had taken to drink again, but this time his mother alternated between fighting her husband tooth and claw to make him see sense - something which he resented vigorously -or else dragged herself down into a depressive state for her perceived failure. When Severus's existence was not entirely forgotten in their daily clashes, he was blamed and berated for bringing trouble upon them.

His culpability was the one thing both parents could agree upon.

Not for the first time, Lily wished she had never persuaded him to come home for Christmas, but now that he was here, she felt that the least she could do was allow him the small reprieve of her room, when things got really bad at Spinner's End. He never openly admitted why he sought her out during these troubled nights, but she knew, and had tacitly agreed not to mention it.

She knew she'd have a hard time explaining, in the remote possibility that her parents found out what was happening, but she also knew that Severus would otherwise end up seeking refuge, as he had done before, in those abandoned hovels down by the riverside, where the junkies had probably taken up residence again. In a foul mood, he would probably hex them to oblivion and get into more trouble. Worse still, despite his precautions, he might be tailed by those sinister wizards, who were after him. Even though now she had to admit they were not Death Eaters, yet, for all she knew, their brotherhood or whatever it was, was as bad as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's henchmen.

So, like a feral animal let in from the cold harsh outdoors, she allowed him in on those dark winter nights, feeling sad that it had come to this again for him, yet glad to have him there, for it meant he was safe, and his presence, prickly and moody though it was, gave her a strange sort of comfort, as she watched over him through the long dark nights.

Platform nine and three-quarters was a cheerful sight despite the freezing-cold air. Students chatted animatedly in small groups, their breath hanging frostily in the frigid air. Lily had just met up with Mary Macdonald, who was recounting how she and her brother had spent all Christmas Day snowed in, at their highland cottage. She looked past Mary's shoulder and saw Severus with a group of other Slytherins, including Rosier and Rabastan Lestrange, who apparently had finally decided to come back to Hogwarts.

Severus had refused to drive down to London with her and her parents, for his mother had insisted that, for safety's sake, he should floo back to the Rosiers and be accompanied to King's Cross by Evan Rosier's father, older brother, and a formidable old witch of an aunt, who was a duelling expert in her youth. Lily tried to think that at least his mother cared enough to make special arrangements for him. Mrs Snape knew that he would be vulnerable during the return trip, so she was glad, overall, that he had arrived safe and sound, though in company she rather objected to.

Severus and his Slytherin friends strode past her and into the Hogwarts Express, where they took a compartment by themselves, for she could see them through the train window.

Severus did not even look at her once.

Just then, Thalia and Jenny came up, bursting with news about their Holidays. Thalia apparently had dated a young wizard from France during the holidays, and all the girls were in a flutter to hear about it. But Lily was only half-hearing what they were saying, for her gaze was fixed upon a sharp silhouette in one of the carriage windows.

But Severus never round. With a sigh, Lily picked up Shadow, Mary's cat, and followed her Gryffindor friends to a compartment at the other end of the train.


	89. Chapter 89

**Chapter 89: The Skull's Secret.**

_**Authors note:**_

_**Parts of an old key:**_

_**Bow : **round part at the top_

_**Shank: **the stem_

_**Bit **: the flat part that goes in the keyhole_

_**Wards: **the little cut-out pieces on the bit that make the key unique and fit inside a lock_

**Chapter 89: The Skull's Secret.**

Severus poised the small silver dagger over his outstretched hand. The blade glinted red in the torchlight of the dungeon hideout. A moment's hesitation, then he pressed the blade firmly across the palm of his left hand, and watched the red blood ooze slowly from the small cut in his flesh.

Small droplets formed first along its borders, which soon coalesced together to form a larger, crimson drop that ran down the pale flesh of his palm. He held his hand over a small bench-top cauldron full of pure, white snow and followed the small trickle of red blood with his eyes as it dripped slowly from his hand.

'_A small drop of your blood...to prove that you're my heir,'_ the runic message had instructed the young Eileen. But Severus watched dispassionately as several, not one, drops of blood fell onto the brilliant whiteness of the snow contained in the small cauldron, besmirching the virgin purity with a crimson intensity.

It was a simple spell overall – his Great-Grandfather had designed it well, so that an 11-year old witch such as Eileen Prince would have been, could carry it out without problems. He had already added all the other ingredients – the last he had put in was the snow, and his own blood, for these two had to be fresh.

Hogwarts castle was now covered in thick blankets of snow, so that very afternoon, on his first day back at Hogwarts, he had lost no time in procuring himself a small cauldronful of it. A simple freezing charm had kept it from melting until he needed it.

He had lifted that charm now, and as he watched, the melting snow seeped to the bottom of the cauldron, forming tiny red rivulets from the spots of blood. He felt a mounting anxiety as he waited for the snow to melt. The spell was designed for his mother's blood - Eileen Snape. Would his blood be accepted? Would he be considered the heir of Severus Prince?

It took quite some time until the snow had all melted, though the process was considerably hastened by the skin of the fire Salamander he had added in the beginning. But finally, the white mass inside the cauldron became transparent, and he could see the various ingredients he had added earlier swirling in the now warm currents generated by the Salamander skin.

He knew the time had come to add the last, most important, ingredient. With a beating heart he opened the dark leather-bound book and flipped over the yellowing pages until he came to the last page, the one with the dark splodge of dried blood in the middle, or, as his Great-Grandfather put it: '_Blood-imbued with my own life fluid'_. He knew that of all the ingredients he had added, this was the most magical, the most powerful, for it had been prepared, possibly using ancient and powerful spells, by Severus Prince himself. Taking up the silver knife once more in his hand, he pressed it sharply down the length of the page so that it tore neatly away from the rest of the book.

He held it over the now swirling contents of the small cauldron, and after a moment's hesitation, dropped it in. The liquid inside swirled faster, and he knew the moment of truth had arrived. Taking his wand he held it over the cauldron and touched the surface lightly with its tip.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light emanated from the surface of the liquid, as the wand tip touched it. Severus stepped backwards for a moment, blinking, but when it disappeared, he saw that the liquid inside had turned to a transparent, but very vivid, emerald green, and silver sparks flew from the surface.

He approached it cautiously. Well, something had definitely happened, but it was unlike any potion he had ever seen before. He just hoped that it was the potion which would reveal the secrets of the marble skull in the Slytherin Common-room.

Checking his watch he saw that it was one o'clock. Perfect. The Slytherin common room was likely to be deserted at this time, just as he had hoped. Taking a large phial from the cupboard, he carefully poured the strange liquid inside, marvelling at the coolness of the green liquid, and the sharp, hot pain of the silver sparks, where they landed on his hand.

After a final look at the unstoppered phial, he carefully disguised his Great-grandfather's book and hid it in its usual hiding place, then he made his way out of the Dungeon hideout to the dark, tunnel-like passage outside, feeling the cold magic of the Sealing Charm he and Lily had placed over the entrance wash over him as he passed the door.

Once outside, he almost ran all the way to the Slytherin common-room in his eagerness, not bothering with Disillusionment Charms, or even with his usual caution when wandering the dark passageways of the dungeons after curfew. The only precaution he _did_ take was to hold the phial under his cloak – it would not do to have one of the castle ghosts - or anyone else – see him running with a phial spitting silver sparks.

He arrived breathless at the grey damp wall where the door to the Slytherin common-room was hidden. He hissed out the password, and tore inside as soon as the door opened. After hastily making sure no-one was in the alcoves – especially those out-of the way ones where seniors had a habit of retreating for a private snog, he hurried over to the Seventh alcove – _his_ alcove - and knelt down near the only column within that space that was supported on the marble skull that bore his Great-Grandfather's initials, and the date 1897. It was the date that Severus Prince had left Hogwarts, after his books had been confiscated.

Severus had discovered this particular alcove back in his first year.

There were many such alcoves in Slytherin common-room: small, dark, recessed spaces with vaulted ceilings supported by marble columns supported on Death's Heads. He had noticed, and immediately recognised, his Great-grandfathers engraving on one of the skulls in that alcove, and, on the column opposite, the strange, carved stone serpent twisting sinuously among the skulls at the base of the column.

What he had not realised back in his first year, was that 'his' alcove was the magical seventh one, and that his Great-Grandftaher had actually hidden something there. In his message to the young Eileen, he had said he'd regained his third most precious book and hid it at Hogwarts, and that her mission was to recover it. However, he did this at a much later date than 1897 – probably during that year he had spent under Phineas Nigellus tutelage for the teaching post.

He had come no closer to deciphering the strange triangular symbol on the serpent's stone head, but perhaps tonight he would have some answers.

Severus took the shimmering phial from beneath his robes.

'_This you pour in Death's unseeing eyes and take that which lies therein,' _the instructions to the young Eileen had been.

It was dark in the alcove, but the silver sparks from the phial, the green lamps, and the dying embers of the fireplace, gave just enough light for him to see what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the pale, gleaming marble of the Death's Head and held the potion bottle close to the eye sockets. He then carefully tipped it over into those unseeing black holes. He expected some of it to trickle out again, or overflow, for the carved holes could not have been that deep, but instead, the green liquid with its silvery sheen disappeared without trace inside the cranium, and Severus tipped the phial until all the liquid was gone, the silver sparks leaving a vaguely sinister glint within the eyeholes.

Then he sat back, heart beating fast, and the small alcove seemed gloomier after the bright liquid had been swallowed up.

At first, he thought nothing had happened, and he started feeling bitter twinges of disappointment, but then suddenly, the skull glowed from deep within - an cold, white light that at first rendered it strangely translucent, but then intensified to something so bright and blinding, that Severus drew backwards, covering his eyes with his arm.

Then there was a rushing sound, and, in alarm, Severus saw that the strange, white, translucency had spread to the floor beneath his knees. He got up hastily taking a step backward. The ancient flagstones looked like alabaster now, and white light shone from the cracks between the flags as the magical light moved towards the column opposite.

As soon as it reached the skulls beneath the supporting column opposite, they, too, began to glow in the same eerie way, but what made Severus clutch his wand tightly in his hand was the stone serpent.

Glowing eerily, like a giant translucent worm, the stone serpent unwound itself from around the marble column, slithered around the glowing skulls supporting the column, and onto the floor.

Severus's breath came in ragged bursts. What in Merlin's name had he unleashed? Would the stone serpent attack him? He pointed his wand at the strange creature, but the narrow head of the serpent, its triangular eye symbol ablaze with the light from within it, did not seem interested in him. It slithered right across the small space towards the skull opposite, where Severus had just poured in the potion.

Without hesitation, the snake pointed its narrow head at the eye-socket of the still-glowing skull and weaved its way right into the cranium via the eye socket, its body disappearing for half its length, before the narrow head appeared once more, this time emerging from the grinning mouth of Death's Head.

In this position it seemed to freeze, and did not move anymore, but Severus noticed that something strange was happening to the stone floor between the two columns. The translucency of the stones increased until Severus could see right through – it had become transparent.

He approached cautiously and peered inside. There was nothing more than a small compartment lined with the same kind of flag stones that lined most of the floor of the common-room, but in the middle of the rough stone was something that glittered in the magical light now filling the small alcove.

It was a large golden key with a jewel-encrusted shank. Severus kneeled down over the small cavity and cautiously lowered his hand to take the key, keeping one eye on the snake. However, it lay motionless; its body protruding like a grotesque tongue from the skull's mouth, although it's brightly shining eyes were fixed on him, watching.

It looked for all the world like a Dark Mark carved in stone.

Pushing that thought from his mind, Severus leant down into the box-like space and his fingers curled round the golden key, his heart beating even faster.

As he lifted it out, however, he heard the rushing noise again, and the transparency of the flagstone became more opaque, and solid. He hastily snatched his hand away and fell backwards, as the stone snake, still glowing pale and translucent, suddenly moved again. It slithered out of the skull's mouth and made its way over the shining flagstones towards the column opposite.

For one intense second it stopped and stared at him out of its white, glowing eyes but then it continued across the small space, twisted sinuously around the marble skull of the column opposite, and then round its base.

The light that shone within it faded, and it turned once more to stone. The same light slowly dissipated from the flagged floor, and then from the marble skull, so that Severus was plunged once more into the semi-darkness of the alcove, and found himself staring at the rather unremarkable smooth-worn surface of the stone floor.

He realised he had been holding his breath, and let out a sigh of relief. He got slowly to his feet, his eyes still on the space where the cavity had opened, for he had seen something more. Just before the secret compartment had sealed itself, he had noticed a small detail that indicated that it was more than just a secret hideout used by his Great-grandfather, or possibly, others before him: he had seen that one wall of the compartment was actually made of stone steps that disappeared beneath the bottom of the small cavity. Only three of them were visible, ancient and grey, but he was sure there were more. Where they led to, he would never know, because, judging by the old look of the stones, it was very clear they had been sealed off in ancient times - long before his Great-grandfather was there.

Anyhow, he had finished the potion and there was no way he could open that compartment again. But it had worked! Well, he hadn't found a book, as he had half-hoped he would, but at least there was this key – surely it unlocked the book's hiding place .

He moved over to the fireplace, trying to keep in check the mounting feeling of excitement. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of doors in Hogwarts: which door did it open?

For door it did open. It was too big and heavy to belong to some cupboard or chest. He turned it round in his hand, and then he saw them – small spiky letters running around the bow of the key on both sides.

And realisation hit him – it was the young Eileen Prince who had been destined to open the secret compartment. She knew the runic code – she would just simply translate what was written, and she would know to which door this key belonged.

But she was not the only one who knew the code now:

Searching feverishly among the flotsam and jetsam the students had left littering the tables around the common room, he came up with a partially scribbled-on piece of parchment and a broken, but usable, quill. Carefully, he traced the spiky letters and slowly and painstakingly translated their meaning:

'_By Slytherin's green fire I was forged, _

_to guard the master's most secret abode,_

_and only to those whose eyes can see, _

_will my message reveal the lock my wards unseal_

_The Ephemeral Door will open to this key, - _

_the door that bears the words of the greatest of the Four, _

_words in ancient lunar code of runic script,_

_iron-clad it lies, deep beneath Hogwarts mighty walls.' _

Severus read again what he had written. The Ephemeral door?

There was only one door that fitted that description. He had noticed it back in first-year when he had first explored the subterranean passageway of the dungeons. It was ironclad and _did_ have some runic lettering along its top jamb. The problem with that door was that it _was_ Ephemeral – it usually always appeared along this one main passageway, but it never lasted long - in fact he had first noticed it, years ago, because he had seen it on his right hand side on his way down the passageway, but on the opposite side, when on his way up. It was a door that moved constantly, and sometimes it was there, but certain days it was not.

He had tried to open it once, but it was magically sealed, and he had ceased to bother about it a long time ago. After all, so many doors at Hogwarts were sealed, or behaved in unusual ways. Come to think of it, the Runic Script above the door jamb, could be the famous lunar code. And if what the message implied was true, then what he held in his hand had been forged by Salazar Slytherin himself - or at least on his orders!

His excitement mounted. When his great grandfather said he had discovered many wondrous things in the castle's hidden ways, he hadn't been joking!

He felt a sudden surge of anxiety – would the door be there tonight? Sometimes it just disappeared.

He had to hurry. It was already about two in the morning, and he knew the house elves would soon be busy cleaning the common room. He needed to get to the door as quickly as possible, before anyone noticed him. Putting the key deep into the pocket of his robes, and, clutching his wand, he turned towards the door leading out of the common room, muttering the password hastily. He broke into a run as soon as it opened.

And he ran right into Lily Evans.

'What in Merlin's name- ? Lily!'

'Sev! You're alright, then! I – I was frantic!'

He realised she was breathless and wide-eyed with panic.

'What_ happened_? What the hell are you doing here?'

'I knew you'd be brewing that potion! It's only our first day back, and you skived off Slughorn's lesson to go and get the snow, didn't you? I looked for you all afternoon! Where were you?'

Lily's initial panic was fast changing to anger now as she confronted him, hands on hips and two angry red spots on her cheeks. He knew she'd suspect, which was exactly why he had kept out of her way all day. It was a mistake, possibly, but he had no time for this now.

'You shouldn't have come, Lily!' he said coldly.

Something shifted behind her eyes.

'Because no doubt, you think it's none of my business, Severus, but I don't care! I've been down to the dungeon hideout and even though you weren't there, I saw the empty cauldron smeared with a silvery green liquid, and spots of blood on the desk... I knew you had brewed your Great-Grandfather's Potion, so I came running straight to Slytherin common-room, but I couldn't open it!'

'Did anyone see you come?'

'I - no, of course not! I waited till everyone was asleep and Gryffindor common-room was empty, before I ventured out, but it was already one o'clock by then, and when I came down and saw you weren't in the dungeon, I couldn't even start to imagine what you'd've found in that alcove! You could have been in trouble, and no-one'd realise, at this time of night –'

'Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine, so you can go back to bed, Lily!'

'Oh no, you don't! Gartak was murdered, and you and your family hunted for whatever it is that your Great-grandfather has hidden in Slytherin Common-room, Severus! His book, the one they mentioned, could have something to do with it, I don't know. What if it's a weapon of some sort, they're after? So tell me – Is that what you found? I want to know! You were very obviously in a rush to go somewhere, just now.'

Severus looked at her exasperatedly, as she crossed her arms and stood defiantly in his path, the torch above her head setting her coppery hair ablaze in a fiery glow that was reflected in the look she was giving him. He knew that whatever he _did_ discover, there was no relying on Lily to be discreet about it, if she thought any harm to anyone could ensue.

He swore under his breath. Time was pressing, and there was no way he could avoid her now. She would only follow him.

'Look, Lily, it is _becaus_e of what happened that I'm in a hurry to discover what those wizards are after! I need to get them off our backs somehow! Swear to me that whatever it is, you won't go blurting anything to the teachers, most of all Dumbledore – !'

'I'll be the soul of discretion, Sev,' she interrupted 'But what _is_ it? Did the potion work?' she couldn't help a note of curiosity in her voice

'Well, yes. I poured it inside the skull, and a small secret compartment opened. There was this inside.'

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the golden key.

She took it slowly in her hand, examining the glittering jewels along its shank, the intricate wards on the bit, and the strange lettering along its bow.

'This is that Runic Code, isn't it?' she asked.

He nodded.

'What does it say? Does it explain which door it opens?'

'The Ephemeral Door. It's iron-clad and in the dungeons somewhere. I think I might know which one it is. I had noticed it back in first year. It doesn't stay long in one place, but unlike other moving doors in Hogwarts, this one doesn't move only to the left or right of its proper position, it moves right across the corridor, too.'

'Hang on, - I think I know the one: really enormous door, arched, with Runic symbols all along the jamb? You can hardly miss it. It's in a main passage way just beyond the last dungeon classrooms on the upper sublevels, right?'

'Yeah, that's the one!'

'I noticed it last year – ever since I've been coming down here often, to see if you're still alive down in that dungeon hideout,' she said wryly, 'It disappears whenever there's no moon.'

He looked at her, puzzled. He hadn't noticed that, but he had passed the door so many hundreds of times in the last four years, that after his initial futile investigation, he had ceased to notice it anymore. But Lily was right. He was now fairly sure that the Runic script on the door had to be in the secret Runic Code – a _Lunar _code. No doubt the magic of that door was strongly linked to the waxing and waning of the Moon. He mentally consulted the lunar calendar – there would be a new moon in five days time, so the door should be there now. Feeling the excitement welling up in him once more, he took the key from Lily and put it in his pocket.

'C'mon, let's get going, then!' and he set off without further ado, almost at a run, so that Lily had to jog to keep up.

It did not take them long to get to the corridor where the Ephimeral Door usually stood. There was only one torch here, and the high passageway was dimly lighted and sloped downward slightly, so that they slipped and stumbled a bit on the slick, cold floor.

'_Lumos_!' Severus whispered, his heart beating fast, and slowing down so that Lily could catch up.

She was clutching her cloak around her, teeth chattering, for it was January, and icy cold in these dark, subterranean passageways. Or perhaps she was afraid of what they would unearth, now that they had come this close.

His white wandlight lit up the grey rough walls, and at first, they saw no sign of the door, but then as they went round the bend, it came into view – enormous, dark, and forebodingly impressive.

Severus wondered why he had not noticed how important it looked, but he was under no illusion as to why he had given up attempting to open it. The door, despite its name, stood thick and solid before them, rising in iron-clad strength high above their heads to the very top of the large passageway. It was a door that would not open unless it wanted to – or unless someone had the key.

He put his hand in his pocket once more and drew out the heavy gold key. Lily had come up beside him and had lighted her wand too. She was craning her neck to decipher the strange spiky lettering that ran around the stone arch. The dark, aged metal panelling of the door gleamed silver in the wandlight, and the runic words etched into the stone were thrown into sharp relief.

'What does it say?' she whispered, holding her wand aloft.

There were not many words, and he was familiar enough now with the code, to translate them slowly in his own head. The inscription read:

'_Salazar Slytherin – Greatest Wizard of the Hogwarts Four' _

'Well?' Lily was looking at him expectantly. Her voice sounded unnaturally loud in the dead silence of the dungeon passageway, and she glanced round her nervously.

'Uh ... I – I need to work it out,' he lied, hastily, 'Let's go in now, shall we?'

Lily glanced at him sharply, clearly suspicious, but he was not going to tell her they were about to enter Salazar Slytherin's abode. She had a Gryffindor's typical mistrust of the famous founder of his house. But for him, the room itself was an exciting discovery – way beyond anything he had ever discovered here at Hogwarts, and he was sure that what he would find inside would be doubly amazing!

The lock in the middle of the door was a large, greenish-tinged copper panel, solidly riveted to the surrounding door. The keyhole sat large and black in the middle of this. Now that he looked closer, apart from the corrosion brought on by the millennium-odd years that had passed since its creator had first forged it, the lock, as well as the door itself, showed ancient signs of an attempt (or more than one attempt) at forced entry – both magical and by brute force, apparently. The metal was twisted in places, as though melted and re-fused, and there were old gauge marks and straight, sharp scoring in parts of the metal panelling, as though by a sword.

Remembering the chequered history of Salazar Slytherin - his uneasy allegiance and consequent falling-out with the other founders, Severus was hardly surprised.

Yet he was also proud that Slytherin House's famous founder was clever enough to build this door that defeated all their attempts to open it, and denied access to all but those that possessed the key.

And the golden key was now in his hands.

'I'll go first,' he told Lily, in a low voice, 'And keep your wand ready, just in case.'

With heart beating fast, he put the large gold key into the lock, and turned.


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter 90: Slytherin's Abode**

It was awe-inspiring.

Vast and majestic, the room that appeared before them was cathedral-like in structure. When Severus turned the key, the Ephemeral Door, instead of opening like any normal door, had simply become transparent, slowly fading away to reveal an enormous space before them, and he was left clutching the golden key. He and Lily stepped cautiously over the threshold, holding their lighted wands aloft.

Strange orbs, floating freely in the dead, dark air at various heights, reflected their wand-light until they, too, started to glow with a pale light of their own. A glow that intensified until the space around them was illuminated with the light of a thousand of these small moons.

'Wow!' he heard Lily whisper, a little behind him.

'_Nox_' he murmured, for the pale, diffuse light illuminated nearly the whole place, but despite the eerie silence, he kept his wand firmly in his hand.

Severus was forcibly reminded of Rowena Ravenclaw's hidden passageway behind the fourth floor mirror – there too, strange constellations were triggered into life by wandlight.

There was another similarity with Rowena Ravenclaws' passageway – in the distance, the walls to their left and right were covered with intricate designs – strange symbols and shapes, constellations, words and phrases in Runic Script.

But there, all similarities with the Ravenclaw passageway ended.

For there were many crude depictions of death; old frescoes depicting curses; bas-reliefs of dark spells; unmistakeable symbols indicating poisons, and the signs that invoked the magical art of Necromancy.

Severus took a step forward, noticing that despite the thin film of fine dust beneath their feet, the floor was a marvellous work of art. The dark magic theme was repeated in the marble-tiled flooring: vaguely reminiscent of ancient Roman tesserae, (but larger, and made of differently coloured marble instead of glass), the intricate designs formed large mosaics depicting symbols of old magic.

'How - how can this room fit - ?' Lily's voice sounded unnaturally loud in the dead silence of the cathedral-like chamber.

She seemed to realise this, for she lapsed quickly into silence, but Severus knew what she meant. Rows of huge columns on either side took flight upwards curving slightly at a dizzying height to form what was probably a vaulted ceiling. He could not be sure: the light from the orbs did not penetrate that high, and the top of the chamber was shrouded in darkness.

'It must be magically enlarged,' he answered, 'There's no other explanation. This place is miles higher than the passageway outside – and _that's_ large for a dungeon passage.'

'It's so big and – and imposing, yet there's nothing - no furniture, or anything - just ... those pictures...'

'Our common-room looks a bit like this,' Severus said, not hearing her, 'Like a scaled-down model of this place. There are the same arched alcoves between the columns, the same number of them, and –'

'D'you also have stuff like that painted on the walls in the Slytherin common-room?' Lily's voice was terse, and she had moved ahead, but Severus was too engrossed to notice, and just shook his head vaguely. There were thick-glassed windows framed by carved serpents instead of murals and frescoes, on the walls of Slytherin common-room, and the view was of the green, murky depths of the lake.

'This was built by Salazar Slytherin himself, wasn't it?' Lily said, immediately getting his attention.

'Are you just guessing, or-?'

'Both. This place reeks of Dark Magic, and everyone knows the legends about how Slytherin dabbled in it –'

'It wasn't illegal then! There was no distinction - !' he retorted, firing up at once.

'Whatever. I'm not going to argue about what was, or was not, tolerated in the dark ages; the point is that this place could only have been built by a very powerful and clever wizard. Besides, look here – there're his initials!'

She pointed to the marble mosaic beneath their feet. They had come to approximately the middle of the chamber, and Severus noticed he was stepping on a large oval made up of pieces of black marble. Embedded in the middle of this were the initials "S. S" elaborately designed with gold tesserae.

'Apart from Salazar Slytherin, you're the only other wizard I know with those initials, Sev, and since I don't think _you_ built this cosy little retreat, then I'm guessing it could only be the Founder of your house!'

He stole a quick look at her. He hadn't wanted her to find out just to whom the Chamber belonged, but she had done so anyway. And despite her light tone, he could see that she was now even more uneasy than before.

'D'you think this is what your Great-grandfather wanted your Mum to find? Salazar Slytherin's private bedchamber? I think it was rather a tall order for an eleven- year old kid!'

'It's only a room, Lily! C'mon! We haven't seen it all! There may be something else...'

Of course, Lily did not know that in his Great-grandfather's original message to the young Eileen he had specifically set the young girl the task of finding his 'third most precious book', which doubtless, he must have hidden somewhere in this chamber.

But was it still here? Phineas Nigellus' portrait had said the book had mysteriously reappeared in the restricted section of the Library , some forty years after his great-grandfather had hidden it during the brief year he had been tutored for a teaching post at Hogwarts. So Severus did not really know what to expect to find at this point, but he hoped that he would find some answers, if not the book.

'There's – there's something up ahead.' Lily whispered. She had unconsciously taken a step closer to him, and her eyes were fixed on something large and grey lying in a mound on the smooth floor ahead.

They drew closer cautiously. The thing was situated exactly where the alter would be, had this place really been a cathedral. But the far end of the room was still shrouded in darkness. Just as he thought of lighting his wand however, the white moon-like orbs moved slowly over to float by their side, illuminating the strange mound, and the darkest recess beyond the last two columns on either side.

The columns that guarded the seventh alcove, Severus realised.

The alcove was deeper than the rest, and was positioned exactly opposite the door where they had come in. It was positioned as if it were the holy of holies of the place, but quite prosaically, it was constituted of nothing but a blank wall made of plain stone. It was very smooth and shiny, as if fused or polished.

'Look, Sev!' he felt Lily pull his sleeve, drawing his attention to the strange mound-like thing now before them.

It was, in fact, just that – a mound!

It jutted up from the smooth marble flooring, its grey, granite-like substance contrasting starkly with the rich colourful mosaic patterns. About three feet high, its sides were rough, unhewn and much like the bedrock on which Hogwarts castle stood, but on top, its surface was smooth, flat, and worn-looking.

He was reminded either of a sacrificial alter or a pedestal.

Lily was pointing at something and he bent closer to see. The initials 'S.S.' were roughly engraved at one end of the surface of this stone mound. He noticed that it was not actually flat – there was a slight depression, about a couple of yards in diameter, in the middle, as though worn away by something heavy over many years.

The hovering globes came to a stop right overhead and their light shed a shimmering glow over an object that had appeared right in the middle of the mound. He heard Lily's sharp intake of breath as a book materialised right before their eyes, as though brought to existence by the glow of the orbs. Severus felt his excitement reach fever-pitch as the shimmering glow faded, and the outline of the book became more solid.

'Sev! This is it! It's what your Great-Grandfather wanted you to find out, isn't it?'

In the excitement of the moment, Lily had totally forgotten that she had disapproved of his books or anything related to Dark Magic, but Severus knew something was wrong.

He felt the elation of the moment before turning quickly to disappointment. The small book lying in the centre of the depression couldn't be his Great-grandfather's. He didn't know why, but there was something about it...

He reached out to take it into his hands.

'No don't!' Lily jerked his hand away. 'There might be a curse on it, or something! This place is creepy!'

She had a point. Not because of the place, but because of the book. It didn't fit, somehow.

He dug his hand in the pocket of his robes and fished out the photo he had stolen from his Mum's drawer, the one that possibly Dumbledore had taken when he and Severus Prince were still friends at Hogwarts. His Great-grandfather held a dark, leather-bound book in his arms and Dumbledore's note on the back had referred to it as his 'most important work'.

Given his very evident unease about it even in the photo, Severus had concluded that that particular book was his Great-Grandfather's 'third most precious'.

But the book now lying innocently in the middle of the mound was in no way the large black leather-bound tome in the photo. It was much smaller, black, with the date 1943 printed in faded letters on the front. It looked like a common, present-day diary.

'What're you looking at?' Lily had turned to see what he was holding in his hand. 'A photo?'

The image of the young Severus Prince looked up at her, scowled, and then turned sideways, so the book he held in his arms would be out of view.

'What's that you're holding in the photo?' she asked, a puzzled look on her face, 'Hang on – there's something odd –'

'That's not me,' he answered tersely.

'Wow!' she breathed, her eyes widening in comprehension, 'He's so like you! No wonder everyone who knew him jump at you! Let's see that again!'

She tried to take the photo, and he considered letting her have it – she'd certainly find the words scribbled by Dumbledore on the back of the photo very enlightening! But he shoved it back into his pocket.

'Look, Lily, now's not the time to play around with family resemblances!'

'No, but that book he's holding in the photo – that's what you were looking at, right? It's that book! The confiscated one! He's about your age in that photo, and that was when those books were discovered, and he was thrown out of Hogwarts. It's what you hoped to find, isn't it?'

She spoke quietly, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on his.

'It was a small hope. I didn't know what I'd find, Lily – but some answers, at least,' he replied, casting a frustrated look at the small innocuous book in the middle of the grey stone.

'Severus, you said the wizards who're after you – those Walpurgis Knights or whatever they're called – they're mistaken in thinking you have the confiscated book, but if you go ahead with this and – and actually _find_ that book, then we'll - '

'I told you Lily, there's no 'we' in this! If you weren't so damned foolhardy as to follow me tonight-'

'You'd have kept me in the dark, I know,' she answered, petulantly, 'but I'm here now, and there's nothing you can do about it, so stop complaining and let's get out of here! That doesn't look like the same book!'

'No it doesn't! But I'm not getting out until I know _what_ that is!' and taking out his wand, Severus leant over the grey stone alter and touched the small black diary with his wand.

It sprang into life at once, its cover flying open and the pages insides flipping back and forth like in a strong breeze. Then the rustling sound died down and the pages – all blank from what they could see - fell open on a page towards the end of the book. It lay there quietly, its yellowing pages silently begging them to come and read.

Only there was nothing to read.

Nothing except dates on the top right-hand corner of each page. It was, as they had guessed, a diary, and the pages it had opened on were the 31st October and the 1st November 1943.

Severus cautiously put his hand out and touched the diary very lightly, but nothing happened, so he leaned over, placed the golden key carefully on the flat surface of the rock, and picked it up, intending to see if there was any name on it at least, but before he could do so, something happened which almost made him drop the book in alarm.

'Sev – there's words - it's writing words!' Lily peered over his shoulder at the strange diary. Sure enough, words were forming on the blank pages, the black ink oozing slowly from the fabric of the pages themselves.

Severus read aloud as the words appeared onto the page:

_To the Grandmaster of the Most Illustrious of Knights, Severus Prince, _

_Greetings from he who has followed your footsteps for several long years, but has now gone beyond - far beyond - that which you have discovered both here, in Hogwarts' hallowed halls, and in the wizarding world at large. _

_I have taken your book and used it, yes. It is truly, as rumour had it, a most amazing work for someone who was even younger than me when he wrote it - it is well compiled from sources old and forgotten, secrets ferreted out from Hogwarts' most hidden and obscure places._

_Like this Chamber. Salazar Slytherin's abode. _

_You thought no-one would ever find it, I'm sure. It is too cleverly hidden, too secret, for anyone to find. But then, I am not 'anyone', you see._

_I am special. Very special - and in more ways than even you, yourself, have acknowledged during our acquaintance._

_I am so special that I do not even need the complex enchantments you have placed to guard Sytherin's Golden Key. I had long noticed Salazar Slytherin's Serpent in the seventh alcove of my Common Room. The key's secret hiding place reveals itself to me, when I so will it. It lies, as you may have noticed, over another secret passage. This did not open itself to you, did it?_

_It did, to me._

_As did the one in this chamber. It opened to me alone._

_I have discovered many of Hogwarts' secrets, Severus Prince, even more than you, for I had your works at my disposal for a better start. Like your book ' Secrets of the Darkest Arts' and the knowledge it holds within: The Secret of Immortality._

_I have used your book well. Given that the Knighthood you created is rapidly becoming decadent and old, it is high time for a change, I think. _

_I will be leaving Hogwarts in a year's time, so I have replaced your book from where you yourself had stolen it – the Restricted Section of Hogwarts Library! There it lies together with your other book on Necromancy, where I hope it may inspire other young witches and wizards to follow our footsteps, and learn the secret and Dark Arts you so painstakingly compiled. _

_Headmaster Dippet was exceedingly happy with me, when I told him how I accidently found this book in an abandoned dungeon during my patrols as Prefect. He told me I had done well to return it to the Library, and to keep quiet about it – the loss of such a tome had been hushed up by Phineas Black, you see - and assured me it would never leave the restricted section again._

_Ah yes, I know about that, too. You had returned to Hogwarts for one year to be tutored for a teaching post. It was during this year you stole back the book and hid it in this chamber. A good idea overall, and anyway, you did not really 'steal' it, did you? It was _yours.

_Well, should you ever get past Dippet and come looking for it again, or send any one of your heirs to bring it to you, I have left you this, my diary, in fair exchange._

_Do not despise its lowly appearance. You, Severus Prince, above all others, should know not to judge a book by its cover. _

_This Diary describes one of the most important years of my life. If you communicate with it, it will illuminate you._

_Your youngest Knight,_

_Tom M. Riddle_

Severus's voice faded into silence, leaving only the faint echo of that strange name reverberating around the chamber.

' 'Tom Riddle',' Lily repeated 'D'you have any idea who he is? He's writing as though he's a Hogwarts prefect. That makes him around 15 or 16, at the time of writing.'

Severus shook his head. 'The name's familiar. I might've found it in a list of Howarts prefects when I was researching... Hang on, I think I remember where I saw that name: there was this Award with his name on it in the Trophy Room: It's next to my Mum's Gobstones Captaincy Shield, but I can't remember what the Award was for...'

'He sounds awfully clever, and a bit like you, too, wandering the dungeons and poking around secret passages,' Lily said, with a quirky smile.

He raised his eyebrows quizzically at her, but now that the initial surprise at the Diary's mode of communication had worn off, disappointment and anger had started to set in again. It was this Riddle's fault that he no longer had the book! He also did not like the air of superiority and conceited over-confidence of this boy.

Not boy, he reminded himself. If the date on the Diary was correct, this Riddle must be approaching his fifties now, and no longer at Hogwarts!

'Well, that certainly confirms it!' Lily said 'Your Great-Grandfather had hidden his own book here, and this Riddle found it. Sounds a tad big-headed, doesn't he?'

Severus' snort of disgust was her only answer.

'But I'm getting a glimmering now, as to why all the fuss over this book,' she continued 'Secrets of Immortality – that would be awfully tempting to some people. And what did he mean by not judging a book by its cover and communicating with it? Here, let me see!'

Lily reached for the plain-looking book from his hands, but even before she did so, the words written on it had already started to fade, and, as she took it in her hands, the pages of the strange Diary started flipping back and forth once more, so that she almost dropped it in surprise.

The frenzied rustling stopped when they came to rest on the first page, that dated 1st of January, and as Lily looked down at the book in her hands, words started to form once more in black ink. What they wrote this time however, was in an entirely different tone:

'_Who are YOU?'_

The Dairy was asking Lily, and Severus could tell, by the slight shaking of the book in her hands, that Lily had not missed the belligerent tone of the angry-looking, spiky letters that stared up at her from the page. They were very different from the formal and elegant writing of before.

That book was somehow animate! It was not an object enchanted with a simple charm, to be triggered into leaving a message by the first witch or wizard to hold it!

More words appeared, confirming his suspicions:

'_You are not the Grandmaster, and neither are you the Prince's Heir! Who are you? Are you a Mu-?_'

But Lily, looking down at the book in her hands with an expression of mixed disgust and fear, shut it with a loud snap, just as a sudden hissing noise filled the large vault-like chamber.

Lily whirled round, trying to see where the noise was coming from, but tripped over a jutting outcrop of the grey stone alter, falling onto it and sending Riddle's diary sliding across its worn surface, where it came to rest in the middle of the depression. She sat there, her wand raised and looked frantically about her, as the sibilant noise reverberated around them.

Severus saw her looking, but he, too, could not pinpoint the source of the hissing - it seemed to come from all around them. He noticed that the moon-like orbs had floated away, their light dimming, as though they sensed the need for darkness, for whatever it was that this room intended for them.

'_Lumos,_' he whispered, backing towards where Lily still lay on the flat rock, his heart thudding in his chest.

'S- Sev, their eyes! They're looking at me!' he heard Lily stammer behind him.

He looked round to see what she was looking at.

At the base of the two columns guarding the deepest, largest alcove, the seventh one, that seemed to end in a plain undecorated rock face, there were two carved marble serpents that were partially entwined around each column. He hadn't noticed them before. Their heads were half-raised, and their narrow, glittering, eyes were gazing ahead, at a central point in front of the two columns.

'They're just carved to look directly at this stone pedestal, Lily,' he said, trying, but not quite managing, to speak calmly.

He saw her hastily get off the large flat rock, her wand now pointing at the two stone serpents. And she was right to do so, for with a movement that was barely perceptible, Severus saw that the glistening marble heads of the Serpents had followed Lily's movement.

Just then, he saw something else that alarmed him even more. The golden key lying next to the small diary in the depression of the flat rock face was starting to fade. He leaned over, snatching at it, but his hand passed right through the key.

Glancing quickly at the door at the far end of the room, opposite the two columns, where some of the orbs were still glowing dimly, he saw that it was reappearing – its' former transparency becoming more solid at the same rate that of its key was fading.

'Lily! We need to-!'

But his words were cut off by a shriek.

'The snakes! The snakes! Sev, they're after us!'

She stumbled backwards right into him, panicking, and he could see by the light of her wand that the marble serpents were slowly unravelling themselves from around the columns. There was no mistaking the purposeful look in their eyes, as they fixed their stare on Lily.

'Run!' he yelled, but before he took off after her, he snatched the small black Diary from the centre of the depression, taking care to keep it firmly shut. It was the only thing that had held an explanation to all this.

He followed Lily across the vast, echoing space. The loud hissing noise was now behind them, not all around, though Severus could not be sure whether it was the marble snakes or something else within that sealed seventh alcove that was producing it.

Their footsteps echoed loudly as they ran towards the Ephemeral Door. Severus heard Lily's gasp of dismay as she realised that the door was becoming solid and impenetrable once more. She slowed down doubtfully, just before they reached it, and Severus overtook her, the force of momentum carrying him right through the shimmering half-solid, half-transparent door.

He realised what happened and skidded to a halt in the dark dungeon passageway outside.

'Lily!' he cried, his voice cracking in sheer fright, 'Don't stop! The door's sealing itself again!'

He flung Riddle's diary on the floor behind him and went to the door once more, intending to pull her bodily through, but she had already acted on his words and approached the door.

'Sev! I – I can't! There's something keeping me from – '

She struggled futilely, inches away from the solidifying door. Severus ran back through it again, noticing, at the back of his mind, that it was letting _him_ pass. He grabbed hold of Lily's wand hand and pulled desperately.

Just then she screamed and her hand was almost jerked out of his. He saw her looking down at her feet, her face frozen in a horror. There, starkly white against her black Hogwarts robes, was one of the marble serpents, its heavy cold body twisting around her ankles. A few feet away, another marble serpent was closing in, its narrow, triangular head pointing straight at her.

Severus brought his wand round in a whip-like movement.

'_Reducto_!' he cried, and a blinding flash of light from his wand hit the second serpent, shattering it into hundreds of pieces of glistening white marble, but he didn't dare try and hit the one curled round Lily's knees in case he hit her. The snake had become immobile, half its long body curled tightly around her knees, and the other half of its thick, heavy coils simply pinning Lily to the spot.

'It's keeping me here! It wants to keep me in this room forever!' Lily's voice rose, verging on the hysterical, 'Don't leave me! Don't leave me, Sev!'

She struggled in vain, her eyes wild with fear.

'I'm not going to leave you! I'll get you - !' But cold shards of pain swept through his body, cutting his words short. He realised he was still standing in the middle of the Ephemeral Door, and it was fast becoming a door again.

He knew this time it would not let him through again. He had to think fast.

'Lily! Lily, give me your other hand!'

But just then the hissing noise that had reverberated from the distance grew suddenly louder, closer. It was not coming from the stone serpent around Lily, it was came from all around them, from the walls and floor – he could not tell, for the moon-like orbs had all faded into darkness now, and there was only the light from his wand .

Horror-struck, he realised that the room was not only simply trapping Lily there, it was holding her bait for something that slithered and hissed beyond the very fabric of the chamber.

Lily herself seemed to be thinking along those very lines, for she started to struggle madly to free herself, her breath coming in ragged sobs. She lost her balance and fell against him, but he grabbed her by her elbows and steadied her, his fingers pressing hard into her arms as he willed her to listen to him.

'Lily! Listen - !'

But Lily shook her head, her fingernails digging into his flesh. She seemed unwilling, or unable, to listen, but he knew time was running out and the jagged shards of pain passing through his body from the sealing door, made it difficult to think straight.

'Lily, look at me! Keep your eyes on mine!' he accompanied this order by an emphatic shake. Her fear-darkened green eyes came up slowly to fix on his pain-dulled dark ones, 'D- d'you remember when we were in the tunnel – me and you - just like this? The magic had worked stronger, remember?'

She had stopped struggling, and he saw a flicker of understanding beneath the fear mirrored there. She nodded slowly.

'We need to cast the Shield Charm, okay? As – as strong as you can!' he closed his eyes briefly, for the pain was becoming unbearable.

But it was only pain. It could be compartmentalised and ignored. He summoned his remaining strength and opened his eyes.

Lily was standing quietly before him, her gaze steady, and he could tell her hands were no longer trembling, for they moved down his arms to clasp his own hands in a firm grip. He raised their two clasped hands, wands pointing upwards and outwards, and mustered his remaining energy, channelling it from deep within him through his heart, his mind, his very soul and then through his outstretched arms and the two wands thus united, feeling, as he had done before, magic that was his and yet not his, pass backward and forwards between them and through them.

'_Protego!_' they shouted.

There was a flash of white blinding light and a loud, humming noise as a sheet of pure blue-white light grew over and around them, encasing them in a shield-like structure that shone blindingly for a split second, then turned almost transparent.

With a loud crack, the marble snake holding Lily to the ground shattered into a hundred pieces like its twin, and she stumbled slightly forward, but did not break contact.

For Severus the strange shielding light brought a sudden relief from the pain. Where it passed over his head and through the Ephemeral Door, he could see that it made the door transparent again.

The strange bubble-like structure around them was dim and insubstantial, but the strange and vaguely menacing humming sound it produced was quite loud. However, it wasn't loud enough to drown out the reverberating hissing coming from all around them.

This was not lost on Lily, who had drawn even closer to him and was pushing him backwards, towards the door. He took a step backwards and was through. She followed, her hands still clasped in his and this time, the protective shield allowed her through the door.

As soon as they were through the Ephemeral Door, it solidified behind them with a horrible sound of clanging metal and grating wood, and an unearthly, high-pitched snarling screech emanated from within, that was cut short by the closing door.

The ringing silence left in its wake seemed even deeper when the mysterious door just faded away, leaving him and Lily staring, wide-eyed, at a stretch of blank, rough wall. Severus knew that the door would reappear further down that passageway, on the opposite side of where it had first disappeared.

He felt the small hands that he still held in his start to tremble. The faint glow from the insubstantial bubble shield around them flickered and went out, as did the faint humming noise, as Lily extricated her hands from his and took a few shaky steps to the wall opposite where the Ephemeral Door had been.

'Are you all right?'

She did not answer, but leaned back against the wall, as though her legs could hardly carry her, and then slid all the way down the rough surface, sitting down with a bump on the floor of the passageway. Severus's heart was still beating madly, adrenaline pumping through him, so he could hardly blame Lily for feeling faint.

He threw himself down beside her, his mind already busy with the implications of what had just happened.

It had all started when Lily took the book in her hands – or was it because she had fallen on that rock? It was there for a reason. But he had leaned on the pedestal or alter, and nothing had happened - or not immediately, at least.

'D'you think the secret passage Riddle mentioned is in the seventh alcove?' he said, speaking his thoughts out loud, ' It was like made of fused stone, or something, and it was the only undecorated one. Those snakes seemed to be guarding – '

'I don't want to know about any other damned secret passageway!' Lily raised her head, glaring angrily at him, 'That room tried to kill me, if you haven't noticed!'

'Well, the place belonged to Salazar Slytherin!' he retorted 'Given the way the other founders treated him, when they turned against him, you'd expect him to put up some defensive enchantments on his own room, wouldn't you?'

'Defensive enchantments? _Defensive_ Enchantments?' Lily's voice was shrill, echoing down the large passageway. Severus had rarely seen her so angry. 'Those snakes were after _me_, not you! The _room_ wanted to get me, and that book – '

'Well, no-one asked you to come after me!' he hissed at her, feeling his temper rising too.

He had just saved her from being buried alive, or worse, in a magical chamber that he knew he could now never open again, and all she could do was complain about Slytherin's protective spells.

His words echoed loudly in the silence. Lily did not answer him, but the shocked look on her face made him instantly regret his words. She blinked rapidly and he could see in the dim orange glow of a faraway torch, that her face was still wet with tears from her near-death experience. He was angry with her for having put herself in such danger by following him, and yet...

She had followed him because she had meant well. She had not wanted him to go alone.

With a sigh, he sat up straighter, forcing his voice to sound apologetic. 'Look, Lily – if it makes you feel any better, I - no-one - can ever open that room again. The key disappeared just as the door started to close. And even if it's back in it hiding place in Slytherin common-room, I haven't got the foggiest idea how to open it again!'

Lily didn't answer at first, and he thought she was still mad at him, but then she slumped back against the wall and said in a low, but sarcastic, voice,

'Well, _he_ managed, didn't he? That Riddle boy. And the room let him in and out, for I didn't see _his_ rotting bones littering the floor!'

'I wonder how he did it?' Severus felt a grudging admiration towards this unknown student, but then he remembered that it was also he who had stolen his Great-grandfather's book.

'In any case, you're back to square one, aren't you, now?' Lily said, 'This book – "Secrets of the Darkest Arts" – it's not in that room and neither is it in the Library, where Riddle said he put it, or given the time you've spent in there last year, you would've found it!'

'There's no need to sound so pleased!' he said, acerbically.

She shrugged. 'He described himself as 'youngest knight' – he was probably one of the youngest members of the brotherhood your grandfather set up, and he must've somehow got to know about the book and your Great-grandfather's attempt to get it back. And who's Phineas Black?'

'An ex-Headmaster, ' he said tersely.

He was now, as Lily so succinctly put it, back to square one – no book, no nothing, except a lot of unanswered questions. Questions that perhaps only Riddle could answer.

Or Riddle's Diary!

It said it would illuminate whoever communicated with it! Where was it? He remembered flinging it down somewhere before he went into the chamber again to get Lily.

He spotted it lying on the floor near the wall, about a couple of yards away from where he was sitting – a small, black, nondescript book. He got up, picked it up and returned to squat down near Lily, turning the small book over in his hand.

'What's that?' Lily had seen him pick up something, 'That's Riddle's Diary!'

Her voice rose in pitch once more and she rolled onto her knees, facing him.

'I didn't know you took it out of that room! Sev, that thing is dangerous! That thing-' she looked fearfully down at the black, and rather shabby, old diary, and took a deep breath '- that thing _knew_! It could tell I was muggleborn, and everything started to happen when I opened it!'

'But there's nothing written on it now, look!' And he opened it, revealing blank yellowing pages throughout. His hand, the one he had cut earlier to prepare the potion, had started to bleed again slightly, and had stained the edges of some pages.

But the blood disappeared without trace.

Lily's shriek almost made him drop the book.

'Close it! Close it now, Severus , or I'll –!' her voice rose shrilly once more, and she made as though to close it herself, but she stopped short, unwilling to touch it again. Her eyes were wide and she was sincerely scared.

He snapped it shut quickly, not because she told him to, but because she was so uncharacteristically hysterical about it. He looked at her in some surprise as she knelt in front of him. She was trembling, her wand clasped in a white knuckled grip and her eyes filled with a mixture of disgust and horror as she looked at the seemingly innocuous book he held in his lap.

'I know this Diary is more than it seems, Lily but that's hardly reason to go mental about it –' he started.

'It's _evil_, Sev! _Evil_!' she choked out, 'I – I don't know _why_, but it's just not good for me, - or you - to open it!'

'It's the only way I'm ever going to get some answers now! Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'm familiar enough with Dark Magic to be able to handle this. The message inside the Diary said that the Diary itself will illuminate –'

'No! No, Sev, please! You just c- can't! Promise me!' she said vehemently, laying her hand on his arm. He could feel it shaking. He stared at her in surprise, and not a little irritation.

'How can I - ?'

'Promise me!' she repeated, clutching his robe and giving him a little shake. Her eyes were glistening in the torchlight and she was trying hard not to cry. She did not quite manage as one silent tear made its way down her pale face. She did not wipe it away.

'Go on! Cross your heart and hope to die if you open it!' she said, the silly childish words of the muggle promise made her smile a bit, in spite of herself.

But as he looked down at her face, trying to ignore the warm weight of her hand across his chest, he saw her lips start to tremble. She really believed that is what would happen.

'Are you trying to get me to make an Unbreakable Vow?' he asked, to buy time before he had to answer. He knew what he would have to answer.

'I just want your word, Severus.'

He closed his eyes, unable to look at Lily kneeling with a tear-stained face before him, and uttered the words he already knew he would say.

'Okay, I promise.'

He felt her remove her arm from his chest where she had been clutching his robes. The spot felt colder by contrast. Then there was a barely audible sniff, but no further sound. When he dared open his eyes again, he found Lily sitting back a bit away from him and the look in her eyes was no longer frantic or fearful, or even smugly triumphant for having made him promise not to use what she perceived as a Dark magic object.

The look in her eyes was sad. She was dry-eyed now but as she observed him from beneath lowered lashes, he saw there an unexpected sadness.

It shocked him for some strange reason. He did not know why she should be sad, but he didn't want to see her so. He got briskly up to his feet, and, shoving the small Diary out of sight down the neck of his robes, he offered her his hand.

She gazed up at him wonderingly and slowly put her hand in his. He pulled her to her feet.

'It's nearly dawn. D'you want to go to our hideout for a butter beer? We might as well make a night of it. And I'm sure there's loads of that chocolate you insisted on stashing away in one of my desk drawers!'

A slow smile spread across her wan face. He realised he had just called the dungeon room 'our' hideout. Well, it was now. And she certainly looked as though she needed the refuge, and something to bring back the colour to her cheeks.

'When were you born exactly, Sev? What hour?' she asked, incongruously.

'When –? What? Oh – uh, early hours of the morning, I think'

'Good. Then it means your fifteenth birthday is in less than 24 hours. Let's celebrate it now, since I'll be dead-tired by tomorrow! Or in detention, for falling asleep during lessons!'

Severus, who, as usual, had entirely forgotten about his upcoming Birthday, especially in the light of recent discoveries, did not object. He was glad to hear Lily sound a bit more like her usual self, and even gladder that she hadn't asked what he would do with the Riddle Diary, though she had seen him stuffing it down his robes.

With mixed feelings, he followed Lily's echoing footsteps towards the comfort and familiarity of the dungeon hideout, the small black diary heavy against his chest.

He had promised her. A silly muggle promise, that, nonetheless, he now intended to keep.


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter 91: The Two-way Mirror.**

The Gryffindors around her fell about laughing, and the Slytherins darted her malevolent looks.

'Nice one, Evans!' Potter shouted from the back of the class.

Lily felt as if her cheeks were on fire as she stood and faced Slughorn. She thought he'd be mad at her, but his walrus moustache trembled with amused befuddlement. He had just told her that she should have been sorted into Slytherin, and she had answered back cheekily, leaving him in no doubt that, NO, she would never be in Slytherin.

Slughorn had meant well - she knew that of course, but that very morning she had had a rather unpleasant encounter with Seth Mulciber and Rabastan Lestrange. She had found their supercilious, and, in Mulciber's case, leering and knowing attitude, extremely hard to take. She had drawn her wand, threatening to hex them. Unfortunately, she was spotted by a Slytherin prefect, which had resulted in five points docked from Gryffindor.

She was therefore in a rather anti-Slytherin mood when Slughorn suggested she should have joined his house.

To her alarm, she saw Slughorn step down from his teacher's podium and negotiate his way carefully among the bubbling cauldrons between the student's desks, towards her. She glanced hastily to her right, at Severus. She saw him through the fumes of his cauldron bottling a sample of his brew for final assessment. He was stony-faced, not looking at her. She hoped he hadn't taken her words too seriously – she had teased him often enough about house loyalties in private, and he had just teased her back.

_But this is different,_ said a voice in her head, as the laughter died down, and Professor Slughorn came to a halt in front of her. She had already regretted her words, but there was no helping that right now, so she gazed defiantly up at Slughorn.

'That, Ms Evans,' he said, his eyes crinkling at the corner, 'is one of the most ... unique ... explanations I have ever heard about the Sorting Hat's decisions!'

His walrus moustache twitched and Lily realised he was smiling.

'Sir, I – ' but she realised she did not know what to say.

'However, Ms Evans, I still maintain that you would have been good in Slytherin, and a positive asset. You've got amazing intuition in potion-making! Sometimes, I daresay, even better than Mr Snape here, who, though the best student I've had the pleasure to teach in decades, on occasions, he still tends to ... uh ... surprise us all, with sudden explosions when his experimentation does not go exactly to plan.'

Severus' stony look became stonier.

'But Sir, it's really Severus who-'

Slughorn continued as though he hadn't heard her.

'You've also got a lot of determination and eagerness to prove yourself. Slytherin qualities, in short, Ms Evans, and that is the reason why I said you should have been sorted into Slytherin.'

'Given her background, I hardly think that possible, Sir!' Cassiopeia Blackwater sneered, from her seat at the back of the class.

Lily glared at her, but Slughorn arched his eyebrows questioningly.

'Ms Blackwater, -' he started.

'It's because I'm Muggleborn, ' Lily interrupted angrily, unwilling to let them describe her background as though it were a diseased thing, 'And proud of it!'

There was a smattering of derisive noises from Cassiopeia, and some of her Slytherin friends, and angry muttering from Alice Walker in the seat behind her, but Slughorn was shaking his head.

'Ah, but even Slytherin House has known great witches and wizards whose parents were muggles, Ms Blackwater,' Slughorn continued, ' though, indeed, they are, perhaps, in the minority.'

Cassiopeia leaned back in her chair, twisting her long curly hair between her perfectly manicured fingers. As usual, she had managed to keep herself impeccably clean, even though they had been brewing Scintillation Solution, notoriously messy to prepare and tending to result in sudden explosive spattering due to vigorous bubbling from the cauldron. Lily noticed however, that the liquid in Cassiopeia's sample bottle was blue-green instead of an iridescent green. She had underboiled her brew. Lily smirked. That potion was worthless.

'... known for quite some time that Ms Evans here is muggleborn, ' Slughorn was saying.

This caught Lily's attention – she was sure she had never told him. But then, Slughorn somehow always knew a lot about people's 'backgrounds'. She tried not to scowl.

'That is why her talent in Potion making is so remarkable!' Slughorn was continuing, 'Though, having said that, I remember a couple of decades ago, I used to teach a young muggleborn wizard by the name of Jones – '

He started to rock on the balls of his feet, one hand on the waistcoat straining to cover his huge stomach. Lily knew he loved recounting how he taught the rich and famous, but just then, the bell rang, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief as his anecdote was cut short. There was a general scraping of chairs and benches as everyone packed their stuff away and went to put their sample bottles on Slughorn's desk.

She was about to slip away when Slughorn addressed her again.

'Ms Evans, next Saturday I am having a small get-together with some of the senior students. Just a small, informal party. I wonder if you'd do me the pleasure of coming too. Arthur Gibbon will be there as well as Juliet Davis. Ah yes, and Mr Snape, of course. I've been meaning to ask –'

Slughorn turned to the other end of her desk, but Severus was gone. Lily looked at the back of the dungeon classroom, but only Mary and Alice lingered by the door, waiting for her.

'Well, it appears Mr Snape has disappeared. How about you, Ms Evans? I really hope to see you in my rooms next Saturday...'

'I - ' She would never have dreamed that the Head of Slytherin House would invite her to a party. More so, because she had behaved with uncalled-for rudeness towards him. But Slughorn was looking at her expectantly, smiling affably beneath his tawny moustache.

'Yes, Sir. I'll come, Sir,' she said.

'Good. That's it, then. I'll just take your sample bottle –' he picked it up off her desk and glanced at it briefly, 'Another perfect potion, I think, Ms Evans.' And he lumbered off towards his desk, her potion bottle in his hand.

Lily hurried off towards her friends, still wondering what to make of that strange invitation, but one look at Alice's face told her that she would be spending all break-time listening to a furious tirade against Slytherins, which as usual, she would try to counter with arguments of her own.

She sighed, wishing she could avoid them for once, for right now, her mood was swinging wildly from seething anger at the whole lot of Slytherins, to uneasy guilt because of her cheekiness to both Slughorn, and (though she did not know why, exactly,) Severus.

ll

ll

The next morning, as she entered the Great Hall for breakfast, Lily looked up at the grey clouds rolling by in the enchanted ceiling overhead and shivered. The blustery winds and torrential rains of mid-March matched her mood, though that was small comfort.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table, which was almost deserted. Thalia was there, drinking coffee, and Mary MacDonald was besides her, looking sympathetic. Thalia had split up with her French boyfriend, telling him long-distance dating was impossible, even when not at Hogwarts, and she wanted to end it.

The girls had talked late into the night about it, offering a lot of sympathy and advice, that Thalia seemed to appreciate, and even enjoy, actually. Though youngest among the Gryffindor fourth- years, Thalia was the first to have a regular (though long-distance) boyfriend, and was thus a bit of a celebrity among them.

This morning, however, Thalia looked much perkier and was eyeing some of the senior boys at the Ravenclaw table over her cup of coffee with evident interest. Suppressing a smile, Lily craned her neck to see if Severus was at the Slytherin table. When he came to breakfast at all, he was usually there very early, probably to avoid the noise and confusion of late risers.

She had not seen him since Slughorn's lesson yesterday, and was a bit uneasy about how he had taken her outburst against Slytherin. After their adventure, over two months ago in Salazar Slytherin's liar, she was apt to be a bit tetchy about the qualities of Slytherin House and its famous founder.

Finally, she saw Severus come in, accompanied by Rosier and Wilkes. They sat down together at the far end of the Slytherin table, near the door. She knew she should be glad that he had friends in Slytherin, for she had noticed that he had been ostracised by the Slytherins for some time, after the Mulciber incident last summer.

But given who his friends were, and the way they treated her, she was finding it hard to be glad right now. At the beginning of the year she had been worried for him, but this situation had turned right around, somehow, and now he was never alone on the Slytherin table or during lessons.

She had seen even Mulciber speak civilly to him, and that tall, willowy, blonde girl – Narcissa, often broke away from her seventh-year friends to go and speak to him. It had happened so often, that she had asked Thalia (an expert on who's who in the wizarding world) who the blonde girl was. Apparently, she was a cousin of Sirius Black's, and a very rich and well-connected Pure-blood witch. Judging by her haughty looks, she was also one of Slytherin's best advocates for wizarding nobility.

And, Lily had to admit, very beautiful, in an elegant, well-bred sort of way.

For some reason, she had felt extremely irritated every time Narcissa leaned over Severus at the Slytherin table, whispering confidentially into his ear, or every time she saw Severus glance in her direction, a strange, knowing look on his face.

The object of her musings came in just then, with some of her seventh-year friends. As if to confirm her words, Narcissa Black, her long blonde hair the only streak of brightness in the grey morning, came to a halt by Severus, Rosier and Wilkes, indicating her friends should move on.

They did, though hesitantly. She leaned over Severus, saying something which made him smirk. Lily could not hear what she said, but she felt unreasonably angry at her for her new-found interest in Severus. Narcissa straightened up and gave Severus a parting pat on the back before she went to join her Seventh-year friends. Lily saw Severus stiffen slightly at the familiarity, but Wilkes' eyes almost popped out of his face as he followed Narcissa's undulating walk down the Slytherin table, and even Rosier seemed to have lost the thread of what he had been saying.

Lily scowled and, feeling strangely disgruntled, stood up and stalked out of the Great Hall, carefully avoiding looking at the Slytherin table. She didn't feel like breakfast anymore.

lll

lll

It was very late in the afternoon when she gave in. Lily knew she would not be seeing Severus till the next day, Saturday, for they had no lessons together till DADA with Grimstone the following Monday.

Finding a deserted corridor behind a tapestry that covered a shortcut to the third floor, she took out her two-way mirror from her bag, leaned against the wall, and contemplated it for a minute. Lessons had been over for some time, and most students were in their common room or in the library. She herself had just come from the Library, where she had half-hoped to find her friend, but he was not there.

The small square mirror reflected back her frowning face. She never called Severus on the mirror when there was a risk she'd be overheard, but she did not want to go to the dungeon hideout either. She wasn't so sure of her welcome there, right now.

At least, his quest to find that damned book on Dark Arts that his Great-grandfather had written had come to nothing. Not that the Riddle Diary seemed any better. She was sure Alice had said something once about how dangerous enchanted objects that could think for themselves were, and besides she didn't need Alice's warning – when she held that insignificant-looking Diary in her hands she had felt the back of her neck prickle with dread, even before the book started insulting her.

Somehow, that book knew she was not Severus' Prince's heir, and that she was a muggle-born to boot. She was sure the word the book was about to write was 'mudblood'.

Of course, Severus felt no such aversion, and by the end of that same week, last January, Severus had already discovered that Riddle was a Slytherin Headboy decades ago, and that he had received several awards during his school years. However, that was all he could discover from school records, for she had made Severus promise not to open that Diary again, and, though he had never let her see it again, she somehow knew he would be true to his word.

She thought she heard rustling noise behind her, and stood away from the wall to glance around, but there was nobody in the dim recess created by the tapestry. Possibly it was just the creaking of the coats of armour in the corridor outside. So she turned back to the mirror and her dilemma about whether to call Severus or not. She still had no idea where he could be. Perhaps he was in the common room being entertained by Narcissa Black.

Her own image scowled up at her from the mirror.

What was _wrong_ with her? She supposed she should be happy he had such rich, influential friends – and seventh-year students too! But somehow that thought increased her aversion towards the beautiful Slytherin girl.

She decided to take her Gryffindor courage in both hands, and, hunched over the small mirror, she whispered:

'_Severus!'_

She was about to call again when suddenly the mirror clouded over and Severus' face came into view. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was alone, and, judging by the jerky movements, he was walking along a dungeon passageway. Her relief was short-lived however.

'What d'you want, Lily?' he asked tersely, the torchlight of the dungeon passageways throwing his features in sharp relief.

'I ... just wondered what you were doing. I thought, perhaps, we could ... do something,' she finished lamely, as his expression darkened.

'Are you sure? With a _Slytherin_? You might get contaminated, or something,' he bit out.

'Oh, for Merlin's sake, Sev! I thought you'd take it this way! Look, what I told Slughorn is _nothing _compared to some adjectives I've heard you use to describe Gryffindor! My Mum would've made me wash out my mouth!'

'Maybe I should blurt them out in front of the whole class, next time!' he sneered.

'Okay. Okay, so I shouldn't have done that! Slughorn took me by surprise, and I didn't think –'

She stopped, as her own words made her realise that her outburst must have sounded pretty odd for someone whose best friend was a Slytherin, and sitting right next to her. It must have sounded as though she was ashamed of him, or something.

'No, Lily, you didn't.'

He still sounded rather annoyed.

'Sorry,' she whispered, 'look, I'll make it up to you! I'm coming down. Where are you? Oh, you've arrived near the statue of the Hump-backed witch! Wait up, I'll -!'

But suddenly a voice behind her back startled her, and in the split second before she turned round, she saw Severus's eyes narrowing in hatred, as they fixed upon something behind her shoulder.

'Why, if it isn't Snivillus sodding Snape?'

James Potter had come up behind her and was gazing over her shoulder at the small mirror in her hand. She moved the mirror hastily, so that contact was broken and Severus's furious face disappeared.

'What the hell are you doing here, Potter? Are you following me?' she hissed angrily.

'Of course, Evans,' he said, looking over his shoulder at Sirius Black, who had also materialised behind him. 'Sirius and I have been trying to get you alone all day ...'

'... to congratulate you,' Sirius added, exchanging a quick look with his friend.

'Yes, to congratulate you, for finally seeing sense and putting that half-blood snake who shares your desk properly in his place! And yet now, I find you here, not only talking to him but begging him to forgive you: "_Sorry, I'll make it up to you"' _Potter imitated her in a high-pitched voice, his eyes flashing angrily behind his round specs, and his face twisted in a scowl.

'What the bloody hell is it to you, Potter, what I say, or don't say, to Severus?' she felt her own temper rising now.

How dare judge her?

'You should treat Gryffindor housemates well, Evans, not that slimy git from Slytherin!' Sirius interrupted with a grin, his hair falling becomingly across his good-looking face.

'I'm not going to treat Severus like you do your own _brother_, Black!' she noted with satisfaction the slight narrowing of Sirius Black's eyes as her words hit home, 'As for my own supposed 'housemates', they'd do well to stop sneaking around and following me, or overhearing private conversations, or I'll be forced to hex your ears shut for you!'

'Ah, I can see some of Snivillus's special abilities are wearing off on you already!' Sirius Black retorted with a cold smile, 'becoming quite trigger-happy with hexes, aren't we?'

'Have I missed anything?'

A rather small, but plump boy lifted the tapestry and skidded to a halt behind Potter. It was Peter Pettigrew.

'Oh,' he said, seeing his friends surrounding Lily, and how flushed their faces were.

It was the last straw! With a snort of contempt, she stormed out of the recessed space and made her way to the seventh floor and to Gryffindor common-room.

It was now almost curfew, and it would not do to let the self-styled Marauders see her go off anywhere. Hopefully, the dorm was empty so she could call Severus again, and, for what it was worth, apologise for the interruption.

Of course, when she got there she found the common-room crowded and noisy, and up in her dorm, Alice was regaling Thalia, Mary and Jenny with a funny story about Frank Longbottom from Hufflepuff, who apparently (and to her great annoyance), seemed to have a crush on her.

It was several hours later, when finally the dorm fell silent as one by one the girls retreated to their own beds and fell asleep.

Lily drew the curtains round her four poster shut, and took her mirror out of her pyjama pocket.

'Severus!' she whispered into the small square.

The mirror immediately clouded over briefly, but what she saw in it almost made her drop the mirror in surprise.

'Yes, Evans? D'you need something?' Potter's face appeared in the mirror, grinning, his round glasses glinting by the light of his wand.

'Who-? How on earth - ? What did you _do_?' Lily gazed horrified at Potter, but he was smirking back at her.

'Oh, we found this on old Snivillus as he came running to save you. Quite the Knight in shining armour, isn't he? You'd never have imagined it, seeing what a slimy, scrawny –!'

'Shut it Potter! That mirror belongs to Severus! You had better give it back, or –!'

'Finders, keepers, Evans! You see, Snivilly got a bit unpleasant with me, but luckily I had back-up, so now I think I'm keeping this little memento. Besides, think what interesting conversations we can have...'

He leaned back on his bed, she could see the curtains of his four poster drawn, just like hers. There was no sign of the other Marauders.

'That's not yours, Potter!'

'Why don't you come and get it then? As far as I know, girls can come into the boy's dorm, though it doesn't work the other way around!'

'D'you think I'm so stupid as to fall into _that _kind of trap? You're pathetic!' she snarled at him.

'Hey wait, Evans! I don't mean – It's not a trap! It's just that I–' his tone had changed, and he sounded seriously alarmed, but she had heard enough.

With a snort of disgust, she moved the mirror so that contact was lost, and then leaned out of her four-poster and bunged it in the drawer of her bedside table. She did not want to see it again. From Potter's words, they had ambushed him, and he had tried to curse them. Small wonder Potter looked so smug.

She contemplated going to look for Severus, but without the mirror she had no idea of what happened and where he was. It would be hopeless.

Nonetheless, she climbed out of bed and back into her robes. Casting a Disillusionment Charm over herself, she traced her steps back to the short-cut behind the tapestry, and them all the way down to where she had last seen Severus, near the statue of the Hump-backed witch, but there was no trace of him. For good measure she also went to their dungeon hideout just in case he was there, but he wasn't.

Almost two hours later, she dragged herself back to the Gryffindor common-room, having come to the conclusion that her friend must have at least made it back to Slytherin common-room. There she could not follow.

llllll

Next morning she overslept, but a vague feeling of unease woke her up at around 8 o'clock. As the memories of the previous night came flooding back, she sat up with a start. The dorm was empty so she hurriedly threw on some clothes, retrieved the two-way mirror from her bedside table, and ran down the spiral staircase, blood pumping indignantly through her veins as she recalled what had happened.

She intended to face Potter and make him hand over what he'd stolen.

Lots of people were already at Breakfast, but she spotted Remus in the corner, busy with his books as usual. He looked far better than he had at the end of last month, when he had been to the Hospital wing again, though this time she had seen none of the strange wounds on him. He greeted her cheerily enough, but stopped short at the look on her face.

'Hi, Lily...er... Is anything wrong?'

'Where's Potter?

'Quidditch practice, but he said you might be looking for him.'

'He did, did he?' she crossed her arms furiously, 'And what else did he say?'

'Nothing – that you're welcome to go see him practice and that –' he looked doubtfully at Lily's reddening face, 'Look, can you tell me what –?'

Obviously, they had kept Remus in the dark. Being the mildest-mannered of them all, he would probably have disapproved. But she was too furious to care, at the moment.

'Did he tell you about what he stole from Severus and me? Did he tell you that he used it as bait last night, to lure me into a trap in your dorm? Did he –?'

'Look, I don't know what they've been up to. I've had remedial Potions with Slughorn yesterday, but I'm positive he would never do anything to harm you, Lily! Not you.' Remus said sincerely.

'Then where is it?'

'Where's what?'

'Don't give me that, Remus – you must have heard them gloating over it! Tell me, or I might as well go look for it myself while they're at Quidditch!'

A guilty expression crossed his face.

'I - I did hear them mention a mirror that belonged to Snape, But if that's what you're after, James put it in a mokeskin bag – you'll never get it out, only the owner of the bag-'

'I know what a mokeskin bag is, okay? I ... Oh, forget it!' and she turned on her heel and left in a huff, leaving Remus looking worriedly at her.

She climbed out of the portrait hole and made straight towards the stairs. She had to find Severus somehow. Perhaps he was in the Library.

She ran all the way there, arriving out of breath. Madam Pince gave her a dirty look as she passed her desk, trying to control her breathing, and walk sedately.

A few students were scattered here and there, some holding whispered conversations, and glancing every so often in the direction of the Librarian's desk. Severus wasn't with any of them.

If he was here at all, he would be in the Restricted section, of course.

She made her way to the back of the Library, where the roped-off area of the restricted section was, and immediately saw his thin figure hunched over a heavy book between two high book shelves. Glancing around to make sure no-one was looking, she slipped through the roped-off area.

He looked up hearing her coming, and closed his book with a snap.

'Have they taken yours too?' he asked without preamble, his voice low and vicious.

She shook her head. 'No, they didn't, I –'

'They didn't?'

She took her mirror out of her pocket and held it up for him to see.

'But what happened to you? When I tried calling you, Potter answered the mirror, so I knew he'd stolen it. I looked all over for you last night.'

His eyes darkened, and she thought for a moment he wouldn't answer her, but after a moment:

'They knew where I was and were waiting for me. I only saw Potter, however. He was at the top of the moving stairs on the second floor. I should've realised he wouldn't be alone. Just as I threatened to change the shape of his bastard face forever, I was hit from behind by a full body-bind.'

He slid the large book back in its place rather abruptly, causing it to moan mournfully, and the surrounding books to rustle indignantly.

'You what - ? Oh, those – those – !' but she couldn't think of a word strong enough, 'Who was it?'

'Pettigrew or Black. They were waiting behind a coat of armour at the bottom of the steps. Black, probably, judging by the look on his face. Pettigrew doesn't have the guts to throw a good curse, anyway. Those fucking bastards searched me, and took my mirror. It's what they were after. That's why I thought they'd taken yours, too.'

'But then how did you-?'

'Slughorn was on his way to speak to Flitwick, and he caught them at it,' Severus answered bitterly, 'Actually, they heard him coming, and scarpered. Slughorn's so slow that they'd disappeared by the time he got to the bottom of the steps.'

'You fell, didn't you? All the way down –'

'It was a full body-bind, Lily!' he cut in impatiently, 'What d'you expect, to float gracefully down? Anyway, Slughorn released me and said he'd be sending those three to McGonagall. He may be slow in moving, but Slughorn never forgets a face, and he'd recognised them!'

'Serves them right! I told Potter that when he answered the mirror. Wanted me to come and get it – as if I would be so stupid as to-'

'He what?'

'Well it was a trap, obviously. Remus said he put your mirror in a Mokeskin bag, and anyway, I wasn't about to barge into –' but she stopped as she saw his expression.

It was a burning look of hatred and rage.

'Did he tell you he wanted your mirror too, or did he just want to invite you up for a cosy chat?' he spat out.

'What on earth are you saying?' she retorted, indignantly.

How in Merlin's name did she know what Potter wanted? Probably another prank he hatched to get her into trouble. She had, as yet, somehow escaped detention, and some days ago Potter had remarked it was unnatural for anyone with her mettle to reach fourth-year without flouting school rules.

Little did he know.

Just then, muffled footsteps drew nearer.

'Bugger that woman!' Severus exclaimed, and before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed her arms and spun her round, so that she was hidden by the shelves, and he was the one standing in between.

Madam Pince's face peered in at the entrance to the restricted section. Lily held her breath.

She had no permission to be there.

'Mr Snape, you are to keep your voice low, or I'll have a word with Professor Grimstone about your permission!' she was peering around him, trying to see if there was anyone else.

Severus glared at her but gave a curt nod, and, to Lily's relief, she moved off.

She pulled away from the shadows to face Severus once more.

'Anyway, McGonagall will deal with those three!' she said, making sure to speak in a whisper, 'What did Slughorn tell you? Will he get the mirror back for you?'

'I didn't ask him to. But he _did_ invite me to a party,' he replied, with a puzzled frown.

'Oh, that, yes - I meant to tell you. Me too. I can't imagine why – I was rather cheeky to him too, after all.'

'I heard about these so-called parties. Slughorn picks students who are well-connected or who he thinks might go places one day, and invites them to his rooms. We must've impressed him somehow.'

'Well, you're brilliant at Potions, Sev, but I can't imagine why he invited _me._ Anyhow, It's good news I suppose, because I can tell him how Potter stole – '

'No, don't ! I don't want it back after that conceited, fat-headed twerp had his hands on it, even if we could prove its mine, which we can't!' he said, in a hissed whisper ; 'Besides, Slughorn might investigate, and think we use the mirrors to cheat in exams, or something' he finished lamely.

'But-!'

'No 'buts', Lily! I don't want it, okay? Here - give me yours! It's best we destroyed the damned things. That way, Potter won't – '

He reached out and took hold of the mirror she still held in her hand, but she didn't let go.

His eyes came up to meet hers, his expression one of barely controlled fury. She couldn't understand his reaction. She still thought they should at least try, because she didn't want to give up her mirror. Her hands tightened around the small silvery square, and to her horror, she felt the prickle of tears behind her eyes. She blinked rapidly.

'It was your birthday gift,' she whispered, and though her voice cracked slightly, her eyes held his gaze steadily.

Something shifted behind Severus' eyes, and after a moment, he silently let go of the mirror, though his eyes remained on hers, their expression unreadable.

She realised her mistake immediately. If Severus did not, or could not, have the other mirror of that pair, it was pretty pointless keeping it, if there was Potter at the other end. She gazed down sadly at the small mirror in her hand.

'Is there a chance of you making another one?' she asked, clutching at straws.

He shook his head. 'They have to be a pair and from the same maker, if the magic is to work. I was lucky to find these two back in second year.'

Probably he saw her disappointment, for he continued:

'I can find some other way of keeping in touch perhaps...'

'Remember back home, before we came to Hogwarts: that special ink you made? It was only visible to me and you. Perhaps that could be useful...'

She was just thinking that it was nothing compared to the ease of communication of the two-way mirrors, when Severus surprised her by agreeing.

'I could do that easily. I need a – ' he hesitated, 'Well, I need a lock of your hair to make it visible to you only.'

'You didn't have that when we were children.'

A slow flush suffused his pale cheeks and he turned to the bookshelf, suddenly engrossed in reading the titles.

'I had found a hair or two in the books I used to lend you. Seemed to be enough...'

His hair carefully covered his face as he bent down to examine the books in the lower shelf, and he spoke in a nonchalant voice, but Lily wondered.

Taking her wand from her pocket, she ran her fingers through her hair and cast a small severing spell on one long, dark red lock.

'Then this should do it. Here you go,' she said, and she held out the lock of hair.

She felt her face reddening as she did so. Perhaps because it reminded her of Victorian lovers' tradition of giving each other locks of hair, or perhaps it was Severus' own sudden awkwardness, she did not know. When he finally looked up at her, there was a look of wonder and surprise in his eyes, and as he reached out and took the lock of hair, she felt herself blushing even more.

'I – I'll leave it up to you then, okay?' she stammered, backing away from him, and for some reason not quite meeting his eyes. 'See you ...er... later'

And she turned and fled, leaving him standing there, the dark crimson lock like a rivulet of blood in his pale hand.

llll

It was after a whole ten minutes of wandering aimlessly around the third floor that she realised she had not asked him where he'd be. She had got so used to the two-way mirror she'd forgotten to ask. Bloody Potter!

There was a Hogsmeade visit later on, and she had wanted to make sure he wasn't tempted to go. So far, inclement weather had discouraged many students from going, but it was now March, and today especially, the weather was milder. Many of her friends, (and she presumed, even Severus' gang), were asking why they hadn't set a foot outside Hogwarts since the holidays.

And she was running out of excuses...

Not quite wanting to go back to the Library just yet, she made her way back to the Gryffindor common-room, thinking about the pile of homework she had left unfinished, but as soon as she climbed through the portrait hole, she saw James Potter sitting down by the fireside, and all thoughts of studying fled from her head.

Apparently, he had already come back from early morning practise, and he was explaining a complicated Quidditch move to Davy Gudgeon and another third-year, a curly-haired girl whose name Lily had forgotten, but who was looking at Potter in admiration, hanging on to his every word.

Gudgeon, black eye-patch over one eye, was asking him a question, but Potter did not answer, for he had seen her come in.

Lily expected him to snicker or pass some wise remark, but to her surprise, he did not. He looked slightly shamefaced, but at that moment, Sirius Black, who was sitting behind Potter, transfiguring a leather arm-guard into a Guinea pig and back again with a casual flick of his wand, saw her and said:

'Hello, Evans! D'you go and check if old Snivelly's still lying at the bottom of the second floor stairs? He tried to curse James, you know. I bet he didn't tell you that. Well, he can't tell you _anything_ now – your cosy little conversations – '

She felt her temper flare up immediately, but surprisingly, even James Potter seemed angry now.

'Shut it, Sirius!' he snapped, 'Look, Evans, I – '

Lily didn't know why he reacted that way, and nor did she care. She marched up to him, feeling her face flushing in indignation. The younger students watched them, eyes wide, anticipating trouble. James Potter sat up straighter, looking at her warily, and she saw his hand inch towards his wand.

She gave a sarcastic laugh.

'Oh, I'm not here to hex you Potter, though it's no more than you deserve! I just want to give you_ this_!' and taking her own mirror out of her pocket, she lunged it straight at his face.

His reflexes, honed to perfection by Quidditch practise, stood him in good stead, for he caught the mirror before it smashed into his face. She saw his hazel eyes widen in surprise behind his round glasses, but she marched off towards the girls' dormitory, trying to ignore the sudden silence in the common-room as everyone's eyes followed her.

'Just what we needed for tonight's double detention, Evans, thanks!' she heard Sirius Black call after her, but she had reached the spiral staircase and broke into a run, climbing the steps two by two.

Reaching her bed, she threw herself down on her bed, blinking away angry tears. Putting her arms behind her head, she gazed up at the crimson canopy of her Four-poster, trying to understand why she was so upset. Potter and Black were always playing pranks on people, but this year it was escalating, and Severus had been a particular target for their snide remarks.

Apart from their attack on Severus, she regretted losing the mirror most. Besides its usefulness, it was the first birthday present she had received from Severus. He had bewitched the mirrors himself back in second year.

There had been two more Birthday presents after that, especially since he had started making some galleons from selling potions to other students, but they were never quite the same as that small second-hand mirror.

Not that his other two gifts were anything but well-thought out and useful. He would wrap them up roughly in brown paper, and let her find them on a desk with a mumbled 'I got something for you', while carefully avoiding her eyes.

He always gave her something magical, just as she always made sure to give him something with a distinctly muggle flavour. A book, some sweets, or a pair of gloves.

She sniffed and smiled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, as she remembered how embarrassed he got on those occasions, and how he pretended to be exasperated at her exuberance, but yet did nothing to stop her.

Taking a deep breath she sat up in bed. There would be other birthdays, they would find some other means of passing messages to each other. Potter and Black could keep their two-way mirrors, and much good may it bring them if they used them unwisely, as they were most likely to do! Perhaps the proverbial seven years of bad luck would follow those idiots if they broke one of the mirrors one day.


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter 92: Knights of the Walpurgis.**

Severus glanced down at the small note in his hand. It was written in a bold hand with blue ink. It was only one sentence and bore no signature, but Severus would recognise that handwriting among a million others. It was Lily's.

'_Only if we use a Disillusionment charm!_' the small note said. There was something vaguely menacing in the dark splodges of the exclamation marks.

Severus smirked. He knew she would give in. It was now April, and there was another Hogsmeade visit tomorrow, Saturday. She had slipped him the note in the corridor as they crossed each other's path on their way to different lessons that afternoon.

He glanced up at the cupboards in the dungeon hideout. He was now desperately low on ingredients and had planned to go to Hogsmeade anyway – after all, the village would be crawling with Aurors, but Lily had disapproved. There had been two separate incidents of muggle-baiting in villages down south along the Scottish border. The _Daily Prophet_ had reported that Teams of obliviators had been dispatched to those villages.

The _Prophet_ had got it all wrong of course. Or it was deliberately withholding the truth. Rabastan Lestrange had told him it was a battle between two giants and group of wizards sworn to kill the dark Lord. Rabastan had reformed their old group, though they did not meet with the previous frequency, given that Lestrange had his OWLs coming up. But he had reassured them that the Giants were on the Dark Lord's side, for his brother Rodolphus had been directly involved in bringing them over to England.

Be that as it may, Lily had argued against him going to Hogsmeade, and in the end he said it was either that, or the Forbidden Forest. After all, if those sinister wizards hadn't given up and were still after him, they would be focussing on Hogsmeade, where all the students were concentrated, not the forest.

He knew that Lily was actually more tired of the confines of the Castle than he was. She craved the company of her friends, and the lively hustle and bustle of the _Three Broomsticks_ more than he did, but the Forbidden forest was definitely a change of scene, and she could never resist it.

He carefully folded away Lily's note and tapped his wand against one of the dark grey stones behind the store cupboard. It darkened slightly, and then moved outwards. He pulled it out to reveal a small secret compartment he had created there which held his great-Grandfather's book, some phials containing potions he would rather not have Lily find out about, and a small battered box. This he opened, and, curled up inside, like a dark red ribbon, was Lily's lock of hair. After a moment's hesitation, he stuffed her small folded note in the box. There were a few other similar slips of paper in there too.

For he had never got around to preparing the invisible ink. He had placed the lock of Lily's hair reverently in the box the day she gave it to him. There was much, much, more than invisible ink one could prepare from a strand of hair, but that was not the purpose for which he put it in the box. Actually, he did not really know why he was putting it in the box, burying it away with the rest of his treasures.

Like he had done in Spinner's End, he had even stashed away her small notes. The recent ones were not even signed, possibly to avoid any comments should they fall into the wrong hands.

Seeing that he wasn't coming up with any special ink, she had just resorted to common parchment and quill when she needed to let him know something, and for some reason could not speak freely. It was nothing like the two-way mirror, but within limits, messages _did_ get across.

He tapped the dark grey stone with his wand again and it slid back into place with a grating sound, so that there was nothing more remarkable to see than a stretch of damp, grey wall.

He frowned at it, lost in thoughts. He felt slightly guilty about taking Lily to the Forbidden Forest, but he knew she had been in there a few times recently with the Gamekeeper she had befriended. There shouldn't be any problems, and he really needed to replenish his store.

'Not like that, Lily! You're not focussing! You must think of a happy memory! It can't be _that _difficult for you!' Severus said, as he watched a barely visible, wispy mist appearing out of nowhere about two yards ahead.

It was very small, and dissipated almost immediately. Apart from the fact that it glowed feebly, there was nothing too different between it and the mist surrounding the wide forest clearing in which they stood.

'How can I think about happy memories? I keep seeing those blind-white Thestral eyes in front of me! You know what that means!' said Lily's voice, from where the glowing mist had disappeared.

'It's just superstition! They're only animals! And pretty useful ones at that, too. I'd 've thought Hagrid taught you that.'

He heard a sound of disgust and saw a slight distortion of the air where she was standing. At her insistence, they were both under a Disillusionment Charm and it was awkward not knowing even their relative positions. But she had insisted, and consequently when they walked right into a herd of Thestrals, one of the beasts, spooked at their smell, but not quite seeing them, had almost collided with her, ghostly white eyes even ghostlier at close range.

Lily didn't like them. Perhaps because she saw them as silent, invisible, killers when they had accidently came across them hunting rabbits back during their first excursion to the forest in second-year; perhaps because they posed a danger to her beloved deer; or perhaps because she had first started seeing them after witnessing the suicide last summer.

Whatever the case, she wasn't making much progress.

'Look, perhaps you're not doing the right wand movement. It should be a sweeping- '

'Well, I can't see you, can I?' she replied in a peeved voice.

'It was _your_ idea to practise the Patronus Charm!'

'Well, we're out in the open here – it could come in handy if we're attacked! Besides, you've got your bagful of ingredients, and there's still time before it gets dark!'

'Nothing is going to attack us here, Lily, except some of those monsters Hagrid calls friends! Anyway, couldn't we have done this back at the castle, in the dungeons?'

'We should've done it ages ago, but what with sinister knights, and excursions down Salazar Slytherin's chambers, I sort of forgot about it until today! Now I want to get on with it.'

Severus heard the swishing sound of a wand, and:

'_Expecto Patronum! Expecto_ - ! Damn!'

The glowing misty light appeared again, but this time disappeared almost immediately.

'How on earth did you cast a Patronus last summer, Sev? This is advanced magic!'

'It wasn't a corporeal Patronus, but certainly better than that stuff you're producing. Let me show you the wand movement at least, while you concentrate on finding a happy memory.'

He moved towards the sound of her voice, trying to focus on the slight distortion her body produced. Obviously, being under a Disillusionment Charm himself, he found it doubly difficult, and when he smelt the faint meadow-sweet smell of her, and felt the slight warmth of her body, he had already come too close, and he bumped right into her.

'S – Sorry,' he said, moving a step backwards 'Where's your wand arm?'

He felt her move back against him, figuring out his position by a light touch of her hands along his arms and chest. Turning her back to him, her body lightly brushing against his, she placed her wand arm over his right hand.

The sensation of being invisible, of relying only on the sense of touch was very odd, and yet very exciting. It sent his imagination into overdrive, and he felt his head spin. He tried to suppress a sharp intake of breath as she took her position. If he didn't step away from her soon, she might realise exactly why being this close wasn't a good idea.

But she seemed uneasy too, for she suddenly snatched her wand off his hand and he felt her twisting away.

'Wait! R-remember what happens when we cast a combined spell? Things get a bit wild,' she said, her voice a little shaky, 'So don't say the incantation, just show me the wand movement!'

'I'll do that,' he said stepping a few paces back gratefully, and before Lily could take up her position once more, he took his own wand, and, holding it above his own head muttered:

'_Praestigii retextus'_

A dribbling, warm feeling came from his wand, and he knew he was becoming visible again as the Disillusionment charm was reversed.

He couldn't see Lily, but he heard her shriek of dismay.

'Severus, don't –!'

'It's patently ridiculous to stay under a Disillusionment Charm while we're doing our best to cast Patronusses as bright as exploding stars, don't you think? This way at least, you can see what I'm doing. Right. Now for the wand movements –'

'But –!'

'This way, look.'

He ignored her and demonstrated the wand movements, hoping to take his mind off what had just happened, and his own obviously flushed face.

'Well, are you going to try it, or - ?'

He heard her give an exasperated huff.

'Severus Snape, I'm going to kill you if you get into trouble for this!' and with that eloquent remark, he heard her repeat the incantation for reversing the Disillusionment Charm.

He noticed that she looked slightly flustered herself as she came slowly into view, but her voice was firm as she told him to observe whether she performed the charm well.

'_Expecto patronum_!' she said, mimicking his wand movements perfectly.

This time, the light that emanate from her wand was silver-bright and strong. It hovered in front of her for a few seconds and seemed to dispel the mist around them, for they could see the trees at the edge of the clearing.

Lily gave a small triumphant yell, forgetting all her previous caution. Either she had got the wand movements right this time, or she had found a happier memory. He was about to congratulate her, when she held up a warning hand.

He followed her gaze, and there at the edge of the trees of the clearing stood a doe. He knew without shadow of doubt (though he couldn't say how he was so sure) that this was _the_ doe. The one that had led them to safety when they had got lost during their first trip to the forest; the one that had subsequently, in third year, befriended Lily, so that it always came when she was in the forest.

She had insisted, back then, that the deer had an aura - a golden one. Something about being the Spirit of the Forest, she had said, but he had never seen it before, nor had he believed her, either.

But now, as the Deer made its way purposely towards them, he could see what Lily meant. There was a faint glow about the deer's body that he could not attribute to the sun, for the mist still surrounded them in patches. It was not golden, as Lily had said, but faint and shimmering between white and gray. It was as if the deer had somehow brought part of the mist away with it, only it was brighter and darker at the same time.

He glanced at Lily, about to ask her what it meant, when he saw from the expression of her face that she was worried.

'Something's wrong!' she said frowning, her eyes on the Doe 'Something's terribly wrong!'

The small deer picked its way with delicate footsteps straight towards them, then stopped a few yards away, gazing at them with its beautiful, large eyes that somehow, for a reason Severus couldn't fathom, seemed sad.

'She's come to warn us!' Lily's voice was suddenly tense, fearful, 'Sev, she's frightened!'

'It's not behaving like a frightened animal, though! There's something strange about -'

Just then, the doe turned her delicate head in the direction of the line of trees, and her grey-white aura became more distinct.

'There's someone or something beyond the – ' Lily's voice had a definite note of panic.

'And we're out in the bloody open! Move!' and he pushed her towards the trees, but just then there was a flash of light and a shout of '_Expelliarmus!_' and Severus felt his wand being jerked out of his hand.

Lily shrieked, turned to see where the spell had come from, and the doe, glowing mistily white, fled.

'_Avada Kedavra!_' a harsh voice from the edge of the trees shouted, and there was a flash of green light, and the small deer dropped dead, the momentum making her roll over twice.

'Lily, no!' Severus shouted, as she gave a scream and ran to the deer's side.

Her wand was their only hope.

She seemed to realise that at that very second and pointed her wand at the line of trees, but it was already too late. A different voice from the one that had shouted the Killing Curse, cast a Disarming Spell at her, and Lily's wand flew out of her hand towards two black-cloaked wizards who had emerged from the forest.

They were too close. Severus knew it would be useless to run. They were unarmed, and besides, Lily was still kneeling down by the pathetic figure of the Doe, angry tears streaming down her face. The small deer, aura extinguished forever, looked nothing more special than a dead forest animal.

The two wizards approached. They were both very tall and wore hooded cloaks so that their faces were hidden. Heart thudding in his chest, and fearing the worst, Severus tried to see if there was the silver skull symbol on the left sleeves of their robes, but their black cloaks covered their robes. If his suspicions were confirmed, and these were the Knights of the Walpurgis who were after his book, then they were in big trouble.

But could they be Death Eaters instead? Rosier said they wore dark cloaks and masks.

He couldn't be sure.

'You bastards! Why d'you do that?'

He was startled out of his thoughts as Lily jumped up at their approach, hands balled into fists and eyes flashing with a green fire.

'Shh! Lily!' he placed a cautionary hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off.

He swore under his breath, when Lily was aroused like that, she never listened to reason. She didn't realise that it might just as well have been her lying there, instead of the deer.

The two wizards had stopped in front of them, their wands trained directly on them. Severus could feel their gaze upon them from beneath the dark hood. The taller of the two wizards gave a rough guffaw.

'D'you think we're going to let that beast go for help? D'you think ve don't know vat she is? I haf lived in this forest longer than you haf ever visited it, Missy. I know about the Forest Spirit. Rare, they are, but the least of our worries in this place, where monsters abound.'

'We also know who _you_ are.' The shorter of the two spoke for the first time, and he did not have the slight foreign accent of his taller companion. 'You are Lily Evans.'

As he spoke he raised his left hand, in which he held Lily's wand, and Severus bit off an exclamation.

There, on his left sleeve, was the silver embroidered symbol of a skull.

True, it was rather faded and frayed, as though the wearer had been living rough, but it was what he had seen on his Great-Grandfather's own robes in Madeira's memory. They were the two knights of the Walpurgis! Severus' mind raced, as guilt settled in his chest like molten lead. He had led Lily into a trap! And how did they know about her?

'So you know my name! So what!' Lily retorted defiantly, her eyes on her own wand, wishing doubtless, that she could have it back so she could hex them to a million pieces.

'Ah, but your name is not the only thing we know about you,' the shorter of the wizards continued, 'We have long waited to see you out of the Castle, for we had a fair idea your boyfriend would not be far away'.

Severus cringed as he remembered how these two had found Lily's notes and other mementos when they ransacked his house in Spinner's End. The weight of guilt pressed down even more. He had to do something to get them out of this predicament, but what?

'We expected you at Hogsmeade, really, so it was pure, simple, unadulterated luck that we came across you here this afternoon,' he continued, 'We saw a light and decided to investigate, and – voila!'

'Enough talk! It is _you_ young Master Snape, that ve vant to talk to!' Unknown to them, a third cloaked and hooded figure had walked up to them. He was much shorter, stooped with age, and his voice old and his accent, harsh.

The two younger wizards made way for him differentially. And he hobbled forward, gazing out of the dark recess of his hood at Severus.

'Hmm, remarkable. The old blood-likeness runs strong in this one,' he said after a minute, but then his hood twisted towards the two taller wizards, ' But vot are you doink here in the open? Take them towards the forest! Do you vant to repeat the same mistakes they haf ?' he hissed in a harsh whisper, and before Severus could move, the taller wizard of the two had grabbed him by the arm and his wand was at his temple.

'Move!' he said, curtly.

Judging by the muffled expletives coming from behind him, Lily was being forced to do the same.

They walked some distance into the forest, where the trees grew denser, and then he was roughly pushed against a tree. When he turned round, he found it was the shorter of the two wizards who was pointing his wand at him. In his other hand, he held Lily's wand. They were in a much smaller clearing now, for the trees grew dense and thick all around.

He glanced round to see where she was, and he found that the tallest wizard was holding her as she struggled futiley.

'Calm down or I vill stun you wiz your own vand!' he said angrily, pointing a dark ebony wand straight at her head. It was Severus's own wand actually, not Lily's, but to his relief, she stopped struggling and resorted to glaring angrily at her hooded captor. Severus did not want her stunned, if he ever could get them out of this predicament one in one piece.

'Now, then, Master Snape. You vill answer a few questions.' The old wizard came forward and his hooded face addressed him 'I request for you to be polite and properly respectful. Othervise, you and this young Lady will suffer our...displeasure.'

'_Respectful!_?' Severus felt his temper rising at the threat to Lily. He tried to keep it in check, but their hypocrisy was grating 'That attitude is earned in ways that you have chosen to ignore. You and your sons, Igor and Ivan, do not deserve the honour of wearing those robes!'

That earned him a whip-like lash across his chest from the old man, who had moved unexpectedly fast to cast the spell.

'Evidently, ve are not the only ones who have done some background research! It appears you know more than you let on –'

'I only know you are a disgrace to the brotherhood, to the Knights my Great-Grandfather set up!' Severus spat, still gasping for breath, 'You betrayed him and his cause –!'

This time the spell hit him so strongly it made him reel backwards against the tree. He gasped for breath, winded.

'Severus!'

Lily was struggling madly to escape. Her captor was finding it hard to hold her, and threatened her once more.

'Hold still, you stupid little girl, or you go the same way as the deer! Ve do not need you.'

'Ah, no, Ivan, ve might very surely need the girl,' the old wizard intervened, with a cruel smugness in his voice. 'Our young friend here does not really understand, as vell as his own Great-grandfather did, how precious life is. How very, very, precious it becomes when one is close to losing it. And I speak from experience. '

Severus glared at him. 'What d'you want to know?' he said quickly, 'I don't have the book, if that what you're after!'

'I suggest you tell us the truth,' the shorter wizard, Igor, said, and he held his wand up in Severus's face.

'He _is _telling you the truth, you bloody idiots!' Lily shouted suddenly 'The book you're after was stolen from Hogwarts, decades ago. We looked for it, but couldn't find it!'

'You're lying!' the old wizard hissed, hobbling over to Lily.

Severus tried to catch her eye. She mustn't give more information away! He had a half-formed idea to use it to bargain with it for their lives. But Lily didn't see him.

'No I'm not! We don't know where that stupid book is!' Lily stared back into the black hood defiantly.

The old wizard turned back to Severus.

'Vot is this she is saying?' he asked, menacingly.

'I told you already, you stupid old man,' Lily pressed on, despite his warning glance, 'That book was stolen by a certain Riddle. Tom Riddle. We don't have it!'

The effect of her words was electrical. The short wizard holding him prisoner almost dropped his wand, and the dark hoods turned towards each other in agitation.

'_No! It can't be!_' Ivan said in a harsh tone.

'_Not __Him__! That would mean_ –' Igor replied, his voice hushed in fear.

'_Hush, both of you! And act calmly, or they will suspect. They may still be lying after all. We have to get the truth out of them, before they are missed and a search party sent out. It would not do to let them live and tell tales ...'_

Severus heart missed a beat as his suspicions were confirmed. They did not intend to let them go out of the Forest alive once they got the information from them. Lily was looking blankly at her captors, but he was still wondering why they spoke as if he and Lily were not present, before it suddenly struck him that their captors were not speaking English but Russian! He had forgotten he understood the language. Madeira had taught him, and had not realised immediately when they switched.

'You, boy! What d'you mean 'you went looking for it'? You're inventing excuses!' Igor asked.

'No. I can prove it to you. This Tom Riddle left a Diary in the place where my Great-Grandfather's book was hidden. His Diary. He said he left it in fair exchange.'

'What d'you mean?'

'It's no ordinary Diary. It's got ... magical powers. Really potent ones. I will get it for you, if you let Lily go! Besides, it holds the clue as to where the book is –'

'Severus, no!' Lily had stopped struggling, but her voice was anguished.

The older wizard laughed cruelly. 'See what I have told you? She will come in useful if it comes to that, but first –'

'_Crucio_!' and he brought his wand round in a whip-like movement straight at Severus. He heard Lily scream, - or perhaps it was himself, - he did not know, for suddenly a thousand white, hot, stabbing wounds hit his body and his went mind numb; there was nothing but the pain, and nothing beyond the pain. It was worse than anything he had ever felt – every nerve ending in his body screamed in protest as he rolled on the ground, unable to get up. He couldn't take it anymore, but he was powerless to prevent it.

Suddenly it stopped.

In blessed relief, he drew in a shaky breath, smelling the earthy smell of the forest floor. He was still alive, - dead leaves and pine needles were in his hair and stuck to his sweaty face. As his eyes fluttered open, he could hear the screaming sobs again.

'Severus! Severus!'

It was Lily, and she was struggling madly once more in the hands of the tallest of the knights. She had knocked off his hood, and he recognised the chiselled, but now older features, of one of the wizards in Madeira's memories, Ivan.

He struggled to his feet before they silenced Lily up.

'You are lying!' their old father hissed in a sibilant whisper 'That is a taste of what vill happen if you do not say the truth! You are lying! Madeira saw it! She saw the books in your memory and recognised the handwriting as that of your Great-grandfather!'

He leaned back against the tree. His legs still felt weak. So it was them who were behind it all. He had guessed right. He should never have trusted Madeira! His eyes went past the old man and fell on Lily who was now looking at him, wide-eyed but silent, at her captor's side. He remembered that she had trusted him, too.

He did not want her to hear anymore, so he slipped easily into Russian:

'_She made a mistake. It is the wrong book she saw. That was an earlier work of Severus Prince that is worthless to your purpose. Your only hope is to allow Lily back to the Castle to get you –'_

'_And what do you know of our purposes? You're nothing but a boy!' _sneered the old wizard.

'_And you are nothing but an old man! And close enough to the Great Beyond to want to get your hands on the secrets within that book! The secrets of immortality!'_

There was a pregnant silence. Severus, still shaking and weak from the unforgiveable curse, braced himself for another bout of Crucio, but it never came.

Instead the old wizard moved towards Lily and pulled his hood down. He had a wizened, shrivelled old face and thin, white hair in long, wispy strands. Though his eyes were rheumy and sunken, they were cold and cunning, and his voice had lost none of the authoritarian tone Severus remembered hearing in Madeira's memories.

Lily, her face still shining with tears, involuntarily drew back as he got closer, the tip of his wand now firmly pointing at her head.

'I think ve vill do something else,' he said, switching back to English and looking straight at him with a twisted smile, 'You vill go back to the Castle and you vill get us the Diary – this Riddle's Diary - that holds the clue. Ve vill wait here for your return. I will make sure my sons keep your friend safe until then. Do not take longer than one hour, or they vill grow impatient with her. You vill then open this Diary and show us -'

'No ! No, Sev, don't do it! You promised!' Lily cried, moving forward and slipping out of Ivan's hands, 'Just go for help! Tell Dumbledore –!'

Ivan snatched her back again, swearing in Russian, and threw her roughly against a tree so that she gasped.

At that moment, there was a flash of light and a shout of '_Expelliarmus!_', and Ivan's wand flew out of his hand.

Severus whirled round to see who it was, and, standing behind a tree, wand pointed at the gaping Ivan, stood James Potter!


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter 93: The Silver Doe.**

Of course it was over in seconds.

Ivan was still holding Severus's wand in his left hand, so, quick as lightning, he shot a stunning spell at Potter who was still reaching out to catch Ivan's own flying wand. Another flash of red light came from the old man's wand, and both spells hit Potter at the same time, so that he fell limply over from behind the tree, and lay prostrate, moving no more.

Severus swore under his breath. James bloody _Potter_? What in Merlin's name was he doing here? And what did he think he was accomplishing, taking on three experienced wizards so brashly and so obviously without plan! Typical Gryffindor: act first, think later!

'You murderers! You twisted, disgusting, old -!' Lily was shouting.

'He is only stunned, you hussy!' the old man shouted furiously, 'Now get back against that tree or I vill tie you to it!'

'You murdered that old Goblin, Gartak, didn't you? Then the Doe. And now, you –'

'Ha! Gartak! Yes, he deserved what he got. He vos put up to it by that old witch. She thought bribing your friend there vould work, but it did not,' The old man grinned evilly, his hooded eyes almost disappearing in wrinkles.

'Let me tell you something, young lady,' Igor interrupted suddenly, 'Only Death Eaters may cast the Dark Mark, and it was over Gringott's when the Goblin got his comeuppance.'

'It was those cursed fiends who infested the Rosier place too, or ve vould have finished this business sooner!' growled Ivan, pressing Severus' black wand into Lily's neck, 'Now, get back against the tree and tell me who this boy is. Vhy is he here? Are there more students?'

Lily moved reluctantly back, her eyes still on Potter's limp body, and Severus cursed Potter fluently. If he was ever going to figure a way out of this, Lily would probably want to save that arse of a Potter too. That complicated an already bleak situation. He had to _think,_ but he still felt drained and weak, his body tingling with the after-effects of the Cruciatus.

'I don't know,' she was saying, shaking her head 'He shouldn't be here. He knows nothing about the book, or anything. I swear he doesn't.'

'Oh, but even if that is so, he may have overheard,' the old wizard replied,' Let's hear vot he has to say for himself: _Rennervate!_' and he pointed his wand at James Potter.

It was a few minutes before Potter could even stir, for he had been hit with two stunning spells. It was late afternoon now, and the thickening mist, combined with the dense canopy of trees, made the area they stood in already very dark.

Very dark and cold.

Potter shivered as he sat up on the forest floor, and looked around him in bewilderment for a second. Severus saw him gaze at Lily for a moment, who was being held prisoner by his own ebony wand, then he turned round and his eyes fell briefly on his. A look of disdain crossed his face. Probably Potter thought he was to blame for leading a fellow Gryffindor, and a girl, into this mess.

And damn his bloody soul he was right! Another wave of guilt passed over him, but he fought it back. At least Potter was on his feet again (though perhaps this was more of a hindrance than a help, had they to escape).

Potter made a sudden hasty movement to get up as his memory returned. But he froze as felt the old wizard's wand pressed into the back of his neck.

'No more hasty actions, young man,' he said in a deadly voice, 'Or you and your friends vill regret it. Who are you? Where are your friends, and vot did you overhear, exactly?'

'I'm Potter. James Potter. I'm here alone. I heard screaming and I came to see -'

'You're lying!' the old man spat furiously, and wand sparks flew from Potter and Ivan's wands, which he had picked up from near Potter's prostrate form before waking him.

Severus wondered with grimly whether Potter would be subjected to the Cruciatus curse too. Might be an eye-opener for him! He himself was still trying to control the shudders that shook his body every few minutes, and he knew it was only adrenaline which was keeping him on his feet. He felt drained, energy sapped out of him, and cold.

Very, very cold.

His breath fogged the air in front of him, and the tip of Igor's wand, which was pointing at him, swam in and out of view as his vision clouded over momentarily. The weight of his guilt and the hopelessness of their situation pressed down on him.

He was watching, with a blank mind, the wavering tip of Igor's wand in front of his face, when a niggling unease penetrated his dulled mind. Something was wrong. Drastically wrong.

His captor, Igor, seemed to have noticed too, for he heard a sharp intake of breath and a low expletive in Russian. He forced himself to focus.

All three wizards were looking through the trees, where the mist was thickest. Although their wands were still trained on their prisoners, their attention was now focussed on someone or something hidden in the mist. Perhaps now would be a good time to run for it. If only he did not feel so – so _- defeated_!

He glanced over at Lily. She was leaning backwards against the tree. In the encroaching darkness, he could only see her pale hands which she was holding over her face, her breath coming mistily between them. Then he looked down at Potter, who was still sitting on the forest floor between them. He was curled up onto himself, and looked sick.

Just then, Lily removed her hands from her face and their eyes met. In the last remaining vestiges of twilight, he saw her tearstained face move slightly. She was mouthing something, but he was shuddering again and darkness was clouding his mind. He needed to tell her to run for it – he had just realised what was happening.

So did their captors.

'Dementors!' the old wizard rasped, and there was real fear in his voice.

With a huge effort, Severus straightened up. If there was a chance of escaping, this was it. But as he looked towards Lily opposite, he saw it coming.

It seemed to swallow up the remaining light as it approached noiselessly, as tall as the trees themselves, and it was coming straight at him! He tried to galvanise his body into action but it would not obey – it felt just like an empty, worthless, husk that nobody would miss or care about, whether his soul was in it or not.

He did not even try to close his eyes. What was the point? He was unarmed, and guilty of dragging Lily into a situation she had clearly warned him about, so now, perhaps, if he kept the Dementor busy – '_busy!'_ - he gave a mental smirk at the word – she would be able to escape. There was no point in anything, anymore.

So he watched, detached and empty, at the scene unfolding before him. He kept his eyes on the approaching shrouded blackness as it loomed closer. It passed by Lily, opposite, but did not stop.

Of course not. It was coming for him.

Although he could see Potter's mouth stretched in a shout of horror as he scrambled backwards out of the Dementor's path; although he could see Lily mouthing his name and screaming; he could hear nothing else except the inhaled death-rattle sound from within the Dementor's hood. He had forgotten how final that sound was. Like the tolling of a bell.

It had almost reached him, and he could see its' dark, scabby, hands emerge from the ragged shrouds that encased it and reach out.

But it wasn't reaching out to him.

He felt Igor fall to his knees beside him, his wand held limply by his side, but before his dulled brain even had the chance of processing this information, his eyes caught a sudden movement behind the Dementor.

Lily had snatched his own ebony wand from the nerveless hand of her captor, Ivan. She brought it round in a huge arc above her head, and Severus's wand shone with a bright, white, light that drew everyone's eyes towards it.

'_Expecto Patronum_!' she shouted, her voice drowning out the death-rattle breath that was now only feet away from him.

The sight of Lily, his ebony wand dark in her pale hand; her determined, but still tear-stained face shining in the light of her magic, shocked life back into him, dispelling the pall of despair, and suddenly he could hear everything that was happening around him again. But before he could do anything, the light of Lily's spell became a blindingly fierce beacon that swirled around her and then coelesced into something that appeared made of solid light, if such a thing were possible.

Before his astonished eyes, the small doe that had come to them earlier on in the forest reappeared, only this time her body glowed moon-bright and ethereal. It took a small, delicate step towards him, and the Dementor stopped its advance. The Spirit of the Forest walked again, past Potter, who was still on the ground, astonished eyes fixed on the deer, and towards the Dementor, who fell back as the Doe's bright, inextinguishable light illuminated the small clearing, dispelling even the clinging mist.

With a strangled sound, the Dementor glided away and the small Doe reigned triumphant. She turned her delicate head towards him, her large eyes, almond-shaped like Lily's, turned momentarily on him, and a warm feeling washed over Severus.

It was familiar, yet unknown.

It was like a thousand sensations coming back where prior there were none, like a myriad colours, where before was a black void. He drew a ragged breath and watched, mesmerised, as the deer picked its delicate way back to Lily, who had a hand outstretched to greet it.

But not all were thus mesmerised.

The old wizard recovered first from the Dementor's effect. He whirled round and cast a stunning spell at Lily, who fell with a soft moan. The bright white light cast by the Patronus faded as the doe disappeared. Severus blinked, the bright shape of the doe still burnt into his retinas.

Suddenly, there was a roar of anger as Potter charged the old man. Ivan, who was wandless, but possessed enough brute strength to wrest Potter off bodily from his father, intervened. Igor had also recovered, but was distracted by the tumbling mass of bodies, so Severus took his chance and wrested Lily's wand from Igor's left hand.

Igor reacted immediately however, for, unlike Ivan, he was still in possession of his own wand, and this he brought round in a sweeping movement towards Severus, but before the spell hit him, there was a blinding flash of red light from somewhere in the middle of the clearing and it was quickly followed by another, sharper, flash of light, this time yellow and burning, that missed Igor by inches.

Two more angry, burning flashes of light crossed each other in the small clearing, coming from different directions. By their light, Severus could see that Igor had tripped and fallen over. He ran off towards the group of huddled bodies in the middle of the clearing. Lily was there somewhere.

'_It's an ambush!'_

Severus heard the old wizard cry in Russian. Suddenly there was a whistling sound and a bluish light emanated from the old wizards wand tip. He threw himself to the ground, but the spell rushed past him, an ever-expanding circle that swept through the trees and beyond. By its' faint light he had seen Lily still lying stunned some distance away, and Ivan appeared huddled over his father. Potter was lying once more on the ground, dramatically spread-eagled near the two Knights. He must have been stunned by the old wizard again.

'_Only two, but there may be more beyond'_

'_Father, you're hurt!' _

'_Never mind me, take care of those teenagers! If they escape –'_

'_We need to leave, - now!'_

'_I will not leave without that Snape! Now, do as I tell you!' _the old man shouted harshly at his sons.

Severus took careful aim with Lily's wand. They hadn't noticed him yet. There was only a faint moonlight to see by now. He was damned if he was going to let them touch Lily or himself again. He did not know who was attacking them right now, whether friend or foe, but he was going to use the distraction to get them out of this mess.

And distraction there was, for suddenly there was a loud crackling noise like a clap of thunder, and a huge tongue of flame swept above the clearing, lighting it up in a hellish red-orange light. The raging inferno set some of the branches above them ablaze and red-hot cinders rained down on them.

Silhouetted against the flames some distance away was a tall figure, cloaked and hooded, majestic. It approached the clearing, the red flames dancing brightly on its black cloak and Severus saw that there was a silvery-white mask covering the features beneath the hood. Another similarly-cloaked figure appeared, in the distance.

'Death Eaters!' Igor shouted, and there was no mistaking the panic in his voice.

'If _He_ is with them –' continued his brother.

The Death Eater's wand flashed upwards, and a blinding crack of red fire shot out, but Igor brought his own wand up and produced a Shield Charm. The red fire bounced off with a reverberating noise.

Severus tried to crawl near Lily – he had to get her out of there before a ricocheting spell hit her, but he was caught in the cross-fire as one of the brothers retaliated with a burst of green light from his wand.

There was a grunting sound of pain, and in the flash of light that followed he saw that the old wizard had been hit with something. His sons gathered round him and half-carried him beyond the clearing and behind the shelter of some thick tree trunks. He took the opportunity and stumbled towards Lily, casting a Shield charm above her prone figure as her robes were in imminent danger of catching fire from the falling debris, apart from the stray spells. He had never cast a stun-reversing spell yet, and perhaps now was not the time to try.

As an afterthought, he grudgingly cast a Shield Charm over Potter too.

That freed him to join in the fight, even though he was not so sure what the Death Eaters would do to him. They had probably seen him by now, for the burning branches above threw a dancing orange light onto the clearing. He turned towards where the Knights had disappeared, his wand held high, but there was no sign of them.

They had either gone to where they could Disapparate, or were seeking shelter deeper into the forest.

Although cheated out of a retaliation that was already heating his blood, he felt elated at their escape, but knew he had get Lily back on her feet and out of there first.

His elation was short-lived however, for the tall Death Eater approached with his wand pointing unwaveringly at him.

Severus stood up in front of Lily's prone figure, his wand held in the duelling position. He probably had no chance, but they'd escaped so far, and he'd be damned if he didn't at least try. With a beating heart, he waited for the Death Eater to come closer, his every nerve waiting to be triggered into action.

He was very tall, and there was something vaguely familiar in his swaggering walk. When he was only a few yards away, he could see, by the orange light of the fire, that underneath his hood, below the mask, his well-formed lips were curled in a confidant smile.

'Well, well, Severus – who would have thought we'd meet again?' he said, lowering his wand, 'And under such circumstances!'

'Who are you?' But even before the words were out of his mouth, he thought he'd recognised the well-bred, drawling tone.

'Come, now, you know me. What in Merlin's name are you doing in the Forbidden Forest? I thought you preferred lurking in the Dungeons.'

' _Lucius?_'

Although relieved, Severus still did not lower his wand, for he had seen the second Death Eater, who had kept a considerable distance away, approach.

The smug smile widened beneath the mask, and the tall Death Eater turned his head back at the soft sound of the second Death Eater's cloak, as it rustled over the dead leaves of the forest floor. Severus saw that the second figure was slighter in build, shorter, and walked with a distinct swaying movement. It was a witch, and as she came closer, he saw she wore no mask.

_'Narcissa!_'

This time he _did_ lower his wand, and he could not keep the surprise out of his voice. He would never have expected to find _her_ traipsing round the forest, attacking sinister wizards.

'Hello, Severus,'

Except for being a shade paler than usual, Narcissa smiled and spoke calmly as though she were passing the time of day in Slytherin Common Room. He realised he was still gaping at her and quickly shut his mouth. She moved on past him and started putting out the remaining fires with jets of water from her wand.

'She insisted on coming as back-up, despite my orders,' Lucius said, smiling fondly at her, 'I would never have forgiven you had something happened to her –'

'You hardly let me get anywhere near the action, Lucius!' she retorted calmly, 'Besides, you came because _I_ asked you to – '

'Look, how did you know I was here?' Severus interrupted trying to make sense of all this.

'We didn't.' Lucius answered, 'I planned to meet Narcissa here. Hogsmeade is crawling with Aurors and students, and as you can see, at the moment, I would rather avoid encountering any of them. It would waste a tedious amount of time, don't you think? I've got more important things to do now ...'

'I heard shouting, Severus,' interrupted Narcissa, softly, coming to stand close to Lucius. 'I recognised your voice, and that of the - of that girl. I heard those wizards speak in a foreign language. They were threatening you. They mentioned a Diary, wanted you to get it or something. I realised that you were in trouble and asked Lucius to help.'

'Quite adamant, she was,' Lucius said, putting one arm around her slender waist, 'But it so happens that it was a good thing she did, for the Brothers Karkaroff, and Karkaroff Senior in particular, have recently attracted the Dark Lord's attention, and he has charged those of us in his inner circle –' Severus could hardly miss the pride in his voice as he said this, ' – to ensure they are ... er... invited into his presence, should we have the fortune of encountering them. Unluckily, I wasn't able to question them, for they must have Disapparated by now, for we're close to the boundary of the castle grounds in this part of the forest, but – '

'The old one – he was hit with something, I don't think he managed to make it far enough through the Forest to dissapparate,' Severus interrupted, 'He didn't want to leave without –'

'Why didn't you say so?' Lucius cried 'I have to go and see. It'll be such an honour if I manage to... Narcissa, stay here! I won't be long.'

'Lucius, No! Not by yourself!'

'Don't worry, I have back-up. You saw that' and, his mouth set in a grim line, Lucius Malfoy set off purposefully in the direction of the trees.

Severus turned to Narcissa. He had half a mind to go with Lucius, but something about his parting words was vaguely menacing.

'When you say 'back-up', -?' he started.

'Oh, the Dementor. You must have seen it. It is after the Karkaroffs, too.'

'So it is under the Dark Lord's control?'

Narcissa gave a wry smile. 'Some are, some are not. This one? I think so, but the Karkaroffs have long been involved in shady business, and they - especially the youngest, Igor - are wanted by the Ministry too. So it could well be that this Dementor will cart them off to Azkaban before they are brought in front of the Dark Lord. Or it might subject them to the Dementor's kiss. Lucius has gone to prevent that creature from being overzealous, should it really find those wizards. It's a dangerous job...'

Narcissa glanced at the denser darkness between the tree trunks, and shivered involuntarily before continuing 'But he doesn't flinch. He has risked his life again and again. He has fought at the Dark Lord's side, Severus!'

He could only see her face as a pale outline beneath her hood, for there was only the moonlight and starlight to see by now, but there was no mistaking the pride, tampered by fear for his safety, that was in her voice. Narcissa deeply admired, as well as loved, her fiancé.

Severus briefly wondered what had wrought the change. Remembering back in past years, when Lucius Malfoy was still at Hogwarts, he had always been in awe of Narcissa's flawless good looks, but she had been coldly polite, even ignoring him. It was only last year, when rumours about his joining the Dark Lords ranks were flying about the Common Room, that her attitude started to change.

Besides, Severus had to admit, Lucius had cut quite a dashing figure in his dark cloak and mask as he strode to their rescue. No wonder Narcissa was impressed. He had always thought Malfoy was a bit of a conceited pretty-boy, who really had nothing to show for it except whatever his riches could buy, but tonight he had to admit Malfoy showed a skill with a wand and quick-thinking he would not have credited him with. Perhaps joining the Dark Lord's ranks meant he had had further training. Rabastan had spoken about an initiation after all...

'Lucius does not tell me everything - what he has to do,' Narcissa was saying, 'He says it is too dangerous. He didn't even want me to come tonight, but it's been such a long time - I needed to see him. Is that what you were doing here tonight? Meeting Evans? I only overheard your voice and hers. Where did that other Gryffindor boy come from? It's Potter, isn't it? The Quidditch Chaser?'

Severus nodded, glancing with distaste to where Potter still lay stunned, and dramatically spread-eagled, in the middle of the small clearing.

'He just dropped in out of the blue, waving his wand about like an idiot' he said, 'Of course, he got himself captured. I just hope he was alone.'

Narcissa frowned, but at that moment Lucius re-appeared, his face deathly pale beneath the mask.

'It's all right,' he said in response to her questioning look, 'The Dementor had already smelled them. Igor Karkaroff got away, but the other two did not. I – I just needed to –' he swallowed hard '- to give it directions, that's all. Merlin, but those creatures are _foul_!'

For the first time Severus saw Malfoy's confidence slip as a visible shudder shook his tall frame. There was a rustle of cloak over dead leaves and Narcissa moved forward and pulled Lucius into an embrace into which he gladly sank. Severus looked away.

He remembered how he had given up, all fight drained out of him when the Dementor had come close. At least Lucius Malfoy had faced the creature, despite his clear dislike of it and its effects. And Lily – Lily had saved them all! Her beautiful ethereal Patronus had driven the creature away like darkness flees before light! A Corporeal Patronus!

Last summer, when they had stumbled on the Dementors in the graveyard, Lily had fainted but he had resisted the effects of the Dementor much better. It had been the other way round now. Lily, despite her hatred of anything dark and sinister, had resisted its depressing effects, whereas he had been overridden with a hopeless sensation and could not lift a finger to help. He frowned and moved over to where Lily lay on her side on the forest floor, her outstretched hand still clutching his black ebony wand. He must not let it happen again!

With a flick of Lily's willow wand, he removed the Shield Charm he had placed over her and bent down to retrieve his own wand from her outstretched hand. He heard Lucius and Narcissa speak in whispers behind him.

He straightened up and removed the Shield charm from Potter's unconscious body, too.

'I'm not going to ask you what you were doing in the Forbidden Forest, Severus, especially in such company. Narcissa said she understands, and that is enough for me,' Lucius glanced at Lily's still body, the moonlight glinting on his pale mask, and a small smile curled his lip, 'Well, perhaps even I can see a glimmering of the reason why, but anyhow, that is not important right now. What I'd like to know is what the Brothers Karkaroff were after, Severus. Narcissa mentioned a book or Diary -?'

Narcissa nodded.

'Tom Riddle's Diary. You said it had special powers or something!' she confirmed.

'I just said that to get them off my back, Lucius' Severus said 'I don't really know what –'

'You know I will have to report back to Him, Severus. If you don't speak up, the Karkaroffs will.'

Severus heard the hidden threat and scowled.

'The Dark Lord is all-knowing,' Lucius continued, speaking earnestly, 'No-one can get away with lying to him! Even without the evidence of the Karkaroffs, he will know what happened tonight if he so wills it! He knows they were behind the attack on your home.'

'He did?'

'Of course. The Ministry blamed Death Eaters for it, but the Dark Lord has many sources of information. He knows exactly what happened, and the Karkaroffs know this. They are scared of us. Why d'you think they kept away from the Rosier estates?'

'They were after a book they thought I had,' Severus replied after a few minutes silence, 'Only they made a mistake. I never had it. It was stolen, apparently decades ago, by this Tom Riddle, who left his own Diary in its stead.'

'But this Diary holds a clue, right? A clue to the whereabouts of the original book'.

'The Diary is blank,' Severus replied, but Lucius did not appear to hear him.

'The book must contain some powerful spells if the Karkaroffs have been to so much trouble to get their hands on it,' Lucius persisted, 'Get me that Diary, Severus, I'm sure we could make it reveal its secrets, even if it _is_ blank!'

'I'm sure you could, Lucius, but I'm not giving it up.'

'The Dark Lord will know –' Lucius' voice was terse, his mouth set in a grim line, but Severus' mind was made up.

'Then by all means tell him!' he replied, 'If he's interested, then I will bring it to him myself!'

He saw Lucius and Narcissa exchange glances, but he was past caring now.

It was this bloody Riddle's fault he had been cheated out of what should have been his by right, and, despite having promised Lily he would not open it, he would be damned if gave up his only link to his Great-Grandfather's book without a fight. Besides, he was tired of hearing Rabastan, Rosier and even Avery speaking in reverential awe about the many times they glimpsed the Dark Lord when he visited their homes.

Unlike his friends, he had no influential father or family to whom He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could be invited to, so he had to make his own way about. He felt that he knew enough now about the Dark Lord's cause and his rebellion, and fully supported most of his views, but he still had many misgivings, and some very important, unanswered questions. So somehow, he felt that only by meeting the now- legendary wizard himself, could he determine his final allegiance.

'I will tell him about you, Severus, not just because of tonight,' Lucius was saying 'In fact, I have no doubt he already knows a lot, and I get the impression that he has been favourably impressed.'

'H- he has?' _That_ was news. He did not hear that description applied to him very often.

'_I_ have been very favourably impressed,' Lucius said, and he raised his hand and purposefully took off his mask, so that Severus could see his pale face in the moonlight, 'More than favourably impressed - I'm – I'm very grateful for what you did for Narcissa, Severus,' he continued quietly, as he pulled the slender witch towards him, wrapping one arm around her protectively. She sank into his embrace gladly.

'I hope tonight goes some way to paying our debt towards you,' Narcissa murmured, looking at him as she lay her head on Lucius' chest.

'I – I – It's okay, it was no trouble –' he stammered awkwardly,

'Just one thing, Severus,' Lucius interrupted, 'I want you to promise me that you won't tell anybody of our presence here tonight. Neither the Muggleborn, nor that other boy saw us, so you will not reveal who you saw.'

'I swear!' he said readily.

He had already decided not to say anything anyway.

'Er... good ... so, Narcissa, I think you'd better go back to Hogsmeade, it'll soon be past curfew, and as for you-'

Just then he winced in pain, clutching his left arm.

'Lucius?' Narcissa's voice brought him back, and he replaced his mask back on his pale face, speaking urgently:

'I have to go – they have arrived at the Manor, and I need to be there, to explain...' And with a hurried embrace, he replaced his mask, whirled round and set off at a run towards that place in the Forbidden Forest where the influence of the castle's protective barrier against unwanted apparition, stopped.

Narcissa hesitated one moment more, then she, too, turned round in a whirl of black cloak and silvery white hair, and disappeared into the darkness.

Severus turned to where Lily lay. Lucius had a point. It was probably close to curfew now, and most students would have returned from Hogsmeade. By the time they walked all the way back... Besides, it was cold and distant rumbling from the direction of the mountains announced a storm brewing.

He needed to get Lily up on her feet again. He couldn't wait till the effects of the spell wore off. Potter was still out cold – he had been hit by at least three stunners in a short span of time. Severus moved to where he lay and picked up his wand which lay on the forest floor near him. Then he pointed his wand at Potter – at least if he got the spell wrong, it would be Potter to suffer the consequences.

'_Rennervate_!' he said, mimicking what the Elder Karkaroff had done.

At first nothing happened, but after a while, Potter stirred and groaned. Then he sat up groggily and pushed his glasses, which sat askew across his nose, back in place. When he looked up, he found Severus's wand inches from his face.

He whirled round, searching the ground around him.

'Looking for this?' Severus asked holding up Potter's mahogany wand

'You give that back! That's my wand!' he snarled, but as soon as he tried to get up, he staggered. Obviously, the effects of the stunners had left him groggy. Or perhaps Severus hadn't reversed the spell properly.

'Fine one to talk about stolen property! Sit back down and tell me what you saw, Potter! Don't try anything funny or you'll have black veins growing out of your skin again! No-one's watching here, you know!' he said, viciously.

Potter glared back, slightly cock-eyed because of the proximity of Severus' wand-tip, but he did not move. Either biding his time, or else the memory of the curse he had cast on him back in first-year was still fresh in his mind.

Severus smirked. What a wonderful feeling to see that hated face glare at him helplessly. But there was still the question of how much he had seen...

'Tell you what I saw? I'll tell you what I saw, you slimy pile of dragon-dung! You were hobnobbing with Death Eaters! I only heard Evans, but that was enough for me. She was pleading with you – with _you _–' Potter choked, looking sick at the idea, 'that you promised you wouldn't, and she begged you to go to Dumbledore! And then that big Death Eater slammed her against a tree! What in Merlin's name have you lured Evans here for, you -!'

'Why don't you tell me what _you_ were doing here, instead? Where're the rest of your fan club?' Severus could feel his temper rising, and with a wand in his hand, and a helpless Potter at his feet, he knew the magic could run away with him.

'That's none of your bloody business, Snape!'

'Well, what me and Lily were doing alone here is none of your business either, Potter. I'll leave it to your imagination –'

He waited in satisfaction to see the effect of his words on Potter. The Gryffindor's face twisted with rage and disgust, and with a snarl he lunged himself at Severus, who, however, was waiting for such a reaction, so with a casual flick of his wand, he sent Potter flying back to the forest floor. Gryffindors could never tolerate anyone from Slytherin touching their precious Gryffindor Princesses, but Potter's reaction _did_ seem bit excessive. Perhaps he thought it retaliation for stealing his two-way mirror. The important thing was, however, that he had apparently heard and seen nothing much.

'Wait till McGonagall hears what you've been doing!' Potter spat.

Ah yes. That was what he had been afraid of.

'Would you really get yourself and Lily into so much trouble with your own Head of House? You'll have to admit you were prowling the Forest, too!'

'I don't give a – Wait a minute, where's Evans?'

'She was hit by a stunner, remember? She's still out cold,' Severus moved slightly so that Potter could see the still form of Lily on the ground behind him.

Potter scrambled to his feet and made as if to go over. Severus stepped hastily in between.

'Don't move, Potter. I'll take care of her!'

'Don't you dare touch her, you slimy Slytherin filth! After dragging her in front of those Death Eaters and the Dementor – Damn it, she saved your skin! She saved _all _of us, with that silver Doe! Whatever that spell was, it scared those wizards – even the Dementor!'

Well, that was one version of events Severus could live with. Potter had been stunned before Lucius and Narcissa attacked. Trust Potter to come up with a simple conclusion to suit himself! Well, good. That way he would not ask any questions.

'Yes, exactly. Now get lost, Potter!'

He meant it. He had no further use for him, and he needed to get Lily back now. He pointed his wand at him to emphasise his meaning.

'Not without Evans!'

'I said _I'll t_ake care of her!' he shouted, snapping suddenly. What was Potter thinking? That he'd leave Lily there?

'I can do it better than you,' he continued venomously 'Acting the hero, blundering about and bursting onto three armed wizards like a stupid moron! This is _real life_ Potter – not Quidditch!'

'Give me my wand!'

Severus looked hard at him, but a moment later threw the mahogany wand at him. Potter caught it in one fluid movement and whipped it round immediately to point at Severus.

'_Petrificus totalus!_' he shouted, but Severus had been waiting for it and conjured a Shield Charm so strong that Potter's hex rebounded right back at him, almost hitting him and causing him to stagger backwards.

'_Caput morsus!'_ Severus shouted, catching Potter off balance, and the flash of orange light lit up the small clearing.

James Potter clutched his head, as though to keep it from splitting, and groaned.

'For the last time, Potter, bugger off, or my next spell'll tear your head right off your neck!' Severus said, his voice trembling with rage. He could feel the thrill of magic tingling up and down his arm – a power crying to be unleashed, to slam into that hated face. A menacingly sharp yellow light emanated from his wand tip.

James Potter glared back. Somewhere at the back of his mind, something told him that James Potter was not going to back off, but his mind, his whole body, was seething with the uncast spell, and he didn't care, he would –

Suddenly a disembodied voice startled them both.

'Hey James! _James_!'

It was Sirius Black's voice, and it was coming out of Potter's pocket.

Not leaving his eyes for a second off Severus, James Potter fished around in his pocket and got the two-way mirror up before his face. Severus hatred reached a peak as he saw his own mirror in Potter's hand, and the sharp yellow light at his wand tip crackled and burned.

'Sirius, listen -!' Potter said, his voice anxious.

'They're getting Moony out now, mate! You've got to hurry or it'll be too late! We've never managed to transfigure-!''

'Hang on!' Potter interrupted hurriedly 'I'm coming!'

Though Severus couldn't make heads or tails of that conversation, Potter seemed to be very anxious to cut Sirius' words short. Apparently, he was not the only one with secrets to hide.

'You be back with Evans in half an hour, Snape or I'll have the whole castle after you!'

'Shove off, Potter. Unlike you, I know what I'm doing!'

And with a last belligerent look, Potter took off towards the trees and was swallowed up by the darkness.

Silence fell, and the angry glow from his wand faded away. It was a benign night silence however: Severus' adrenaline-heightened senses heard owls hooting in the distance, the high-pitched twittering of bats, and the scurrying of small forest animals on the pine needles and dead leaves littering the forest floor.

He realised he was still holding Lily's wand, as well as his own. He turned to the dark figure of Lily lying still in the moonlight, sighed, and knelt down beside her.


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter 94: Back to the Castle. **

She lay on her side, unconscious, dark red hair covering her face.

The moonlight was swiftly fading away in the darkness of the gathering clouds, so that even though he was kneeling down by her side, all Severus could see was a sliver of pale skin where her neck was exposed, and one outstretched arm.

The sleeve of her school robes had ridden up so that her arm lay white and bare against the forest floor, her head resting upon it. The hand was still curled, for it had recently clutched Severus's wand.

With it she had cast the beautiful, ethereal creature that had saved him from the Dementor's draining influence: a Doe. That image had been burnt in his mind forever.

He had never managed to cast a Corporeal Patronus.

Though last summer it had been Lily who fainted when they had stumbled upon a Dementor's birth, and he had saved them by casting the Patronus Charm, it had been different. A blindingly strong light that had served its purpose and deflected the oncoming Dementor, but it had not formed any recognisable creature.

It was _her_ he had been thinking of when he had cast that charm.

Severus placed his hand on Lily's shoulder and gently turned her round on her back. He gazed down at her pale face. She had immensely strong magic, he had always known that. Stronger than his, in some ways. And this certainly proved it: magic as strong as his own, yet different in unexpected ways.

Lily's chest rose and fell softly, and she appeared asleep. He wondered what happy memory had engendered such a strong Patronus. He smiled wryly, pushing away all thoughts that it could have anything to do with him – it must have been that deer the Karkaroffs killed. Lily had always liked the creature.

Her eyelids fluttered and she sighed softly, a sound that somehow sent a shiver of excitement through him.

'Sev,' she murmured.

A myriad thoughts flashed through his mind as Lily fell silent again. He tried to push them back, but they broke through his common-sense, making him feel feverish, hot and cold at the same time. She had called his name, and she was still unconscious. She would never remember...

He bent over her, and, as though it had a will of its own, his hand drew nearer to her face. He could see his hand, white and trembling in the faint starlight, and then his fingers were touching the pale skin of her face, caressing its soft, warm smoothness, tracing one long finger down the roundness of her cheek, feeling the dampness of the tears still there.

His heart was beating as never before, and he seemed unable to even draw a breath at the sheer audacity of what he was doing, but more because of an exquisitely painful sensation, a kind of fierce protectiveness - of wanting to shield her from harm. It grew with every second, surprising him with its intensity. Perhaps because she lay so helpless before him, he did not know. He rubbed his thumb along the bridge of her freckled nose, wiping away some black soot from the burnt branches above.

He touched her as freely as he knew he would never dare do when she was in full possession of her senses, but it was a bittersweet thought. It reminded him of the very real and pressing problem at hand, and, as though to underscore his thought, a heavy drop of rain fell onto Lily's cheek, then another on his hand, as it cupped her face.

With a sigh he took his wand and pointed it at Lily's head.

'_Rennervate,' _he whispered.

Lily's eyes fluttered open, and he could see bewilderment at first, as they tried to focus in the dark, but then they fixed on his and he saw them widen with understanding as her memories came flooding back. He was about to urge her to get up, when she did something that took him completely by surprise.

'Oh, Sev!' she breathed, and, sitting up, she threw her arms round his neck and hugged him fiercely, so that he almost toppled onto her with the unexpected weight. He remained stiff with shock for a second, but then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly - Merlin forgive him, so very tightly - as she shivered with the after-shock of her returning memories.

'Lily, it's time to move,' his voice sounded strangled, hoarse.

'It's very late, past curfew, now' There,that was better. His voice was steadier at least.

Her hands were icy cold around him, and the rain was starting to pour in earnest. He really had to get her out of the forest. Igor Karkaroff had got away, and if more of those Dementors were on the prowl...

She broke away, eyes glistening with tears.

'I thought you'd d- die, Severus. When that monstrous thing reached out for you –' she choked and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, then squinted at the surrounding darkness, 'But what happened? Where's Potter? And those wizards – where'd they go? Did they hurt him? Did they –?' her voice was rising in alarm.

'Look, there's no time for that now, we have to get out of here, _now_!' he stood up and offered her his hand, seeing she was still a bit shaky from laying on the ground so long.

She wordlessly put her hand in his, and he pulled her up, trying to ignore the way she was scrutinising him.

'What happened, Sev? I want to know,' she said in a tone that brooked no refusal, 'And why's your face so black and grimy? Was there a fire? I can smell burning–!'

'One of them must've thrown some sort of fire spell,' he lied, rubbing absent-mindedly at his face, 'It was pretty strong, and set some branches on fire. Here – grab hold of your wand. Now come on, I'll explain as we go.'

He set off quickly through the dark tree trunks, picking up pace as he saw Lily was steadier on her feet. It was completely dark now, even the faint starlight had disappeared behind the clouds, but he didn't dare light his wand. The thick canopy of trees broke up the falling rain, but the distant rumble of thunder proclaimed that it would probably get heavier as the storm caught up with them.

'Well?' she asked, panting slightly.

'Your Patronus – the Doe - it worked. The Dementor disappeared, and so did the wizards.'

There was silence for a while – nothing but the sound of rain on the leaves and the rustling sound of their footsteps.

'Just like that?'

Clearly she did not believe him.

'Well, there was a bit of a fight. Potter charged the old wizard and got himself stunned again, and in the confusion I managed to grab your wand from Igor's hand. A few spells flew about and one of them must have been stronger than anticipated, and set the trees on fire. But it was your Patronus that did it. I never saw anything so beautiful, Lily! How in Merlin's name you managed it is beyond me: you couldn't earlier.'

'Oh, I ... Well, I ... Listen, d'you think we're going in the right direction?'

Surprised at the abrupt change in conversation, he turned to look at her, but her face was a barely-visible, pale, round shape.

'I'm not sure any more,' he said 'I took my bearings earlier when I could still see the stars. Why don't you try the Four-point Charm? It's past curfew, but maybe if we hurry we could sneak in somehow – we can't use the Disillusionment Charm like we did this morning – everyone'd see the rain bouncing off us when we cross the lawn.'

'Perhaps we should've used the boat from the underground lake, like you said,' Lily replied, contritely, as she took her wand and balanced it on the palm of her hand.

It spun round as she cast the Four-point Charm and came to rest pointing slightly to the right of where they were going.

'Slightly off-course. Let's hope we haven't lost too much ground. Hogsmeade nights are always a bit more lax with so many students returning to the castle. If Potter hasn't spilt the beans –'

'What d'you mean? He's back at the castle already? If he was stunned, how come I didn't see him?'

'I reversed the stunning spell. He seemed eager to go to find his friends,' this wasn't exactly true, but mention of Potter had set his blood boiling again, 'Black called him on the Two-way mirror and he took off. I think they're up to some extra-curricular activities themselves.'

'Oh, right. Well they do call themselves the Marauders, after all,' Lily replied, frowning slightly, 'But the way he behaved, I thought – Well, it was rash but brave.'

_'What?_ You call that _brave_?' he spat, his voice harsh and rising above the pattering of the raindrops 'It was suicidal, and it could've ruined –!'

'Okay, okay, I said it was rash of him, but I thought he'd hang around. Perhaps he went to warn the other three, if they were all still in the Forest.'

'Hah! You're still determined to see him as some bloody hero, aren't you? Have you forgotten how he and his cronies-?'

'Look, Severus, will you stop for a minute about Potter? Merlin! Just forget it, okay? He's not important, right now!' Lily retorted, her voice rising angrily. 'Why don't you tell me instead what that wizard meant when he mentioned Madeira seeing the book in your memories? And you were speaking – you were speaking in a strange language! Now I remember, it sounded like –'

'Russian.'

'But you never told me you could speak Russian.'

'I couldn't - once. But now I do. I learnt. Told you last year I was studying languages!'

'Yes, but you sounded awfully confident and fluent. Like you've spoken it all your life, or something.'

'Just because you speak French like a schoolgirl...'

'I _am_ a schoolgirl! And you know what I mean! Besides, what does Madeira have to do with all this?

'She's embroiled in many things. She has many contacts –'

'But that old wizard said she saw the book in your memory, and it was her who sent Gartak to bribe you!'

'She's a Legilimens, Lily. You know that! I came across her in Hogsmeade last year, and she must've read my mind,' he said, through clenched teeth.

'But I never saw her, and we were always together in ...' her voice drifted into silence, and Severus knew she was coming to the conclusion he had wanted to prevent her from ever reaching.

He expected her to start berating him for keeping, yet again, things hidden from her, but she did not say anything and fell silent. He knew it hurt her to be kept in the dark, but the more she knew, the more dangerous it became.

Their adventure in the room behind the Ephemeral Door was more than enough to show him that, but this was even more serious. The Knights of the Walpurgis had discovered that she was more than a school friend when they ransacked his house and found his little keepsakes. Twinges of guilt prickled at the back of his mind. They knew her name, and earlier had fully intended to blackmail him, using her as guarantee. Even Madeira had suspected. He needed to keep Madeira and Lily Evans as far apart as possible, for, even knowing how Lily completely disapproved of anything to do with the witch, she might decide to try and save him from the perceived evil influence of the old witch, just as she had done the night they found Riddle's diary. Little did she know it was too late for that now.

At least after tonight, he could rest easier with two of the Knights in Malfoy's custody (though he was not sure whether the Dark Lord himself wanted his great-grandfather's book: they _did_ kill the old goblin after all) but Igor Karkaroff was still on the run, and Madeira – well, Merlin only knew what that old witch could get up to!

So he hardened his heart and ignored Lily's resentful silence. He had led her into enough trouble already!

They walked in silence for a while until the trees started getting sparser, and Severus knew they were getting closer to the castle. They slowed down as a tiny light flickered in the distance.

'It's Hagrid's cabin!' Lily said, seeing him stop and hesitate, 'It's ok, he won't give us away'

'Are you sure?'

'He's my friend. I've been to the forest with him many times. He'll understand.'

'Don't tell him, or anyone, about the Knights of the Walpurgis! They'll just want to know why they were after me'

'But Potter knows – he saw everything!'

'Not everything. He thinks they were Death Eaters, and that Dementor was on their trail. Besides, he might've kept his mouth shut so's not to give himself and his friends away'

'I should at least warn him about the Dementor though. I can't let Hagrid risk coming across that monstrosity!'

Severus nodded. They had come out of the forest now and as Lily had said, the tiny light came from Hagrid's cabin window. Smoke curled from the chimney for evidently, the Gamekeeper was at home. They hurried towards the cabin, for the rain was heavy out in the open. Lily drew ahead of him, probably eager to get out of the rain, but as they crossed the pumpkin patch behind the cabin Severus noticed another sliver of light. It was coming from the distant Hogwarts castle. The huge front doors had opened so that a crack of light appeared along its length, and two people were silhouetted against the light.

Lily, who was running ahead towards the cabin door, noticed nothing.

'Lily, you go ahead and warn Hagrid. I'll go up ahead and see if the castle doors are open. I'll meet you there or inside, if I manage to open them.'

Lily, who had the hood of her cloak over her head against the driving rain, opened her mouth but her voice was drowned by a clap of thunder. He turned and left her to it, hoping she would not follow, for he thought he had recognised the tall, pointed hat of McGonagall silhouetted against the crack of light of the castle door. The figure behind her was a student, and Severus was ready to bet anything that it was Potter.

He strode grimly across the castle lawns, his cloak sticking to his body as it got drenched. They had just come round the back of Hagrid's cabin, out of view despite the revealing flash of lightning.

Another bright, forked lightning _did_ reveal him climbing up the lawns, though. It also confirmed his suspicions, for McGonagall and Potter were coming down towards him. Seeing him, Potter overtook McGonagall and came running up. Severus clutched his wand tighter.

What'd you do with her you filthy scumbag?' Potter snarled as he reached him

'She's in the Gamekeeper's hut, you bloody twerp! Couldn't you have kept your mouth shut? Why did you have to give _her_ away, too! She's a Gryffindor, isn't she?' he hissed at him.

'I didn't mention any names, Snivillus, except _yours_! You - ' Potter said something else which was lost in a clap of thunder. It was just as well, for McGonagall came up just then, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

'Mr Snape! What in Merlin's name have you been up to? Mr Potter said he saw you and another student in the Forbidden Forest – '

' Er.. I think I must have made a mistake there. The witch wasn't wearing school robes, and I think she was ... er... older than school age.' Potter interjected.

He looked at Severus hard as he said this, as if to say: '_it had better be worth the lie!'_ but McGonogall turned to Severus and fixed him with a gimlet look.

'I was out in the forest and accidently set fire to some trees' he lied.

McGonagall lips set in a narrow line.

'That much is obvious, Mr Snape. You're filthy with soot. But if Mr Potter is to be believed, you encountered Death Eaters and a Dementor in there!'

A rivulet of water streamed down from the brim of her hat.

'However, this is not the place and time. You are soaked to the skin! Inside, both of you!' and she ushered them towards the door.

Once inside, she turned round to face them once more:

'Mr Potter, are you sure you saw no other student out there?'

James Potter shook his head mutely, and McGonagall waved her wand at the huge Castle door so that the bolts slid into place.

'Mr Potter, I want to see you in my office now. Mr Snape –' she turned to look at him as he stood dripping near the door.

He ran the back of his hand against his brow, pushing his sodden hair out of his eyes. His hand came away black with sooty rainwater, and he realised he was still gripping his wand. He discreetly slipped his hand back under his cloak, thinking fast.

' – Mr Snape, ' she continued, ' You will go and wash all that grime off, and dry yourself. Then I want you to present yourself to your Head of House's office. I will inform him of this as soon as I have finished with Potter.'

'Yes, Professor,'

'And I suggest you have a plausible story to explain your whereabouts and the events Potter has described, for these are very serious accusations Mr Snape, and I am off to inform Headmaster Dumbledore himself. Potter, come with me!'

And with that vague threat, she made her way to the grand staircase, taking Potter with her. The Gryffindor boy turned round to glare at him from half-way up the stairs, but could do nothing except follow his Head of House upstairs.

Some Hufflepuff second-years had gathered round to watch the scene unfold, but Severus glared at them belligerently and took out his wand from beneath his cloak. He truly must look a sight, for they scuttled off quickly towards the entrance to their underground common-room near the kitchens.

Severus waited till they were out of sight, then he pointed his wand at the Castle doors and with a whispered incantation, watched the bolts slide open again.

Dinner was over, and most students were probably in the comfort of their common-rooms, but Severus waited in the shadow of a large suit of armour guarding the door to the Great Hall, until he saw the huge front doors open softly.

Lily crept inside. His Shield charm had kept the soot off her, but she was soaking wet. He had to warn her. He slid from behind the coat of armour.

'Severus! Did you get in alright then? Was the - ?'

'Listen! Potter told McGonagall he saw Death Eaters and Dementors, but he only mentioned my name. So get up to your common room right away, and don't let any teacher see you like that or they'll suspect!'

'But, Sev –!'

'And don't mention a word about the Knights! Let them believe they were Death Eaters. That's what they want to believe, anyway – they're painted black enough!' he added bitterly

'Those bloodthirsty wizards used an Unforgivable Curse on you, and you still insist on secrecy?'

'Those bloodthirsty wizards are dead or worse by now. I have reason to believe the Dementor was after them. After you were stunned, I – I think it followed them then.'

He saw her eyes widen as this information sunk in. A drop of rain from her sodden fringe rolled down the length of her face but she did not wipe it away. He could see the horror in her eyes and a flicker of compassion in their green depths for the hunted wizards. Merlin, did she realise that they had planned to kill them both?

No, of course she did not. They had been speaking in Russian.

'I still think we should tell Dumbledore,' she insisted.

'McGonagall is letting him know now. I can always spin a tale about being in the wrong place at the wrong time if they think they are Death Eaters, but any mention of the Knights and they'll start asking questions.'

'But what if they're still at large?'

' I'm fairly sure they are not. Look - I've already lost one of my Great-grandfather's books to that Tom Riddle. Don't let them find out about the first one, too. Promise me!'

He realised he was echoing her own words last January when he had come out with Riddle's strange Diary, and she had been so adamant he not open it. Perhaps she remembered, for after looking at him for a moment, she said:

'Cross my heart and hope to die,' she sighed and her large green eyes looked up at him reproachfully.

Just then they heard the sound of chattering voices from the adjacent great Hall.

'Go, _now_!' he hissed, and she ran off towards the grand staircase, while he turned towards the door that led to the Slytherin common room.


	95. Chapter 95

**Chapter 95: Telling Tales.**

Lily was an early riser. Even though it was a Sunday, when she would have usually lazed in bed, she got up, grabbed a spare robe from her trunk and slipped it over her head. The other girls were still sleeping, though she could hear Alice stirring fitfully in her bed.

Last night she had come in drenched to the bone, and had headed straight for the girl's bathroom to clean up and change. The other girls were used to her frequent excursions to Hagrid's hut, and did not suspect anything. True to her promise to Severus, she remained silent about their adventure in the Forbidden Forest. But she had lain awake for a long time listening to the storm and wondering what on earth Potter had told McGonagall. When she had sneaked in last night, Severus had sent her off so quickly she hadn't had time to think about it, but apparently, Potter had not mentioned any names. Not hers at least.

He had also tried to save them.

So this morning she needed to find out. She knew Severus was an early riser too, so perhaps she might find him before the rest of the school started to wake up. Without the two-way mirror she had no idea where he'd be. Possibly in the dungeon hideout until Library opened.

In the dim light of a dawning sun, she ran down the staircase to the Gryffindor common-room, not expecting to find anyone there, so it was with great surprise that she saw Potter sitting alone in one of the large squashy armchairs, facing the entrance to the Dormitories.

He leapt to his feet when he saw her.

'Evans! So you got in alright! Thalia Swanson said you did,' he paused, and then his voice hardened, 'Look - can you tell me what you were doing in the Forest with that viscid Snape? D'you realise he almost got you killed?'

Lily gaped at him. She had had half a mind to thank him for intervening, but his attitude to Severus, immediately concluding it had been all his fault, set her back up.

'Well, you didn't stick around to find out, did you?' she retorted.

She knew it was a low blow - he had come to their rescue in the first place, after all.

Potter's eyes narrowed. 'So that's what he told you, didn't he?' he said, his voice low with suppressed rage.

Lily had rarely seen James Potter so angry – his usual expression was always that of amusement (at other's peoples expense, usually) or of swaggering self-confidence and pride. It was slightly disconcerting.

'Why then, what happened?'

'He had my wand. He threatened me and told me get lost at wand point! I didn't want to leave you at his mercy –'

'His _mercy?_ Will you listen to yourself, Potter?'

'I heard you _begging _him, Evans! I heard you begging him not to do it. I'm not stupid – either he's forcing you to do something against your will, or – or –' he stammered to a halt as he saw her outraged expression.

'You don't understand _anything, _Potter! Severus is my best _friend_, and he would never -'

'Merlin's bollocks, Evans! Can't you see he's embroiled with Death Eaters? Everyone knows he dabbles in Dark magic! Didn't you see that Dementor?'

'Of course I saw that Dementor! It was my Patronus Charm that drove it away, wasn't it?'

'So that's what it was! I heard about them. Hey - that's pretty advanced magic!' Potter seemed to forget his initial bout of temper in admiration of Lily's spell.

'That's what me and Sev were practising before those wizards came upon us,' she answered tritely, 'And it was my probably _my_ fault they found us - I wasn't keeping my voice down, and the light must've attracted them.'

'Oh,' he looked slightly sheepish.

'That's all that happened, so enough of this 'embroiled' stuff, okay? After all, it was the Doe that saved your skin, Potter'

'Ah yes. That. Really beautiful creature you conjured there, Evans,' he put a hand on his head, rumpling his untidy hair, suddenly awkward, 'Uh... well, thanks for that. How d'you do it?'

Her mind jumped back to the Forest, to the tall, eerie figure of the Dementor as it reached out its scabby hands towards Severus and his guard. Igor had started shaking, dropped to his knees, but Severus – Severus had just stood there, pale and still, his deadened eyes fixed on the approaching horror. She knew in that split second what he intended to do. She had screamed his name and shouted, but it was no use. It was then that she had cast the Patronus, and, unlike her earlier attempts, she did not consciously choose any particular happy memory – it was rather that the memories came to her unbidden, and strangely enough, they were not what one could call 'happy' memories either - 'intense', perhaps, was a more appropriate description.

In those few seconds, as she gathered her strength to cast the spell, images flashed across her mind in quick succession, and feelings both foreign and familiar overcame her – memories of Sev's dark eyes flashing with a fire that both thrilled and frightened her, a hunched figure at the bottom of her bed at night seething with rage, pain and guilt; a scruffy child fervidly revealing the mysterious hidden world of magic to her beneath the trees near a slow-moving river; long bony hands clasped round hers as strange magic flowed back and forth through their wands; a fleeting look of shame followed by anger as she wiped away the blood from his face; the unwittingly -shared emotions when once Severus had woken up suddenly to find her looking at him; the sincere promise that he wouldn't forget his Muggle roots – something that connected them like the deer on the Muggle coat-of-arms.

The deer that had died to save them.

Her last image was that of the Doe's almond-shaped eyes that seemed to turn green like hers, as she cast the spell that produced the Patronus.

'Are you ok, Evans? You look ...flushed'

'I – oh,' she was startled out of her reverie by Potter's question. 'I – I'm all right. You – you have to think about a happy memory to cast that charm,' she said in answer to his original question.

Potter was still looking at her doubtfully. She felt herself get redder. It was Severus she had been thinking about - but those hardly qualified as happy memories.

Perhaps because she had cast the spell using Severus' own wand, rather than her own?

'Anyway, what where you doing in the forest yourself?' she asked, to cover her confusion 'Severus mentioned you were eager to join your friends...'

'We were practising spells, too,' he said with a smirk, 'Brushing up on our already considerable transfiguration skills. So next time you decide to wander through the Forest, you stick around us. We won't let any Death Eaters or Dementors come sniffing around, and we can protect you better than that–'

'I don't need protection, Potter! And Severus and I were just in the wrong place at the wrong time!'

'D'you expect me to believe that, Evans? Why in Merlin's name do you keep defending that scum? I may not know the whole story, and I don't know what he told _you_, but I bet you my Nimbus 1000 that he's lying!'

His words stung, for she knew there was some truth in what he was saying. There were many things she knew Severus was keeping from her, and after this particular jaunt in the forest, they were even more numerous than she had first suspected.

'I already told you, Potter,' she answered defiantly 'You don't know the half of it. Look, I appreciate you tried to rescue us – '

' _You _not Snape! He deserved –'

'_Nobody_ deserves being taken by a Dementor! Nobody!' she cried angrily 'Not even those wizards! Not even -!'

'Ok, ok, don't get your knickers in a twist! I told McGonagall about the Dementor. When she stopped shouting at me, she said the Ministry were being informed by Dumbledore. Can't have that horror lurking in the Forbidden Forest.'

'Was she very angry?'

'Blew her top. Worse, she sent me off to Dumbledore. '

He looked uncomfortable as he said this, gazing down at his feet and frowning.

'Detention?'

'Well, of course, Evans – I was just as out of bounds as you and that creepy Slytherin were. What'd you expect?'

'Oh'

In her anxiety to know what if the teachers had discovered more than Severus wanted, she had forgotten about punishment. And if he was in trouble, then Severus had probably also got a detention.

Potter was looking at her with an amused half-smile on his face.

'Why did you tell, then?' she couldn't help asking him, 'You got into trouble too. After all, all three of us got away. I guess I should thank you for not mentioning my name, but couldn't you have kept quiet about all of us? I told Hagrid - he would've covered up for us, and still let the teachers know about those wizards.'

'I was worried about you, Evans,' he replied, gazing at her intently.

There was no trace of a joke in his tone.

She blinked, unsure what to make of his sudden seriousness. It was unlike him. James Potter _laughed_ at danger – a daredevil attitude he and his Marauder friends loved to cultivate - whether on the Quidditch pitch or wherever else he and his friends wandered.

'Er...d'you know what happened to Severus?' she asked, finding his unwavering stare and solemn face rather disconcerting, 'Did he get detention too? Did Dumbledore call for him, too?'

Potter's expression hardened. 'Dumbledore left Hogwarts on urgent business as soon as he'd finished with me. As for Snape, I hope he gets the mother of all detentions! He bloody well deserves it! As I said, Evans: I was more worried because I had to leave you alone with him! At least you know how to handle Dementors with that Patronus, but it seems to me you can't stand up to that viscid Snake! I'm half-thinking he tried some dark mind magic on you! D'you know what they say about your so-called Slytherin friend - ?'

'Out of my way, Potter!' she snapped angrily 'I'm not going to stand here and listen to stupid gossip and blatant lies!'

And she pushed past him towards the Portrait hole.

'They say he practices dark magic down in the dungeons, Evans!' he shouted after her, 'They say nobody dares go look for him down there, they say – '

But Lily had climbed out of the Portrait hole and shut it rather hard behind her.

'_Will _you be careful? I can shut by myself, you know!' said an irritated voice behind her.

'Sorry,' Lily mumbled, as the Fat Lady sniffed indignantly in her portrait.

That Potter! Why couldn't he just leave Severus alone? His hatred for her friend seemed to be reaching new heights this year. Couldn't he just focus on his stupid Quidditch games like before, and let her and Severus be? She had enough to worry about, with the trouble that seemed to dog Severus' every footstep. Potter, with his easy-going, happy-go-lucky and privileged lifestyle had absolutely no idea what Severus had to face. Even _she_ had probably seen and heard only the tip of the iceberg, for Severus always shied away furiously from having to reveal anything about the difficulties he faced. Actually, she thought, with a slight tightening in her stomach, Severus had apparently revealed even less than she suspected, and not about his home life only: he had been in contact with that witch, Madeira, and though he had shrugged it off as a minor unfortunate incident, she was sure it was not.

She hurried on through the deserted corridors and took a short cut down to the Great Hall, but he wasn't there. The Library wasn't open yet. That meant he would either be still in Slytherin common-room or the Dungeons.

She made her way across the entrance hall towards the door that led to the dungeons. She was hurrying so fast that she collided straight into someone who was coming out of the door.

'Ouch!' she exclaimed, as something long and hard came into painful contact with her left temple.

It was a broomstick, held by a slender boy dressed in Slytherin green who had stepped back down the stairs in surprise. She didn't recognise him immediately in the gloomy interior beyond the door to the dungeons, but as he stepped back up, she recognised the dark hair and deep-set, grey eyes of Regulus Black.

'Sorry,' he started, blinking in the early morning light coming in through the door, 'I didn't see – '

He stopped and Lily saw his features harden as he recognised her. Without another word, he made to brush past her, but Lily put a hand on his arm stopping him.

'Wait!' she said, 'You're Regulus Black, aren't you? Sirius's brother?'

She snatched her hand away as he turned round and shot her a venomous look. She remembered that he and his brother were not always on the best of terms, and sometimes took their house loyalty to more ridiculous extremes than those students who were not related.

'I've got nothing to say to you,' he said coldly and turned to go, but Lily wasn't going to be brushed off that easily. Not after last night.

'Look, have you seen Severus? I wouldn't bother him, but this is important...'

She was finding this more difficult than she expected. Few Slytherins would expect a Gryffindor (and a Muggleborn, she added mentally) to come looking for them, unless a Teacher or Prefect requested it.

'Yes, I've seen Severus!' Regulus Black took a step closer to her, his eyes narrowed in anger, 'He spent an hour in Slughorn's office last night, and though he wouldn't say much, I know what happened, Evans! '

'What happened, Black?' she raised her chin defiantly even though her heart missed a beat at his words.

'A Hufflepuff second-year, whose cousin is in Slytherin, overheard Potter and Black yesterday night in the Entrance Hall, discussing how they'd not mention your name, so Severus'd get the blame for whatever it is you Gryffindors were up to in the Forbidden Forest.'

'And is _that_ what he told you? Well, he's got it all wrong –!'

'Did he, Evans? It seems to me the pretty Gryffindor princess, as usual, walks free, while Severus is blamed for everything, and is facing an enquiry as soon as Dumbledore returns from wherever he went off to! '

Regulus flushed as he said this. Probably because he had just realised he had called her 'pretty', but his eyes flashed with a self-righteous fire.

'I didn't know, okay?' Lily said, edgily, 'I wouldn't have let anyone – especially Severus, take the blame for anything that was my fault! But he went on ahead of me –'

'Of course he did. He said he'd seen McGonagall waiting for him at the castle doors!'

A brief flash of yesterday's stormy night came to her mind. She had thought it odd how eager he was that she go warn Hagrid. He had seen her head of house and thought to take the blame all on himself. She bit her lip guiltily.

'He didn't want to say much else – including what really happened. The Hufflepuff's cousin mentioned Death Eaters. Is it true?' Lily saw Regulus Black was trying to hide the eagerness in his voice, but it showed through anyway.

'Yes, we had a wild party with Death Eaters, and tea and crumpets! And then Dementors showed up, waving Azkaban colours –'

She didn't feel like being sarcastic, but his barely-disguised interest in the horrors that had kept her tossing and turning all night, got her back up. The slender boy scowled and turned to leave.

'Wait!' she said yet again.

'I'm late for my Quidditch practise, Evans – and I've nothing to say to you - or your kind!'

'You haven't told me if Severus is in Slytherin common-room,' she said, ignoring the jibe.

'No, he isn't! No-one _ever_ knows where Severus goes, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! I can't imagine why in Merlin's name he didn't tell Slughorn about you being in the Forbidden Forest! Bet you wouldn't last long in the Slug Club! Why he invited you in the first place is beyond me!'

'Damn the Slug Club! I've only been once, and it wasn't my idea to go, anyway! As for why Severus didn't give me away –' she said, and took a step closer to the younger boy, fixing him with a furious look: 'It's because he's my friend, my _best_ friend, and that's what best friends do. It is something that _you_, Regulus Black –' she dug her finger into his chest as she said this, so that he stepped backward, his gray eyes widening '– don't want to accept, and I know exactly why! But I don't care - you can like it or lump it: Severus is my friend, in spite of being in a different house, and even though I'm not one of your snooty, inbred, - !'

She wanted to stop. She wanted to bite her tongue and stop uttering the words she had sworn to herself to keep in check, but she was so goddamned tired of all the pussyfooting about their friendship, not making it so overt as to attract attention, keeping it low-key as though it were shameful! Let Black do of the information what he will! Her rage had spilled over.

'You can talk, Evans,' Regulus Black cut in coldly 'but _he's_ the one in trouble. Perhaps this is only a Gryffindor prank devised by Potter and his gang to discredit Severus in the eyes of his Head of House. I don't know how _you _fit into this, but if that's the case, I don't see you sticking your neck out for him! Why don't you tell McGonagall what really happened?'

'A _prank_? You think meeting Dementors in the middle of the Forbidden forest is a _prank_?' she hissed angrily 'But certainly I'll tell them what really happened! I'll go straight to Slughorn and explain it wasn't Severus alone! I was there too, after all!'

And she whirled round and marched off towards the grand staircase, her cheeks flaming red. She was almost at Slughorn's office door in the floors above when she started to think that perhaps she was being too impulsive, and Severus himself would not thank her for it.

She stopped in front of Slughorn door and drew a deep breath. She had let herself be rattled by Regulus Black. What a firebrand! He looked like a younger version of Sirius Black, but she felt he was as unlike him, somehow, as she was from Petunia. Well, they had been sorted into different houses after all.

Just then, there was a scraping sound of a metal bolt being drawn and the wooden door opened to reveal Slughorn standing there, dressed in a velvet suit and a rather surprised expression. She felt rather foolish standing there, inches away from his door.

'Miss Evans! I was just on my way to breakfast. I rose rather early, even though it's a Sunday, for I've had some very disturbing news. It concerns your friend, Severus. Did you come here because of that?'

He didn't wait for her to answer but moved aside 'Perhaps you'd better come in,'

And Lily, heart beating faster, brushed past him into the office.

XXX

XXX

It was almost an hour later that he showed her to the door. She admitted she had been out in the Forbidden Forest with Severus. Slughorn did not demonstrate any surprise, which made her think he suspected something. He then invited her to sit down on one of the many pouffes that littered his rooms and wanted to know what really happened and she recounted what she hoped tallied with Severus and Potter's version of events – that they had ventured into the Forbidden Forest and were set upon by three hooded wizards. Severus had offered to stay behind if they let Lily go but then a Dementor appeared and in the resulting confusion, spells were fired and they escaped.

Her heart was beating fast as she watched Slughorn's face anxiously, to see if he believed her. She was no bloody good at lying, especially on something as this complicated as this. She looked uncomfortably down at her shoes, frowning.

'Well, Ms Evans,' Slughorn voice broke through her musings 'Your story tallies with what Mr Potter told Professor McGonagall last night, except in some minor details. Both he and Mr Snape mentioned a witch – not a Hogwarts student, of course, they both insisted, - who produced the most enchanting Patronus they have ever seen, that chased the Dementor and saved everyone's lives!'

'I – what?'

Lily blanched. Then she realised that Slughorns eyes were crinkled up in a wide smile beneath his walrus moustache.

'You see, I was right about you, Ms Evans, and I'm so glad I invited you to my get-together, for you have the makings of a great witch, you know? The Patronus charm is advanced magic – and a _corporeal Patronus_! Who taught you how?'

'I – well, Severus taught me the basics, Sir. Then it just sort of ... happened.'

Slughorns smile widened even further, and he actually chuckled.

'Mr Snape was very careful not to mention your name, Ms Evans, _very_ careful. I would have expected it out of Mr Potter, who is also a Gryffindor, but I was amused to see Mr Snape so anxious to ensure all the blame fell on his head alone, and even more amused to see you so insistent on sharing it. It makes me wonder why you two went into the forest...'

'Oh no, Sir. It's not like that –' but Lily thought her reddening cheeks belied her words.

But Slughorn held up a placating hand.

'Don't worry. I am not about to ask you anything of the sort, Ms Evans,' he chuckled, 'I have lived through the Halcyon days of youth myself, and Merlin forbid that anyone is made to miss out on that! But, on the other hand, Ms Evans – ' Slughorn expression became serious and he leaned over Lily as she sat ridiculously close to the floor on her giant pouffe, 'You know I have no choice but to report this to your Head of House. She has her suspicions about your participation in this little adventure, so I think she will be lenient when she knows you've admitted. But more to the point, m'dear,' Slughorn paused, frowning, and there was no mistaking the sincerity of his voice, ' I do not want you wandering around the Forbidden Forest because it is dangerous – and these are dangerous times. You-Know-Who is stepping up his recruitment tactics, and his press gang strategies are – well, let's say alarming. A skilful, but very young witch like you in the Forest could only attract unwanted attention.'

'I'm sorry, Professor Slughorn. I won't wonder alone in the Forbidden Forest again,' she wondered if he noticed the loophole in her words.

'Good. Then, unpleasant business out of the way, would you care for some crystallised pineapple? And tell me what you thought of our last get-together – it was your first, wasn't it? But do not worry - there will be more.'

He settled himself in an overstuffed armchair and they spoke about the last Slug Club meeting, about which she had mixed feelings. Slughorn fawned on the rich and famous students, and she had expected most to be rather stuck-up, but some, like Sheila Sykes and Percival Lufkin seemed oblivious to their famous relatives, and were fun and down-to-earth people in themselves, so she had grudgingly laid down her prejudice that all rich, famous, purebloods were of necessity, unapproachable and vain, and started to enjoy herself. Severus had mainly stayed in the background at first, clearly uncomfortable in such surroundings. He became more at ease when one of the older students, who claimed direct descent from Arsenius Jiggers, (and was implying old Arsenius had vouchsafed him the secrets of rare potions), was reduced to stuttering silence when a few well-chosen questions put to him by Severus revealed that he was lucky to know how to stand a cauldron right way up. She and Severus had laughed about it afterwards.

Thus it was almost nine o'clock when Slughorn finally showed her out of his office, and the early morning spring sunlight flooded the corridor with a cheerfulness that was all the brighter after the storm the previous night.

She looked down the deserted corridor, wondering where to look for Severus next, and put her fingers into her mouth, licking off the dusty sweetness left there by the crystallized pineapple. Horace Slughorn certainly had a thing for those sweets! They had left her with a raging thirst, and she remembered she hadn't eaten anything yesterday.

Just then a shadow detached itself from behind one of the suits of armour standing just beyond the patches of bright sunlight at the end of the corridor.

It was Severus. She recognised his thin frame and his silent, wary walk. As he came closer she saw there was something a bit different about him – she realised his hair was silkily soft and swinging lightly away from his face as he strode towards her. It always did that when he washed it, so apparently, he had taken McGonagall's words to heart and washed off all signs of their forest adventure, for there was no trace of the soot and grime from yesterday, either.

She had taken her finger out of her mouth to greet him, but as he drew nearer, the thunderous expression on his face froze the welcoming words on her lips.

'What on earth did you have to go to Slughorn for, Lily?' he hissed.

'I didn't. I mean - I did. I mean – Look, he just opened the door and found me there. But how-?'

'I met Reg in the Great Hall and he told me. Yesterday, I even stooped to negotiating with that idiot Potter, so that you wouldn't have to be dragged into this, Lily! Why did you have to go –?'

'Black provoked me, okay?' she said, her temper flaring, 'Don't worry – I said nothing about your precious book, or those Knights –'

'_Shh!_'

'Don't you shush me, Severus! I've kept your secrets, even though you don't seem to trust me enough to tell me all that's been going on!' she put her hands on her hips, glaring at him, ' If _that's_ what you've been worried about, I haven't said a word!'

'That's not what I've been worried about. I knew you'd keep your promise,' he said, his expression becoming guarded, rather than angry.

'Then why don't you tell me what's going on?'

There it was. The question that had been burning in her mind all night. She fixed him with an unwavering stare. She knew she had once apologised for prying, telling him he was entitled to his secrets, but now it was getting too far. Their encounter in the Forest had been a reality check. It had brought home to her that this was actually what the danger was about.

She had never experienced it first-hand and now she knew it went beyond what she even suspected. But even as she thought that, she saw something close behind Severus' eyes. They became unreadable - it was something he was becoming even more proficient in since last year. He was putting his guard up, and he would not be telling her anything at all.

With an exasperated sound, she turned on her heel to march off, but he followed her and put out a hand to stop her.

'Lily – look, there's nothing going on. I just didn't want you to get a detention, okay? You've got a clean record, and Slughorn thinks you stand a good chance of becoming prefect next year.'

She stopped and looked at him in silence, her anger dissipating and leaving in its stead a strange mixture of disappointment and gratitude. He averted his eyes and fell silent too. Although she could not get rid of a foreboding feeling, she knew it was useless persisting. She just hoped that, as he had once implied, he was withholding the truth from her because it might get her into trouble rather than because he did not trust her.

'I don't care about becoming a prefect,' she sighed, finally, 'besides, Slughorn's not my Head of House'

'But he knows a hell of a lot about who'll make it and who won't. And he looks like he wouldn't be beyond tweaking circumstances with the other professors so they'll put in a word for you –'

'Sev, I don't want to be another of Slughorn framed trophies!' she said exasperatedly, but she knew he was saying that to try and placate her, so she tried to disguise the hurt in her voice as she continued, 'besides, you should thank your lucky stars I told Slughorn I'd been out there too, because apparently McGonagall suspected. '

'Did Potter -?'

'No, he said he didn't, and I believe him.'

'And why should you believe _him_?'

'Somehow I don't think he blabbed. He got detention too, you know. And even got sent to Dumbledore's office.'

'Dumbledore's office?'

'Yes! How about you?'

He shook his head, his hair bouncing silkily about his face. 'He's away. Perhaps when he comes back. Slughorn said my detention will be determined then, so...' he shrugged, but still looked preoccupied.

'D'you think they'll be hard on us?' she couldn't keep a note of apprehension from entering her voice.

'Well, that depends on what they find out. Perhaps Potter let on more than he knows when he went to Dumbledore's office.'

'What d'you mean?'

Severus scowled darkly, but his attention was attracted by a Ravenclaw girl with many beaded plaits who had just come around the corner.

'Never mind that, now,' he said, 'Let's get out of here. That's Xenia Lovegood, and I'll bet you anything she's on her way to Slughorn's to show him the latest of her crazy brother's potion inventions. She's already tried to convince me to drink it!'

Lily thought she'd seen Xenia's blue eyes widen in recognition, but Severus hustled her towards the stairs at a run.

'She _does_ idolise him, but I didn't know her brother's into potions, too' she panted, as they reached the stairs at a run.

'He's more into non-existent beasts, but recently claims he's discovered a potion that makes bald wizards' hair grow back permanently, and ... well... has other pleasing effects many wizards would appreciate'

'Like what?'

She asked the question innocently, so she was surprised to see him redden. She grinned. She didn't know exactly _what_ 'effects' he was talking about, of course, but she it sounded like it could be something embarrassing for Severus to explain. He had put his foot in it. That pleased her: she was getting some of her own back at him at least.

She smirked, and looked at him with an innocently expectant look on her face.

'I – I'm only guessing,' he stammered, squirming, 'I – I don't think Xenophilius really explained things well to his younger sister when he gave her that potion to peddle around'

'What 'things'?'

'She didn't quite say – but from the ingredients she said he put in – I mean – ' he was getting redder and more flustered, and Lily felt almost smug, and now, even a bit curious.

'Look – all you'll get from drinking that potion is one gargantuan headache, and some hallucinations! That potion has – well you wouldn't want to know what the ingredients are, but it's got Shrake spines, for Merlin's sake, Lily! I could smell them!' he regained some of his composure as he denigrated Lovegood's potion.

'Well, let's hope she doesn't tempt Slughorn to try and cure his bald patch... or otherwise benefit from its mysterious wizard-enhancing properties, shall we?'

She saw the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement, and her heart lightened. She determinedly pushed all thoughts of detentions, Dementors, and power-hungry wizards from her mind for now. She needed a break.

'C'mon Sev! Let's go and see if there's some breakfast left. Slughorn force-fed me those crystallised pineapples of his, till now I'm so thirsty I could drink a whole flagon of pumpkin juice!'

He did smile then, fully and unhesitatingly, and, although a shiny, silky curtain of black hair came down almost immediately to cover his face, it did her good to see he was still capable of it, for after a bout of Cruciatus and the encounter with the Dementor, she was afraid he'd forego that particular pleasure, already rare with him, forever.


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter 96: The Hog's Head Inn**

Severus crept along the damp, moss-covered wall towards the Hog's Head Inn, his walk silent and purposeful. In reality, however, he was very jittery, and was wondering if he was committing a really colossal mistake.

It was the end of April, and the lengthening days meant that the street lamps hadn't yet been lit. It had taken him a long time to get to Hogsmeade, for the only way he could sneak out of the castle now was through the underground lake and then by boat across it. He then had a long track along the road the Thestral-drawn carriages usually took, which passed along the lake and led to the Wizarding village.

In the deceptive half-light of twilight he could see the dull shapes of several hooded figures making their way down the gloomy side street towards the inn. The dim yellow light that made it through the Hog's Head's grimy windows announced that it was open for business.

Opposite the Inn, he saw the boarded-up bookshop where Madeira lived, and he wondered if she was still there. The place looked dark and ragged with neglect, and as he drew nearer, he noted the barest hint of an odour of decay: probably not enough to warrant investigation, especially in such an area, but enough for the discerning to keep clear of it. Madeira had disguised it well – setting about the rumour that an Inferius had once hidden there, befouling the place. Few knew what a cosy little retreat she had built for herself there.

If she was still around. During his disastrous last meeting she had been afraid, very afraid. Of what, he could not be sure, but possibly of ending up like Gartak.

The thought made him nervous, and Severus resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, for he needed to keep his cover when he entered the Hog's Head. He had put on an old pair of jeans and sweatshirt and then covered his Muggle clothing with a large, grey, hooded cloak that had lain unclaimed in Slytherin common-room for weeks. He mustn't be recognised as a Hogwarts student. He hoped his height was enough to allow him to pass as a qualified wizard - after all, not too many questions were asked at the Hog's Head.

He approached the Inn, placed his hand on the door and pushed, his heart beating faster, for he did not know what he would find. He was acting on a hunch – the previous Hogsmeade week-end, Pavo Parkinson had mentioned going to the Hog's Head hoping the Bartender would sell him Firewhisky. When he refused, Pavo had said he's tried to buy it off a drunk old wizard with a Russian accent. After questioning Pavo further, he was convinced that Parkinson had just described Igor Karkaroff, the only one of the three knights of the Walpurgis that had got away. Igor Karkaroff was the only one who spoke English without an accent, but perhaps, when drunk, he allowed his mother tongue to show through.

Parkinson also told him the drunken wizard threatened to hex him.

That had told Severus two things – that if it were truly Igor Karkaroff in there, then he was being extremely imprudent and careless to stay in Hogsmeade, (and moreover, in an inebriated state), and secondly, that he would probably be in the same place again the following day.

Severus crossed the threshold of the pub, glancing quickly around to see who might be watching, but there were only a handful of the Hog's Head's dubious patrons around, for it was still early. A witch and two wizards were at the bar, talking to the Bartender, who glanced up when Severus went in. A hag in a corner was eating something slimy and dark red, and an old Warlock in a shabby, hooded cloak sat gazing morosely out of the thick, grimy windows, a firewhisky clutched in his hand.

He had no clear plan, which in itself was dangerous. But if he could ensure that it was really Karkaroff, then he would alert Lucius Malfoy to his presence. Malfoy had written him a coded letter saying the elder Karkaroff and his other son, Ivan, were being held by the Dark Lord for questioning, and that they would bother him no more.

Severus hoped that if Igor joined them, he and Lily would be free of the threat they posed.

He walked to the back of the room where Pavo had described a small, dingy space with high-backed seats, not easily visible from the bar area, where he had encountered the drunk wizard.

Making sure his hood covered his face well, Severus peered round the high-backed seat and in the corner, slumped over the dirty table, was a wizard in black robes. A hood was pulled down over his face, but Severus knew without shade of doubt that it was Karkaroff, for the wizard's left hand was curled around an empty glass of Firewhisky, and Severus could see a faint silvery glint of a faded and stained skull embroidered on the black sleeve.

The wizard did not notice him, but from the slight swaying of his head and the slumped posture, Severus knew he was quite far gone, considering the evening was still young. His chest contracted as though something heavy had settled in it. He had seen his father often enough in just the same position. That thought sent his insides churning in disgust as he felt a cold rage take hold of him.

He felt like tearing off that silver symbol from the wizard's sleeve. How dare he destroy something so important, so revered by his Great-grandfather? How dare he show that ancient symbol in this filth of a place, befouling it in his drunken state? He had no right!

He gazed down his nose at the drunken man, whose head slipped even lower as he watched, and his keen sense of smell was overpowered by an oh-so-familiar sourness.

Severus backed away from the table and walked to the counter at the bar area. He knew what he had to do. He was familiar enough with what would be most appealing right now to the drunk wizard hidden behind the high-backed seat.

'A firewhisky' he told the Barman, with conviction.

The Barman, a thin fellow with straggly grey beard and surprisingly blue eyes, wordlessly thumped a thick glass tumbler on the counter and slopped in a generous measure.

Severus carefully carried it to the high-backed seat in the gloomiest corner of the Inn. Karkaroff hadn't moved, except to slump even lower. Severus knew the signs well. In a short while he would pass out, and then he wasn't sure whether he could get any sense out of him.

He slid in the high-backed seat beside him, firewhisky in one hand and wand in the other. Karkaroff was drunk almost to insensibility, but if he recognised him...

Karkaroff's head moved as he sat down, the deep hood turning towards him, and he pushed himself into a straighter position, but the movement elicited a low expletive in Russian and he clutched the table hard, knocking his tumbler over and sending it rolling away across the grimy surface.

Severus did not lift his eyes off Karkaroff, but, as he had suspected, the wizard was in no position to sit upright, let alone cast a spell.

'I'm sorry. I appear to have startled you and dropped your drink. Care to have this? I'll get another.' And Severus pushed his tumbler in front of the wizard.

Of course, after staring at it for a few seconds, Karkaroff drew the tumbler towards him, as Severus knew he would. He noted how the old man's hands shook as he reached out for the drink.

'Tough times, eh?' Severus said.

He wasn't really good at small talk. Slughorn's parties had made that more than clear. But finding the right thing to say to a drunk about to pass out was trickier. And he wanted to milk the last bit of information he could before turning the man over to Lucius. He would probably never have another opportunity as good as this was turning out to be.

He had him at his mercy.

'Bastards!' Karkaroff blurted out suddenly.

But Karkaroff wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the tumbler in his hand, already half-empty. Over by the counter a rather loud argument had started between the Hag, who was refusing to pay, and the Bartender.

'Aren't they, though?' Severus agreed, heartily, 'All of them!'

'They took them! Cursh their black – hic – shoulsh!' Karkaroff slurred 'They found them beyond the Volga, and... and... he's barely out of his teens! Too young to die! And ish all my fault – !'

The rest was lost in incomprehensible slurring, mingled with lugubrious sniffling. He raised his arm to wipe his eyes and his hood fell back a little bit. Then he raised his glass to his lips, and the hood fell back completely, as he lifted his head to drain the last drop.

Igor's face was pale with several days' growth of beard, his hair, prematurely white, was dirty and dishevelled. His bloodshot eyes were unfocussed.

Severus was mystified. He thought Karkaroff had been talking about his older brother and father, but neither of them were anywhere near to being described as 'barely out of his teens'. Besides, they had been taken right here in the Forbidden Forest, not the Volga. He decided to push his luck.

'Are you talking about Ivan?'

'No! Igor, my son! He's called after me! Wait a minute...!' Karkaroff was focussing with some difficulty on him now. The last of the Firewhisky had put some strength into him, and alarm bells were sounding in Severus' head 'Why're you asking about my son? Who're you?'

Karkaroff's bloodshot eyes were widening in alarm as he realised the significance of the question. Severus cursed. He didn't want to stun or petrify him, that'd attract attention, and besides, Karkaroff would get away before he could send an owl to Malfoy. He had to play for time, at least until Karkaroff passed out.

Then suddenly, he knew what he had to do. There was one spell that was not accompanied by loud bangs or flashing lights, one spell that would give him the information he needed, before Karkaroff was gone:

'_Legilimens_!' he hissed, pointing his wand straight at Karkaroff's face before the firewhisky-sodden wizard even had time to move.

_Images assaulted his mind like a film on fast forward._

_Three blond children that greatly resembled each other were playing in a garden, the bright sunshine glinting on their heads. The youngest, a boy of about 10, turned away from the older girls and addressed a sombrely- dressed wizard. Severus recognised a much younger Igor Karkaroff._

'_Dad, can't I go to Hogwarts instead? I don't want to leave England!'_

'_I have close contacts with the Headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor. Very close contacts. And fond memories. You will love the school as your second home. Your sisters will be there.'_

_The boy looked up at his father, looking unconvinced, and Severus tried to push the memory forward. _

_This was probably a memory of his hapless son, Igor Jr, and was uppermost in the wizards' mind. _

_He had never learnt how to call forth the memories he wanted. Memories to do with the Knights of the Walpurgis. Karkaroff would know about them. _

_Perhaps if he concentrated on the silver skull symbol..._

_And suddenly he saw it. The images rushing past his mind's eye slowed down, and he found himself in a tall, cathedral-like chamber which he recognised immediately. It was the ancestral home of Severus Prince where he had once seen Madeira's attempt to seduce his Great-Grandfather. The tall, stained glass windows were dark, for it was night, but it was not empty now._

_A large number of wizards stood in a circle around the room. They were dressed in black velvet robes, and on their left sleeve a bright silver skull glinted in the light of many torches. Severus's heart skipped a beat as he recognised the tall, silent figure of his Great- grandfather who stood on a low dais facing the circle of wizards. _

_If this was Karkaroff's memory, he had to be around. Severus spotted him exactly beside the low dais. He was accompanied by his father and brother, and they all looked much younger than when he had last seen them, but they all wore a grim expression. _

_In the middle of this circle stood a witch, head bent low, dark tresses falling forward to cover her face. This was Madeira, Severus was positive. Perhaps it was the memory of Madeira's initiation ceremony in the Knights of the Walpurgis. Piecing back the bits of memories he had seen in Madeira's own mind, he was quite sure his Great-grandfather had seen fit (or was coerced) into allowing it. _

_But something about Madeira's stance, the solemn looks on all the faces of the circle of wizards, the way a muscle in Severus Prince's jaw worked as he gazed upon the figure of the witch standing before him, his mouth set in a grim line, made him think that this could hardly be the joyful occasion Madeira had anticipated in her own memory._

'_You have been brought here on this day, the 3 rd of January 1934,' Severus Prince started, addressing the witch in the middle of the circle, 'to face the consequences of the serious accusations brought against you'_

_Her head snapped up at his words, and Severus saw that it was indeed Madeira, although a bit older than when he had seen her last. She was still beautiful, but the lines around her mouth and the dark circles around her eyes indicated that not only was she older, but she seemed to have been through some unpleasant times. She was about to speak, but Severus Prince raised his hand in warning._

'_Against my better judgement, you were initiated into the Knights of the Walpurgis almost eight years ago. There were many among you, even then, that viewed my decision with scepticism...' he looked round the silent circle of black-robed wizards, and Severus could see quite a few of them returned his gaze with stony looks, '... and they were right to do so. It was an error of judgement that I sincerely regret now, and one for which I would like to offer my apologies,' he continued, bowing his head slightly. _

_Some wizards in the circle nodded briefly, others remained unmoved. _

'_I had hoped,' he continued, ' that this witch who stands before you today, would forego her errant ways on being invited to join our illustrious brotherhood, and turn her considerable talent and knowledge to the furtherance of our cause...'_

_He fixed Madeira with an unwavering stare and there was no mistaking the barely suppressed rage in his tone when he spoke again:_

'_Instead, she has used her skills and knowledge to sow discord among our brotherhood, and even beyond, breaking up Wizarding families-'_

'_I forced no-one into anything they did not want to do, Grandmaster! They wanted what I had to offer,' Madeira spoke for the first time, her throaty voice trembling with bitterness, as she took a step towards, 'They __**pleaded **__for it !' she added with a sneer, and glanced at the Grandmaster's left-hand side, where the Karkaroffs stood._

'_You broke up my marriage! You ruined my life!' Igor Karkaroff shouted suddenly, his features twisted with hatred as he pointed an accusing finger at her._

'_You were only betrothed to that Russian floozy, Karkaroff!' she answered, with a vicious smile. _

_Igor Karkaroff was about to retort angrily, when the Grandmaster held up a black ebony wand and brought it down with a whiplash movement that produced a lightening-crash sound that reverberated around the large chamber._

'_Enough!' he ordered, 'We are not here today to go over what we have amply investigated and discovered these last months. You were shown the evidence of ill-doing, Madeira. You have ignored the purpose of this brotherhood, and turned your skills to lascivious pursuits and pointless intrigue. You have, over the years, used your arts to seduce and beguile many of the Knights standing here in this room, from the eldest to the youngest, and sown the seeds of discord among us. You will, on this day, be deprived of your privileges as a member of this brotherhood –'_

_She winced at his words, her expression changing from bitter defiance to apprehension - fear even. She ran to the dais, looking up at the gaunt face of the Grandmaster. _

'_Severus, please, you – you know why I – why I did it,' Her voice was low, pleading, aimed at the tall wizard towering above her, 'I can't help-'_

'_Silence!' the Grandmaster shouted angrily, his voice reverberating around the chamber 'You have betrayed the Knights of the Walpurgis, Madeira, by not abiding by the rules you solemnly swore to uphold on your initiation day. You are not worthy to carry the symbol of ancient magic!'_

_Grandmaster Prince's anger was terrible to behold. His dark eyes flashed with a black rage, and sparks flew from the tip of his ebony wand. At the back of his mind, Severus noted how similar it was to his own wand. Ollivander had told him, years ago, that ebony wands were common in the Prince family._

_Madeira, sensing it was futile, glanced swiftly around her, but was met with stony stares from the circle of wizards. She gasped and stepped backwards, the silver skull shimmering on her sleeve._

'_You have been the only witch allowed within this circle' the Grandmaster continued, speaking more calmly, 'And despite the obvious flaw in choice, I do not believe all witches are unworthy. Thus, to continue the trend I have started I am proposing that my youngest, Yseult, to take your place amongst us when she is of age, as will her elder sister, who is currently in her graduation year at Durmstrang.' _

_There was some muttering from the circle of wizards and some shifted uncomfortably. Apparently, this was a move they had not anticipated._

'_Yseult, unlike her sister,' the Grandmaster continued '... is here present today, and I have called upon her to join us today to witness the expulsion of her whose place she will one day occupy, and to witness the justice of the Knights of the Walpurgis, so her young mind will remain impressed with the solemnity and determination of the rules of our brotherhood.'_

_And with a wave of his wand, a door at the back of the chamber was flung open with a resounding crash and a young girl came in._

_She was no more than 12 or 13, slender, with long, silky, dark hair and a pale, rather solemn face. She was dressed in gray robes heavily embroidered in silver, and Severus recognised the features of the small toddler he had once seen wrapping her arms affectionately around Severus Prince's neck. _

_What was even more amazing about her was that she looked remarkably like Eileen Prince, his mother. They were Aunt and niece, after all, but Severus could not remember what happened to her. He had a vague idea his mother had said she had died young. This, and her resemblance to his daughter perhaps, partly explained why his mother was Severus Prince's favourite grandchild._

_The young girl stepped up on the dais and took her place behind her father, chin lifted defiantly despite the many pairs of eyes that were staring at her now._

'_Now I would like my eldest, my son and heir, Aderan, to take his place on the dais and perform the ceremony. As my heir, he will one day succeed me as Grandmaster, and I want all of you, my Knights, to show him the proper respect –' _

_There was an outburst of mutinous muttering at this point, and Severus could see many of the wizards present looked distinctly disgruntled. The Karkaroff's faces, as they watched an auburn-haired young wizard standing at the Grandmaster's right hand side, mount the dais too, was positively murderous. Severus looked on as Aderan (his Grandfather, he realised) took his position on the dais. The muttering reached a crescendo, but it was the indignant throaty voice of Madeira that drowned out everyone else._

'_Why don't you do it yourself, Severus?' she cried, passionately, and all around her fell silent, 'Why pass the chance to wreak further humiliation on me, to the less capable hands of your son? What are you afraid of? That your favourite daughter will see herself in my position one day? Or is it that you cannot bring yourself to smite down her who you once-!'_

'_Kneel down, Madeira!' _

_Severus Prince, his features twisted in cold fury, stepped to the front of the dais, his black wand pointing at the witch, and his voice, sharp and clear like shards of ice, echoed round the chamber. _

_Madeira froze, eyes wide._

'_Kneel down, I said!' he shouted, and with a stabbing movement of his wand, the Grandmaster sent a spell flying at her that dropped her to her knees as though a heavy load pressed down on her back. _

'_Pl – Please ... please don't –' Madeira was begging now, but her low voice was addressed just to him, her Grandmaster._

'_Hold out your left arm. Hold it out, I say!'_

_Madeira obeyed, though the arm she held out was shaking so much that the silvery threads of the embroidered skull glinted and glittered as though alive. But the Grandmaster's eyes were cold, dark and purposeful as he lifted his wand once again and pointed it at Madeira._

_Severus could see the young girl, Yseult, paling behind the tall, ramrod-straight figure of her father, and a frown deepened on her brother Aderan's young face, but Igor Karkaroff's features twisted in a gloating leer before a bright flash of light blinded him, and there was a loud scream that was drowned out by the crash of a flying spell._

_Then once more, a confusion of images assaulted Severus's mind. Fast and furious they raced in front of his eyes, so that he could make neither heads nor tails of what was happening. _

_He tried to control the images and thought desperately about the book – yes – that is what he wanted to see – the Book his Great-grandfather wrote that held the secrets of Immortality. Karkaroff had sought the book after all._

_The images slowed down and one in particular came to the surface of Karkaroff's mind. _

_It was dark and gloomy, and it was an Inn or tavern of some sort. It wasn't the Hog's Head - Severus recognised the large hearth of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, but it was vastly different from the one he knew. _

_It was even shabbier than usual, and there was only one oil lamp at the counter, and a very small fire in the hearth. The few patrons that sat at the table had uneasy, anxious faces. Most of them clutched their drink tightly, their fear-darkened eyes gazing blankly at nothing in particular. No-one was speaking, but there was an almost palpable air of dread in the dark pub._

_Severus could feel the tenseness start to take hold of him too, when the source of their unease became apparent: suddenly there was a loud, reverberating noise from somewhere outside and Severus felt the ground shake beneath his feet. A thin trickle of sawdust fell softly from the wooden beams overhead._

'_Bad one tonight, eh, Tom?' the taller of two cloaked wizards by the counter addressed the bartender. It was old Tom, only he was younger and had a full set of teeth and a dirty mop of brown hair 'D'you think the anti-shock spell'll hold on this old place?'_

_Severus recognised Igor Karkaroff standing at the counter. In the dim light of the oil lamp, he could see he was a bit older, and the tight expression on his face was similar to that of the other patrons. _

'_Oh, aye! It is because this place is so old that it'll hold up! It's glued together with more than mortar, y' know!' the bartender cackled, then his face grew serious 'Them Muggle sirens give me the collywobbles every time I hear them, though! Shame about your wedding, Mr Karkaroff'_

'_Ah well, yes. It is hard to travel abroad these days, and my relatives could not attend the wedding. But my wife is English, so we did have decent wedding party.'_

'_Will you listen to him! 'My wife': proud of those two little words, aren't we?' continued the bartender, his face crinkling up in a broad grin._

'_Finest witch in the whole country. Very old family. Related to the Yaxleys on her mother's side and on her father's side, a great-great-grandfather had married a Dolohov, and that's a very well-respected name where I come from.'_

'_How about you, Tom? How're you keeping up at the... you know...' the Bartender lowered his voice, as though mentioning something unpleasant '... the orphanage?'_

_The wizard thus addressed turned his face so that the lamp light fell on his features. Severus saw a boy about his own age 15 or 16, dark-haired, with dark, intelligent eyes and a solemn face. There the resemblance stopped however, for though the lamp-light threw his face into sharp, chiaroscuro relief, Severus could see that the young wizard was very handsome in an austere kind of way. A slight frown indicated that he was not too happy with the mention of the orphanage._

'_It may or may not survive the Blitz,' he said carelessly 'Muggles dig deep tunnels like rats to escape from the messy effects of their own inelegant weapons, so I suppose the inmates are safe.'_

'_But you're one of them.'_

'_Not when I can help it. The younger ones have been evacuated anyway, so this summer is my last. I will ask to stay at Hogwarts next summer. There I can-'_

_His words were drowned out by an earth-shattering noise again, but the boy sipped his butterbeer nonchalantly. He alone, of all in the Leaky Cauldron, appeared unconcerned at the conflagration without._

_Severus wondered at him. Even though this was a memory, he could not help but feel a dread, as well as awe, when he felt the reverberations from deep within the ground. It felt as though the earth itself were heaving. Whatever that young wizard thought, Severus knew that the Muggle war had left many victims among the Wizarding community, too._

'_They started early tonight,' the old Bartender said, casting a belligerent look at the door that led to the Muggle street outside, where distant roars of the bombing filtered through, sometimes close and sometimes far. 'Well, I wish you luck, Tom. I heard you have been made Prefect, too. Perhaps Headmaster Dippet will let you stay over next summer. Given the circumstances, you should be safer at Hogwarts than here in London.'_

_Just then, a witch in a dishevelled dress stumbled out of the hearth, her pointed hat on fire and causing a mild commotion. The bartender hurried over to help her to her feet. _

'_Blasted krauts!' she exclaimed, 'Flooed to me cousins house, an' 'twas bombed! She must've moved, but she could've warned me! Lucky her chimney was still standing!'_

_There were murmurs of sympathy all around, but Severus noticed that the handsome young wizard's attention was focussed on another witch in a hooded, drab, grey cloak sitting in a dark corner. She had risen unsteadily to her feet, holding on to the wall to steady herself, and judging by the large empty goblet in front of her, her unsteadiness was not only due to the shaking of the ground beneath their feet. The sleeve of her robe had fallen back as she held on to the wall, and Severus saw that there was something on her left forearm that had attracted the attention of the young wizard called Tom. _

_It was an angry red mark, like a welt or a burn, but it was in the shape of a skull with a darker red whiplash mark slashed right across it._

_Severus focussed his attention on her. Suddenly this memory had become more interesting. If this was who he thought it was... _

_But it was just that: Karkaroff's memory – he could not talk to the people he saw here._

_The young wizard Tom, could, however. As the grey-cloaked witch approached the counter, another earth-shattering roar caused her to stumble, and Tom held out a steadying hand._

'_Careful, Ma'am,' he said 'The bombing is annoyingly intrusive tonight'_

_Severus saw the grey hood turn in his direction, but Tom just nodded and gave a small genteel smile before turning to his butterbeer. He gave no indication of having observed her so intently a moment before._

_Now that she was up close, Severus could see that the grey cloak was stained and inexpertly patched in many places. The robes he glimpsed beneath were rather gaudy, but dirty and stained too. His questions were put to rest the next second, for the witch brought her hand up to her hood and pushed it back, revealing the dark long hair and olive skin of Madeira._

_But she was vastly different from what he had seen in the last memory. Her hair, though still long, was dirty and tangled, liberally sprinkled with grey. Her face, though as yet unscarred, was lined with small wrinkles and her skin looked gray, rather than the burnished gold he remembered. Smudged black make-up was around her eyes, and the heavy red lipstick on her mouth was smeared across the empty goblet she clutched in her hands._

_Perhaps her expulsion from the Knights of the Walpurgis had something to do with her jaded appearance, or perhaps she was one of those witches who hung on desperately to their vanishing youth, even though only 6 or 7 years had passed since the last memory. Severus drew closer._

'_Another refill, Tom,' she said to the Bartender and turned her gaze upon the young handsome wizard near her, a small smile curling her red lips, but the young student seemed oblivious. Igor Karkaroff, however, was not. As soon as he saw who stood near them at the bar, his face paled, only to be replaced by a look of hatred and disgust._

'_You!' he spat at Madeira, 'What in Merlin's name are you doing here?'_

'_Getting myself a drink, Igor' she replied, her red lips stretching into an even wider leer, 'I couldn't help overhearing that congratulations are in order. Found someone to take you then, haven't you?'_

'_Why, you sly, twisted, she-devil! It was no thanks to you that-' _

'_Come, come, Igor. Is that the way you speak to an old friend?' Madeira's eyes were slightly unfocussed, but there was no mistaking the malice glittering in them. 'You used to call me your 'beautiful southern enchantress' once-'_

'_Those days are gone, Madeira! Long gone! Ha! Look at you now! And serves you bloody well right, if what they say is true and you've sunk into that hellhole at Knockturn Alley –'_

'_Be that as it may, Igor' the young, handsome Prefect called Tom broke in suddenly, 'This witch's name is legend' he turned to address Madeira, a quirky smile twisting his lips, 'Both legend and the stuff of wild stories.' _

_He had remained quiet during the exchange of unpleasantries, but now he spoke with quiet conviction, so that both Madeira and Igor Karkaroff looked at him in some surprise._

_Just then, the bartender placed Madeira's drink in front of her – a thick, blood-red liquor with a faint, spicy smell. Madeira rummaged around in her dirty robes for some silver, but the ringing sound of silver knuts on the counter made her look up._

'_This one's on me,' the young wizard said, pushing the goblet in front of her, 'It is an honour to meet you Madam Madeira, I have heard about you, and I never imagined I would ever be introduced.'_

'_You weren't!' Igor rasped harshly at his young friend, 'What're you thinking of, Tom, buying this devilish slut drinks? You're doing brilliantly at school: don't throw away your reputation by being seen with the likes of her-'_

'_Perhaps being seen in such a light is exactly what I do __**not**__ mind, Igor. You forget I am used to fending for myself.'_

'_But you've just been nominated –' Karkaroff stopped in mid-sentence, biting his lip furiously._

'_Been nominated youngest of the Knights of the Walpurgis, eh?' Madeira smirked as she saw Karkaroff's brow furrowing, 'I have my sources of information too, you know'_

_The teenaged wizard seemed to admire the older witch's knowledge, rather than be put off by it._

'_Then you must know who I am,' he persisted, with a strange look._

'_I know old Severus Prince had found himself another protégé. A brilliant young student, an orphan from London, so I put two and two together. But all I know is that your name is Tom.' _

_The young wizard acknowledged her words by a slight inclination of his head, and a small smile animated his handsome features. His rather deep-set eyes did not leave her face as he said:_

'_My name is Riddle. Tom Riddle,' he said._


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter 97: The Leaky Cauldron**

_Severus started. The conversation had taken an interesting turn. So this was the student who had stolen his Great-grandfather's book. He moved closer, eager not to miss a word._

'_Well, young Sir, why don't you join me at my table? It's clear we'll be stuck here for some time,' her words were underlined by another earth-shattering roar that shook the rafters._

'_With pleasure, Ma'am,' Tom Riddle said, solemnly._

'_Tom! Don't! She'll ferret information out of you, without you even knowing!'Karkaroff hissed in Tom Riddle's ear, 'She's – a – a-!'_

'_Oh, shut up, Igor!' Madeira spat suddenly, 'I don't need to ferret anything out of anybody about your stupid brotherhood. Phah! _**Brotherhood!**_' She raised her glass to her lips, drinking deeply, 'I heard brotherly feelings are at low ebb between you glorified boy scouts - old Severus practically has a rebellion on his hands right now. Isn't that so, Igor? You should know, for your old man was the primary instigator!'_

'_That's not true! After all, Severus Prince did me a great favour when he kicked you out of the Knights, and branded you as a betrayer of the ancient magical –'_

'_Oh, bullocks, Karkaroff! Severus Prince has been working above and beyond the laws he himself wrote, for decades now! I should know, for I was his assistant for years before the Knights became powerful! I know things about Severus Prince – dark secrets that would make –'_

'_What? What secrets, Madeira? You know nothing but that abominable entrancing magic! You know nothing about the Grandmaster! He repudiated you!'_

'_That's what you think, Igor! And if you think you can goad me into revealing anything, you're mistaken! Not to _**you**_, I wouldn't!_

_Igor looked daggers at her, but did not answer. She gave him a knowing leer and moved towards her table, swaying slightly. _

'_Come, come, now, young Tom, and tell me what Severus Prince is doing these days,' she said, sitting down heavily and indicating a chair in front of her. 'I had fallout with the Grandmaster, as you might have heard, but it wasn't always so between us, you know. I was considered a great beauty, and – well ...' _

_She sighed and raised her glass to her lips again._

_Severus noticed that although Tom Riddle had remained silent during their exchange, he had been listening very attentively to Madeira, his eyes glinting strangely in the shadows created by the oil lamp._

_He took the seat proffered by the old witch and Igor Karkaroff pushed himself away from the bar and went to sit alone at another small table. Severus noticed that though he had his back to them, he was close enough to overhear what the two were saying._

'_Your beauty, has indeed taken on something of a legendary fame amongst the knights,' Tom Riddle said, his voice low, ' But I don't think that is what captivated the Grandmaster's attention.'_

'_Captivated...? You mean he still mentions me? I mean,' Probably Madeira hadn't intended to give herself away so easily, for she quickly covered up her slip of the tongue ' I mean, he does mention me as an example of what young knights like you should beware of, of course...'_

'_He mentions you to me in private, and as an example of the greatest of his pupils, a witch of extraordinary magical skills, and one who could have come close to reaching the same heights of wisdom as he himself, did. That is why I was so eager to be introduced to you, Ma'am,'_

_Madeira looked at him in silence for a moment, her once beautiful, large, brown eyes now bleary and heavy under the dark make-up._

'_Don't call me that,' she said after a while, bringing her eyes down to the goblet in her hand, ' 'Madeira' will do. You are so very young, Tom, so very young...' _

_She sighed and turned the goblet round and round in her hand, seemingly absorbed in the dark red liquid inside. _

'_I have been lying low, you know. Deep in the guts of Knockturn Alley and ...other places.' she continued, 'Hiding, I suppose. I didn't know Severus would still...' _

_She frowned and left the sentence unfinished._

_When she looked up, Tom Riddle smiled at her, his handsome face thrown into sharp relief by the distant, warm glow of the oil lamp. _

'_Severus Prince is worried about the war right now' Tom said, changing the subject 'His two youngest Grandchildren are destined to go to Durmstrang, but what with this Muggle inconvenience, and the one Grindelwald is whipping up, he is trying to persuade his son to send his two daughters to Hogwarts, when they're of age. He told me they are the last of the Prince line, though I don't know what __**that **__has to do with it.'_

'_Ha! Then he told you a pack of lies! Some of his knights are urging him to join forces with Grindelwald, and that, as well as his autocratic rule, is causing some friction, and don't tell me I'm wrong! So that's NOT the reason he wants those two little witches to go to Hogwarts! He wants them to retrieve –' She stopped and dropped her voice, '– he wants them to retrieve something! Something he hid in the common-room or the dungeons of Hogwarts somewhere. It is well hidden, but he was never able to get it back himself.'_

_Madeira stopped, and regarded her young interlocutor shiftily. But Tom Riddle seemed unconcerned. He sipped his drink._

'_Really? I thought it was because of the war,' he said, arching one eyebrow._

_Severus could see however, that he very much wanted to know what was hidden, and, judging by very stillness of the figure of Igor Karkaroff in the shadows, the older wizard was all ears too. But Madeira was focussing, albeit rather blearily, on the teenaged boy in front of her._

'_I cannot be sure what he has hidden,' she said, her throaty voice lower still, 'But as a young girl he taught me the Arts of the Mind. Occlumency first. You know what that is, don't you?'_

_Tom Riddle nodded silently. _

'_When you are learning Occlumency, there may be many inadvertently shared memories between the pupil and the master. And I was a very clever witch. I learnt fast. There were times when I broke through his defences...'_

'_And what did you see?' The question was put in a voice of mild curiosity but Severus could see that Tom Riddle's deep-set eyes, thrown into dark shadow by the lamp, glinted strangely. _

'_Many things. But one thought kept re-appearing: a book. A book he wrote himself in his student days. I put two and two together and concluded it was what he had hidden.'_

'_But what would he want to hide his own book for?'_

'_Spells. Dark spells he ferreted out of old books. Out of the very fabric of Hogwart's walls, from what he implied.'_

'_The Knights of the Walpurgis study old spells –'_

'_Nothing like this, though! Rumour has it that the book holds the secret to Immortality!'_

'_Are you sure of this?'_

'_I worked with him for years, Tom! I know what fascinated him! I started the rumour myself, because I saw in his mind enough of his greatest desires, his fears and regrets and to know that he is now concocting a plan to get his book back from Hogwarts. And he will trust none but his kith and kin to do it for him – or the 'last of the Prince line', as he told you!'_

'_Do you think the Grandmaster has made himself immortal, then?'_

'_Severus? Immortal? Nah! Much as the subject interested him, I don't think he wanted to make that final step. Anyway, he wouldn't be still looking for the book then, would he?'_

'_Why d'you think he's so keen on getting it back, then? _

'_I don't know. I confronted him once about desiring immortality and he said he was more interested in reversing the effects of immortality, whatever, that might mean! You see, Tom, I underestimated Severus Prince. I was young and arrogant, and thought I knew the man. I never imagined he would be the one to brand me with the crossed skull of a betrayer!'_

_She lifted her sleeve and Tom Riddle gazed once more on the angry red mark on her left forearm. But to Madeira's surprise, the young wizard placed one hand around the older witch's forearm, his thumb running gently along the mark of the cross over the skull._

'_You did not deserve this,' he murmured, looking up at her and fixing her with an unwavering stare._

_The bare arm trembled slightly and Madeira blinked rapidly. She took her arm away and shook the sleeve of her robe over the red mark. Gripping her goblet with both hands, she drained it._

'_Severus Prince could save himself a lot of trouble if he entrusts me with finding the book for him. His Grandchildren are very young, and it will be years before they go to wizarding school, whether here at Hogwarts, or Durmstrang,' Tom Riddle said after a while, 'Besides, I have a special link with Hogwarts - I know that castle like no-one else does. Like the founders themselves,' he added with a small, but smug, smile._

'_Well, that is hardly likely. He mistrusts everyone...hic... Not even you, Tom Riddle, will persuade – hic – him to tell you anything. He'll just deny everything. Blame it on me, more likely – fabrications of an old has-been,'_

'_I don't think of you that way, Madeira. I think you still have a lot to offer,' Tom Riddle answered with quiet conviction, and a small smile, 'Let me buy you another drink.'_

_Severus moved back as Tom Riddle got up to move to the bar, and as he did so, he caught a small movement from where the Igor Karkaroff was sitting. The older wizard had got up and was moving purposefully towards the Leaky Cauldron's great fireplace._

_Just then the scene shifted. _

_Igor Karkaroff was standing on what appeared to be a toppled megalith, or dolmen, in a bleak moor. He was facing a high standing stone and behind him a witch in dark velvet green robes was hugging a small boy to her._

'_Igor, it is your turn now,' Igor Karkaroff said._

_The small boy lifted his head and Severus could see the small, pale face of the boy he had seen in the beginning of his intrusion in Karkaroff's mind._

'_Mum, I don't want to go!' the boy cried in a choked whisper._

_The witch looked troubled._

'_Igor dear, don't you think he's too young? He's only nine.'_

'_Mildred, we've already discussed it. My cousin is a teacher at Durmstrang. He will see to the boy's education until, in a year and a half, he can become a fully fledged student there and join his sisters. Now come, Igor. The portal will only remain open for a short time!'_

_The young boy, Igor Junior, reluctantly left his mother and approached his father. He put out a hand and tentatively grabbed hold of his father's robes. He had a narrow, pointed face with large gray eyes, and small chin. _

'_Please, father,' he said, with a stifled sob, looking up with a tear-stained face at the man towering over him, 'Can't I leave next year?'_

'_You need toughening up, son! This is a harsh world, and I intend that you be fully prepared to take it on! You will thank me for it one day!'_

'_But I'll miss you so-' the small boy cried, tears leaking out again._

_Igor Karkaroff looked at him in silence for a minute and then with a sigh, got off the stone, bent down and drew the boy in a hug._

'_And I you, my son. I would give anything to keep you here with me, but this is for the best. Now go!' and he pushed the small boy towards the gap made by two standing stones and watched, ramrod straight, as his small son passed reluctantly through, only to disappear as he reached the midway point between the two stones._

_His body sagged the minute his son disappeared through the portal, but hearing a choking sound behind him, he turned to comfort his wife, who had covered her face with her hands and was sobbing. As they turned away from the standing stones, Severus saw Igor glancing back at the point where his son had disappeared, and there was as much anguish as guilt in Igor Karkaroff's eyes._

_Then Severus then saw a strange darkness starting to close in all around him, and moors, standing stones, and both Karkaroffs disappeared under a black pall of darkness._

He found himself looking at Igor Karkaroff's eyes. But the expression in them was now empty and blank. In fact, they closed of their own accord as Igor Karkaroff passed out, and his head slumped backwards onto the high-backed seat.

Severus found himself back in his own mind and at the Hogshead Inn. He had inadvertently knocked over the Butterbeer he had bought earlier, for he heard the drip, drip of the golden liquid on the straw-strewn dirt floor. He glanced quickly around and saw that the tall grey-headed barman was still arguing loudly with the hag (she was the one making the racket, mainly), but they had come to some understanding, for the hag was (reluctantly) unbundling something large that glinted like gold from the many dirty folds of her robe.

His incursion into Karkaroff's mind had gone unnoticed. With a quick spell he cleared up the spilt Butterbeer from in front of him and slid to the edge of the high-backed seat. Overall, his attempt at Legilimency had gone slightly better than with Madeira. He seemed to have partially, at least, controlled what he wanted to see. It would require perfecting, of course. Lots of it. But in the mean time –

He raised his wand and pointed it at Igor Karkaroff. Perhaps a full body bind might do it. They would just think he toppled over, drunk, and in the meantime, he could find the fastest owl to let Lucius Malfoy know where Karkaroff was.

His black wand hovered over the slumped form of Igor Karkaroff.

It was so easy...

Just then, the slumbering man shifted in his sleep. He looked less careworn when asleep, and despite the several days' growth of beard, Severus could still trace the resemblance to the young boy, Igor Junior, who had cried at his father's feet because of his enforced exile in a foreign land. They had the same shape of eyes, the same angular face but weak, receding chin and blond hair. His own father had sent him away, and yet it had been manifestly clear that it had been against his will, for he loved the boy...

Severus lowered his wand.

He could not do it.

Sliding out of the high backed seat, he pulled the hooded grey cloak around him and gazed down at the unconscious man slumped back against the seat. Igor Karkaroff slept on, oblivious to how his freedom hung by a thread. A very tenuous thread.

With a muttered imprecation, Severus turned and headed for the door, determinedly pushing the many doubts that suddenly rose in his mind. These doubts were bitterly clamouring that he hex the fallen wizard before he could cause any more harm. He _deserved _it.

But he had made his decision. Igor Karkaroff was not free after all. He was ensnared in a web of guilt of his own making, for it was his greed and that of his father and brother that had rebounded on those whom he held dear.

Severus knew now how the Karkaroffs had found out about his Great-grandfather's book. Severus Prince had died before the 'last of the Prince line', his mother Eileen, had started school at Hogwarts. They must have given up on finding the book lost, until...

Until Madeira saw it in his mind. She had seen it – or what she thought was the book, and sold that information (or was it coerced out of her?) to the Krakaroffs.

But it was their greed and avarice in seeking it that had drawn the attention of the Dark Lord's followers. Why, he did not yet know, but the Death Eaters had sought them out and now it seemed that the results of Karkaroff's actions had come back to haunt him, for both his son and wife had been captured.

Severus knew they were being held as bait. Just as elderly Karkaroff had intended to use Lily, when they had ambushed them in the Forbidden Forest, barely a week ago.

He knew that Igor Karkaroff's days were numbered anyway, but the Russian's capture (or worse) need not be attributed to him. The Dark Lord had the young Igor, a teenager now, in his hands.

His father would go for him.

And if he did not - Severus gave one final look at the haggard sleeping wizard in the corner before he opened the door of the Hog's Head Inn – if he did not, he might be living a worse life than if kissed by a Dementor.

XXXX

Lily tried to concentrate on sending her cushion towards the end of the classroom, on a pile of other cushions near Flitwick's desk. Instead, her cushion spun wildly out of control in a sideways trajectory, bounced off Bertram Aubrey's head and landed on Potter's desk. He grinned widely at her.

They were practicing the Banishing Charm, and whereas usually she was excellent at Charm work, today she just couldn't seem to focus.

'Any excuse to come to my desk, eh, Evans?' Potter grinned as she marched up to retrieve her stray cushion.

'Sod off, Potter!' she muttered crossly as she snatched it from his hands and returned to her desk.

Today she was feeling distinctly cranky and nervous. The reason for it was a small slip of parchment peeking from between the leaves of her Charms book. She had received it that morning after breakfast, and it was a note written in Headmaster Dumbledore's thin loopy handwriting, requesting her to come to his office to discuss 'recent events in the Forbidden Forest'.

What if he threatened to expel her? Or wrote to her parents? She had gone to speak to McGonagall the day she confessed to Slughorn, and her Head of House said her punishment would wait until after Dumbledore had spoken to her upon his return.

It had been over two weeks since their adventure now, and it was already the beginning of May. Lily had never known the Headmaster to be away for so long from Hogwarts.

Rumours flew about like wildfire among the students, of course.

Some said he was out there duelling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, others said he was asked to step in as Prime Minister by the Ministry of Magic, and several articles in the _Daily Prophet_ snidely talked about 'dereliction of duties'.

Well, she sighed, she might be the one to find out when she was in his office that evening. Perhaps he would be very angry with her, like McGonagall had been, for wandering in forbidden places. Perhaps she would not be allowed beyond the school grounds anymore. She didn't know what to think, and this not knowing made her even more nervous.

She had already received a warning from the Ministry once because of underage magic, and that was bad enough, but somehow she had never got into trouble at Hogwarts, though there were several close calls.

She remembered that Severus had tried to avoid her getting a detention, and, at the moment, she half-wished things had turned out the way her friend planned. It was very good of him to try to get her off the hook. He had a more fatalistic and calm approach to his impending detention, whereas she ... well, it was the first time, she supposed.

She remembered that Potter too had tried to avoid her getting into trouble. And she had just bitten his head off. Her conscience twinged slightly. But only slightly. He was such a self-absorbed, conceited idiot - most of the time. She also remembered that Potter and Black were usually always in trouble and in detention for one thing or another, and yet they had not been expelled.

She took a deep breath. At least she was in this with Severus. Or had the Headmaster invited only her? Potter had been summoned to the Headmaster's office the very same night they returned from the forest.

At that moment, the lunch bell rang so she grabbed her things from the desk, shoved everything willy-nilly into her bag and rushed off. She knew the Slytherins had Transfiguration, and Severus would be several floors down.

She took the stairs two-by two, skidding to a halt half-way down the third-floor corridor as she spotted Severus among a group of Slytherins who were making their way down to lunch.

Normally, she would have waited until Severus detached himself from their company before going over, but she had to know, so she marched up to him.

'Sev, d'you get one too?' she asked without preamble.

'Get what?' he answered, his voice guarded.

'A note from Dumbledore! Like this!' she held up the now-crumpled parchment in her hand. The Headmaster's signature was visible at the bottom.

Severus shook his head.

'And why would our dear Headmaster send notes to a Slytherin, Evans?' drawled Rosier who was in the small group of Slytherins, 'He usually reserves that privilege for his Gryffindor pets!'

'And given his very - uh - _eccentric t_astes, you'd qualify, Evans!' Cassiopeia Blackwater intervened, with a delicate emphasis on the word, 'So- did you get one, then?'

'Yes, I did, Blackwater, but it's not what you think!' Lily retorted, firing up at once. If she said anything else, she'd hex her, but she needn't have bothered.

'No, Cassiopeia,' Severus said, acidly, 'Although I know how much you'd like to have a little beribboned invitation such as Slughorn has never given you, this is entirely different. You needn't be jealous, believe me!'

'So it _is_ true then?' Pavo Parkinson, who was with them asked, completely ignoring the snubbed Cassiopeia in his eagerness to know, 'They say you've been caught with Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest. Rumours have been flying about for days now! Why don't you tell us – _we're_ your housemates after all' he added, with a cold look in Lily's direction.

She glared back at him with interest, but saw that Severus had a small smirk on his face.

'You know you should never listen to rumours, Pavo!' he said.

Severus' words, neither confirming, nor denying the facts, effectively made them more mysterious, more _dangerous_. Lily noted that Parkinson, at least, appeared to be in awe of the possibility of him actually encountering Death Eaters, rather than wary. Rosier, however, remained silent, a calculating look on his face.

If the rumours _she_ heard were true, then Rosier himself would be familiar with Death Eaters, since it was rumoured his family was heavily involved.

At that moment, a second- year Ravenclaw boy came up to them.

'Severus Snape?' he asked, looking at them.

Lily recognised the straw-blond hair, and freckled face of Bartemius Crouch, who they had shared a carriage with at the beginning of the year.

'I was asked by Headmaster Dumbledore to give you this,' the young boy said, picking out Severus from the group of Slytherins, and he handed him a rolled parchment. The other Slytherins were silent and followed him with their eyes, but Severus wordlessly stuffed the parchment in his pocket.

'Thanks, Crouch,' he said.

'Crouch? Are you Barty Crouch's son? ' Rosier interjected suddenly.

The small boy nodded, his expression immediately becoming guarded and closed. Lily assumed he must be often gawked at or worse, given his relationship to such a well-known figure in the Ministry.

'Well, well, who'd 've thought I'd meet you today, Crouch. I heard about you, you know. Brilliant student, they say, just like your old man!'

'And I heard about you, too, Rosier!' the younger boy said defiantly, 'And it's far from brilliant. And if you think you're going to hex me or something,-!'

His hand inched towards his pocket but Rosier just laughed.

'I bet you have heard about me! Bet I'm described as some sort of monster, though! You see, Crouch', and Rosier went over and put his hand arm around the younger boys shoulder, who stiffened, but did not shrug it off, 'You should never judge a book by its cover. Didn't your father tell you that?

Lily was dumbstruck, having expected hexes to fly at least. This was the son of the most notoriously furious Death Eater hunter in the Ministry, and Rosier was – well, if rumours were correct, he was the son and nephew of Death-Eaters – generations of them! But Severus was shaking his head and smirking

'C'mon, let's go and leave them to it!' he said.

'Leave then to what? What are they going to do to him?'

'Oh, open his eyes, I assume, to the various shades of grey that exist between white and black.'

'I don't understand-'

'You wouldn't. You see everything in black and white, or alternatively, through rose-tinted spectacles, Lily'

'That's not fair! I don't! I've stuck with you all this time, haven't I?'

Even she herself wasn't so sure what she meant by it, but it effectively shut Severus up, for which she was grateful, for it sounded as though their conversation would take a turn towards those politically-fuelled discussions that would inevitably end up with them quarrelling.

'Let's see what he wants,' Severus said as they entered a less crowded corridor far from the rush of students going for lunch, and he took the piece of parchment from his pocket.

In Dumbledore's loopy handwriting were the same words he had addressed to Lily. They were both to present themselves in his office that evening, but Severus's appointment was a quarter of an hour later than Lily's.

Lily's heart skipped a beat, for the words sounded grimmer when re-read. The warm sun of a May afternoon, and the sounds of birds that filtered through the corridor windows seemed to fade to nothing as she looked at her friend's face.

He shoved the parchment back into his pocket, his expression grim yet determined.

'D'you think it will be bad?' she asked, swallowing.

He stole a look at her before replying:

'No, for you it won't be!' he said.

'You don't know that!'

He shrugged. 'C'mon, let's go down'

'I'm – I'm not very hungry anymore,' she mumbled.

He looked at her in silence for a moment.

'D'you want to go for a walk round the Lake with me before DADA this afternoon?' he asked quietly.

She nodded gratefully, and they made their way down the grand staircase and out into the warm, spring sunshine.


	98. Chapter 98

**Chapter 98: In Dumbledore's Office.**

Severus looked warily at the great stone Gargoyle guarding the entry to the Headmaster's office. Lily was a step behind him. The walk around the lake had calmed her down. The Gargoyle had spoken to them once on their very first day at Hogwarts, when they had got lost and found themselves in front of it.

But right now, its stony gaze gave no indication that it was anything but a statue.

'Perhaps you just say the password out loud,' Lily volunteered, 'That's what it had told us back in first year, remember?'

She glanced down at the small postscript on the crumpled parchment in Dumbledore's handwriting.

'Uh... Fizzing whizbees?' she asked tentatively.

'You may enter.' the statue replied, turning its ugly face towards them before moving aside to allow them through.

They stepped through the opening and a spiral moving staircase carried them further up the astronomy tower, the tallest of the four Hogwarts towers. At the top was an oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a Griffin.

After a moment's hesitation, Lily put her hand on it and knocked.

A second later the door opened of its own accord.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood a few feet away from the door, dressed in magnificent purple robes with gold trimmings.

'Ah - Ms Evans, Mr Snape – one punctual, and one overzealously so. I see you came together,' he smiled widely, his eyes twinkling, 'But I suspected you would.'

'I could wait outside, Headmaster,' Severus said, stiffly, 'My appointment was at quarter past eight.'

'If you don't mind, Mr Snape,' Dumbledore said, 'This will not take long. Ms Evans.'

And Lily, after casting a nervous glance in his direction, passed into Dumbledore's office. The door closed silently behind her and though Severus immediately put his ear to the door, all he could hear was a faint mumble of low voices.

The minutes ticked by and as he waited in the darkness of the silent stairwell, his anxiety grew. He had dreaded this, but he had absolutely no idea how to stop it from happening. Dumbledore was a Legilimens himself, and he would, no doubt, be getting more information from Lily than she herself knew. Possibly, it had already happened with Potter.

There was no time to teach Lily Occlumency, even assuming she would be willing to learn.

When Lily mentioned that the teachers suspected she had been present, much as he would have liked to blame Potter entirely for leaking that particular fact, he had to admit that probably Potter did not even know what he had revealed when the Headmaster interviewed him. Madeira had once said that a skilled Legilimens would be able to interpret what is uppermost in his victim's mind without the overt use of a wand.

He himself, who had only tried Legilimency twice, was still very clumsy at it, and on the two occasions he had managed it, both his 'victims' had had their guard down. But he was sure that with practice, such art could be refined to the point of becoming undetectable to the unwary victim. And now Lily was inside the office of one of the few skilled Legilimens of their times. He glanced nervously at the door.

A sudden noise startled him and the door creaked open. Lily came out, followed by Dumbledore. He gave her a fleeting, searching look. She did not look upset, but mouthed something at him that looked like 'book', before Dumbledore came up behind her.

'Ah yes, Mr Snape. Please do go on in. I'll be with you in a second,' Dumbledore spoke serenely. Whatever he had learnt from Lily did not seem to have made him angry.

He brushed past Lily into the office.

Even Slughorn had been rather short with him that day, deploring his sneaking around in the Forbidden Forest in such dangerous times, so he wondered why the Headmaster did not sound angrier. His musings were cut short by the sight of what lay in Dumbledore's office. It was a handsome circular room, with portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses lining the walls, all of them sleeping soundly; handsome bookshelves; and a table of fascinating magical instruments humming and whirring to themselves on a small table. A large Phoenix was roosting on a perch in a corner, and followed his movement with bright beady eyes.

'Well, well, we meet again, Mr Snape,' said a thin, reedy voice that did not belong to Dumbledore.

He whirled round and saw that the voice belonged to a clever-looking wizard in a portrait near the Headmaster's desk. It was Phineas Nigellus Black! Of course – he had forgotten about him, but apparently the Slytherin Headmaster had not.

Last time they'd met it was at Reg's house. Last time they met, he had refused to tell him about his book. He glanced at the office door, where he could still see the edge of Dumbledore's purple robe and hear Lily's animated voice.

'Headmaster Black,' he said, urgently, going up to the portrait, 'You know why I'm here, don't you?'

'Perhaps,' Phineas said, raising one eyebrow guardedly,

'Well, it is not only about being out in the Forbidden Forest. _You _know that. Headmaster Dumbledore knows that.'

'And so?'

'The last time we spoke, you had said it had disappeared. You even suspected my Great-Grandfather had taken back that which was his. But then it reappeared in the Library, decades later. Well, I know who took it.'

'What are you talking about?'

'It was a student,' Severus persisted in a harsh whisper, but still speaking deferentially, 'A student took it, but then placed it back in the Library. So it should be there – only it isn't...'

There was a rather heavy snore from the portrait of a grey-haired Headmistress on Phineas Black's right side. Severus suspected, judging by the slight scowl on her face, that she was only feigning sleep. But he did not care – from his last conversation with Phineas Black, the ex-headmaster knew more about his Great-Grandfather's book than he let on, and he had no other link now. He had tried to find out what happened to Riddle, but apart from what he had learnt from Karkaroff's memory, no-one appeared to know or remember him – it was like he had disappeared off the face of the wizarding world.

'And why are you telling me this?' Phineas Nigellus Black said, glancing shiftily towards the portrait of the witch to his side.

Severus looked at him steadily. 'A Headmaster always knows. My Great-Grandfather was your brightest pupil. His work in ancient magic was worthy of Salazar Slytherin himself. It did not deserve to be lost!'

He saw Phineas Black's eyes dart to a cabinet at far side of the circular room. It was a handsome cabinet, but through its glass doors Severus could see that it held only books. Big, heavy, leather-bound tomes such as one found in the restricted section of the Library.

Suddenly everything fell into place and he understood. The Headmaster of Hogwarts did, indeed, always know.

'It's here, isn't it?' he asked, his heart beating faster. Could it really be?

'I never said anything of the sort,' Phineas Black retorted lazily.

Severus could hear several occupants of other portraits mutter and give up all pretence of sleep.

'You don't need to,' Severus replied quietly, for he had spotted a large black leather-bound volume, unadorned and rather roughly bound, in the top right hand corner of the cabinet.

It was the same colour, size and shape as the book held in Severus Prince's arms in the one photograph he possessed of his Great-Grandfather. The photograph taken by the young student, Albus Dumbledore.

He drew close to the cabinet and, squinting up, he deciphered the words 'Secrets of the Darkest Art' on its well-worn spine. It was the book! _His_ book!

He reached out for the elaborately curved handles adorning the cabinet door.

'I would not try that, if I were you,' Phineas Nigellus drawled, 'The Headmaster placed protective charms of his own devising on the contents of that cabinet.'

Severus snatched his hand away and whirled around, scowling. After all this time, after going through so much trouble, danger even, it had lain right here, in Dumbledore's office!

He should have known! He should have realised that if Riddle had returned the book to the Library, it would have been pounced upon by the very wizard who denounced its existence all those years ago, and got his Great-Grandfather removed from Hogwarts!

'_He_ did it, didn't he?' he shouted angrily, forgetting all attempts at politeness, 'Dumbledore took it out back in 1943! He'd always wanted to get his hands on it!'

'No he didn't. And no, he did not want it,' said a calm voice that nonetheless, overrode all the indignant mutterings coming from the now fully-awake portraits along the wall.

Severus turned round and there, carefully closing the office doors behind him, stood Dumbledore.

Severus said nothing but glared mutinously at the aged face. He was beyond caring now. Perhaps Dumbledore had wanted to speak to him and Lily separately because he was going to expel him. Well, history repeats itself, they said!

Dumbledore said nothing but moved to his desk and sat down.

'Please be seated, Mr Snape.'

'No.'

'Well, please yourself then, but you will excuse me while I rest my feet - it has been a tiring day. Lemon Sherbet?'

Severus looked blankly at Dumbledore's desk as a small silver bowl with sherbet lemons was pushed towards him. He shook his head mutely, but Dumbledore unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth. What in Merlin's name was it with teachers and their passion for sweets? Slughorn lived on the stuff, and now Dumbledore was offering him sweets instead of the book that should be rightfully his! He gave one last scowl at the offending sweets and glanced once more at the forlorn old book lying in the cabinet.

His Great-Grandfather had paid so dearly for writing the book that now formed part of the private book collection of the very wizard who had denounced him! Severus Prince had tried again and again to regain the lost knowledge, and had been foiled every time. If what he had seen in Karkaroff's memory was true, then there were things beyond even the secrets of immortality in that book! Even that student, Riddle, had been smart enough to acknowledge the greatness of it!

Severus had hoped he would be the one to return that ancient knowledge to the Prince line, completing the job entrusted to mother, but instead, he was standing in the very office of the wizard who betrayed his Great-Grandfather, within arm's reach of the book he could now not even touch. A seething rage rose inside him as he glanced back from the book to the old wizard complacently sucking on the boiled sweet.

'Please do not be tempted to touch that cabinet, Mr Snape. Much as you desire what lies inside, none but myself may open it,' Dumbledore said, noting what he was looking at.

'That book should be mine. It was my Great-Grandfather's property,' he said through gritted teeth.

'Yes it was. But it then became Hogwarts property when it was confiscated -'

'And whose fault was _that_?' Severus shouted suddenly, striding over to stand in front of Dumbledore's desk, and fixing him with a furious look, 'Who's fault was it that he was expelled?'

Dumbledore froze, and a fleeting expression of pain crossed his sharp blue eyes. He said nothing and the moment stretched interminably, but Severus did not care. If he was going to be expelled, well, he could at least have some answers! When Dumbledore spoke again however, it was not the answer he expected:

'To my eternal regret and shame, Mr Snape,' Dumbledore said quietly, 'it was I who brought about his departure from Hogwarts.'

Severus stared at him. He opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore interrupted him again:

'However, if I had to live my life over again, I would still have to, regretfully, take the same actions I did then. I would not have let it spiral so wildly out of control, perhaps, but this happened so very long ago, before you were even born –'

'Hogwarts has a very long memory, Headmaster,' Severus replied, angrier still to hear that Dumbledore would summarily repeat his actions, 'I found out a lot! I found out more than you think, and I-'

'No doubt you did – you are a very intelligent student, Mr Snape, with ambition and a thirst for that knowledge which is beyond the reach of other students. But you misunderstood me: when I said it happened long ago, I meant that I was very young then: about your age, in fact. As was your Great-Grandfather, Severus Prince. One tends to be a bit headstrong and impulsive at that age, and also, I'm afraid, quick to take offence and retaliate in anger.'

He sighed, and looked up at him pointedly, but Severus ignored him. He was barely reigning in his frustration and anger, and did not want to be told a morality tale about keeping one's temper. Fat lot of good it would do him now, anyway! And besides, he was not a snotty-nosed first year any more, to be overawed at being called into the Headmaster's office. He just wanted Dumbledore to open the cabinet and give him the book, and there was no likelihood of that happening, so...

'So you denounced my Great-Grandfather in a fit of jealous rage, right?' Severus hissed venomously, 'Because he had discovered powerful magic and compiled everything in a book that you wanted for yourself! He wouldn't allow it and so, if you couldn't have it, nobody could, and you denounced him! That's what happened, right?'

Dumbledore's eyes flashed blue fire at his words and he stood up suddenly. For a split second, Severus was afraid he'd hit him or curse him – he had stood often enough in front of his enraged father to expect that kind of reaction, but though he involuntarily took a step backwards, he stood his ground and stared defiantly back at Dumbledore's eyes.

But the fire had gone out of them now, leaving a strange kind of sadness there. The old Headmaster walked round the desk to a window, gazed out momentarily at the clear night sky and then turned his look on Severus once more.

'That is not what happened,' he said quietly, 'As I told you when I came into the room, it was not removed from the Library in 1943. Headmaster Dippet, my predecessor, allowed it to stay exactly where it had resurfaced: in the restricted section of the Library. There it remained, unfortunately, for many years after, where, to use a hated but well-worn term, it polluted the young minds of Hogwarts students for many years after. Mr Snape, do you remember what I told you on your first Christmas at Hogwarts?'

Severus nodded guardedly. He remembered that occasion perfectly. Dumbledore was fixing him with a penetrating stare, his back to the window.

'I told you that some books may become your lifelong friends, but others may become your enemies. I was not only referring to that book in yonder cabinet, Mr Snape. I have observed you closer than you may think, and I have noticed that even in your first year here at Hogwarts you demonstrated particular skills in the area of Dark magic that has 'Severus Prince' stamped all over them. I should know, for although you may believe differently, your Great-Grandfather and I were friends, and I knew his particular brand of magic well.'

Dumbledore took a step closer and Severus stiffened.

'Mr Snape, I was intimately acquainted enough with Severus Prince to know that there were three books he compiled. One is what you, and others, seek, one book is on Necromancy and that is also in that cabinet, but the first book he wrote...'

Dumbledore's eyes bore into him, and it was a few seconds before Severus realised he was there, in his mind, softly seeking for answers. It had been subtle, barely noticeable, and certainly nothing like the harsh ravaging of his mind that Madeira used to do. He slammed on his Occlumency barriers right away, savagely and completely. Barriers that even Madeira had not managed to break through.

Unfortunately, though he was fairly sure that Dumbledore hadn't seen much, the guilty look on his face must have given him away. He swore mentally, remembering one of Madeira's first lessons on Occlumency: -_You must capture every nuance of speech; every tiny expression; every movement and posture of your subject, if you are to really read his or her mind!_ And Dumbledore had been cunning, oh so very cunning.

'I see,' the Headmaster whispered softly, 'You are indeed, Mr Snape, a worthy descendant of Severus Prince in more ways than just your uncanny resemblance to him. Oh yes, I noticed that too, you see,' Dumbledore took a step closer and observed him keenly.

Severus looked up into the old wizards eyes, but kept his mental barrier firmly in place.

'It is far more evident now, for you are at the age when he and I ... parted ways,' Dumbledore continued softly, his eyes never leaving his face.

His expression was sad now, and he made no direct mention of the fact that he had just tried to read Severus' mind. He seemed lost in thoughts.

'If you were friends then why did you betray him?' the words, though whispered, were out of his mouth before he realised.

Dumbledore blinked rapidly, but this time he demonstrated no anger.

'It was that book - 'Secrets of the Darkest Arts',' he said simply, moving back to stand behind his desk, 'but the reason was not because I coveted it, as you have assumed, Mr Snape. I did not. But your Great-Grandfather had delved into the darkest arts, discovered, from I know not where, secrets of the blackest magic. He had already started experimenting with Necromancy using small animals, but towards the end of our fourth year, he wanted to try out the bigger, more powerful magic. I was afraid for him. I tried to warn him in the name of our friendship to desist, but ...'

Dumbledore sighed. 'I - I think I pushed the boundaries of our friendship too far that day, and he then denied me any further interference in his work'

'That is not true.'

'I beg your pardon?'

'You were not that squeamish over Dark magic, Headmaster,' Severus said, coldly, 'and this proves it.'

And he put his hands into the pocket of his robes and drew out a wizarding photo which he threw on the desk in front of Dumbledore.

It was the photograph Albus Dumbledore himself had taken of his colleague, when they were both students at Hogwarts. Severus had stuffed it into his pocket earlier, on a hunch.

Dumbledore took the photograph in his hands, pushing his half-moon spectacles further up his crooked nose. Severus noticed that his hand trembled slightly as he held the photo, and he sat down weakly in his chair. He frowned, unsure what to make of this apparent weakness of his Headmaster.

'I had forgotten about this,' Dumbledore said softly.

The Severus in the photograph scowled up at him, but did not try to hide the still-unbattered black book he held in his arms.

To Severus' surprise, Dumbledore chuckled softly. 'I used to love the way he scowled! It made me want to goad him further, so I could hear more choice expletives! Very inventive, he was. He laughed at me when I tried the same, though – he said I did not have the countenance for it! So I gave it up in my youth as a bad job.'

Severus stared speechless at his Headmaster. Was he reminiscing about good times, now?

'From what you wrote on the back of that photo, you did not disapprove his work then, his 'most important work' you called it,' he interrupted, bringing him back to the question at hand. 'His work on _Dark_ magic. So why did you denounce him, really?'

Dumbledore flipped the photo momentarily over to look at his own words scrawled on the back, then he looked up at him from over his half-moon spectacles, his expression becoming serious once more.

'Mr Snape, I never approved of Dark magic, but I was young and very clever, consequently very foolish too, because I thought that one could play with fire and not get burnt. I thought Severus was interested in the Dark arts merely from an academic point of view. Many intelligent young wizards, including myself, were fascinated by the 'forbidden fruits' as it were. But when your Great-Grandfather started experimenting with Dark spells – innocuously enough at first - I, of course, ignored the signs, eager not to disrupt our friendship. But finally his experimentations became too dangerous, too dark and when he divulged to me his plans to try ... darker spells, I tried to dissuade him. I feared for his life, for his very soul and ...and ... I let things spiral out of control.'

He heaved a heavy sigh, and throwing the photo down on the desk before him, he leaned back in his chair. His eyes however, remained fixed on the youthful face of Severus Prince. The Phoenix in the corner uttered a few beautifully-liquid musical notes, ruffling its red feathers and looking at Dumbledore with its intelligent eyes.

'It is so easy to see one's mistakes when viewed from the great distance of age and experience,' he sighed 'Unfortunately, in those youthful days, and though I would have denied it vehemently then, I did not know a great many things. About myself, first and foremost. So we quarrelled, Mr Snape. In an irrevocable way that brooked no reconciliation, for in the heat of our argument, he gave me to understand that he would proceed with what he had intended to do alone, leaving me no choice but to expose his intentions to the teachers.'

Dumbledore paused and tore his eyes away from the photo, fixing Severus with a sincere look, 'I did it to save him, Mr Snape'

'Save him from what, exactly, Headmaster?' Severus asked coldly, 'And what magic spell or spells was he about to try that would warrant his expulsion from Hogwarts?'

'I cannot tell you about the spells, Mr Snape, otherwise I would not have taken that book , _'Secrets of the Darkest Art'_ from the restricted section as soon as I became Headmaster and locked it away in that cabinet over there. But you must believe me; I acted for his own good. I cared about your Great-Grandfather too much to let him damage himself, and others, in the ways he intended.'

Severus said nothing. He did not believe Dumbledore. Not entirely. Nothing warranted being expelled or removed from Hogwarts. It was a disgrace, a blot on his Great-Grandfather's name that he had hoped he would clear. Despite the bad press the Dark arts had among some wizarding circles, being expelled was far worse.

His lips set in a thin line. Even if Dumbledore's motives had not been jealousy, he would never forgive him. However, he tried to claw back his anger, concentrating it into an icy fire deep down within him, to join the many other little icy kernels of hate and bitterness he had accumulated over the years. Much like a squirrel carefully collects acorns, Severus collected grudges and hatred – in his life, they were the only things that were plentiful, and free for the taking – and he brooded over these hidden demons, carefully nurturing them into seething resentment. It was carefully reigned in of course – he saw the importance of Madeira's teaching on control. But they were there, nonetheless, festering and coiling within him like a nest of vipers.

But Dumbledore was speaking again.

'Now let's leave the maudlin events of the past behind us, and concentrate on the present-day problems. I appreciate you teaching Ms Evans the Patronus charm, a highly useful spell that she mastered well, but although it worked against that wayward Dementor, it will not work against any remaining Knights that have not been rounded up by Dementors or, I suspect, Death Eaters.'

Severus did not even bother to ask him how he had obtained the knowledge from Lily.

'Do you suspect Death Eaters sent the Dementor, Professor?' he asked coldly.

Perhaps he could at least warn Lucius, if Dumbledore had any suspicions. But probably the change in tone alerted Dumbledore, for he looked at him keenly before answering him.

'Despite our falling apart, Mr Snape, I still kept an eye open for any news of my former friend and fellow student, Severus Prince. I knew that on his return from Durmstrang he had organised a – for want of a better word – a 'study group' called the Knights of the Walpurgis. They studied Dark magic, or 'Ancient Magic' as they preferred to call it. I know nothing more beyond that, for they kept their activities secret. I thought the Knights disbanded with your Great-Grandfather's death, and although I had heard unconfirmed rumours that some still existed to this day, I was not inclined to believe such rumours. Until now, that is.'

Dumbledore paused, and Severus tensed, but the Headmaster seemed to be considering his words well before continuing.

'Your Great-Grandfather made many enemies, Mr Snape. Some from within the very brotherhood he had set up. No doubt the existence of that book...' he indicated the black leather-bound volume that the youthful Severus Prince in the photo still clutched to his chest, '...was whispered about. Some must have coveted the powerful spells it contained, and have therefore searched for it. Somehow, they must have got wind of the book you discovered - the first Severus Prince wrote, and they are under the mistaken impression that it is the one they seek.'

Severus bit a sharp intake of breath. The Headmaster had guessed right! Or did he get all this from reading Lily's mind? Dumbledore's next words almost made him forget himself.

'Your mother wrote to me back in January, saying that you had mistakenly taken a book belonging to her, and whether I could ensure that it is returned. It was a rather ... disjointed ...letter.'

Severus froze. _His mother_? And why was he telling him this now?

'I wrote back asking for details,' Dumbledore continued, 'but never received an answer. However, I knew your house was ransacked, I strongly suspected you had the first book, so I started to piece the bits of the puzzle together. After your adventure in the Forbidden Forest, Mr Snape, many things are clearer now.'

Dumbledore stood up and leaned across his desk.

'Ever since I received your mother's letter, Mr Snape, I was hoping that you would come to me of your own will to hand in the book I strongly suspected lay in your possession. I hoped that in the light of what happened to your parents, you would realise what dangers you yourself, as well as those around you, were in,' Dumbledore paused, but his next words, though softly spoken, cut like knives. 'But you did not. You chose to ignore the warning and have furthermore led Ms Evans and Mr Potter into grave danger.'

The silence stretched between them.

Severus tried to keep his face impassive, but it was hard as waves of guilt washed over him. They were never far beneath the surface of his consciousness recently anyway, and Dumbledore's words had dredged them back up to the surface again as effectively as that Dementor had done back in the forest. He closed his eyes fleetingly, just to momentarily block out that penetrating blue gaze. Dumbledore wasn't trying to use Legilimency, but that did not mean he could not read his face.

He opened his eyes and gazed defiantly back at the wrinkled old face of his Headmaster. He would not break – not now, and not in front of this man!

Dumbledore drew himself away from the desk, and clasped his hands behind his back, but his eyes did not leave his face.

'It is, perhaps, partially my fault,' he said with a sigh, 'I should have confronted you immediately when I received your mother's strange letter. Or perhaps years ago, when I first suspected. I could have forced you to divulge where you hid it, and it would have joined its other two companions in yonder cabinet. I was even thinking that now, before I came in to speak to you.'

Severus tensed, the icy core of hatred and anger in his centre unravelling again, sending tendrils of sheer fury sparking through his nerves, to his eyes. He would not give up that book. Over his dead body would he allow Dumbledore to get his hands on it!

'But I think you should keep it,' Dumbledore ended.

_What!_

'Unfortunately, in all these years. I'm sure you have imbibed whatever is written in that book. The damage, if you want to call it that, is already done. But I would like to point out, Mr Snape that Dark magic is only magic: nothing more nothing less, and, as Mr Grimstone and every other DADA teacher before him must have told you – it is the use to which such magic is put that distinguishes such magic into its Dark and not-so-dark components. I hope you heed those words. Further to that, the wizards that sought the Dark knowledge within that book are no longer in a position to do further harm to you or your companions.'

Severus wondered how he knew this. But remembering how indiscreet Igor Karkaroff had been at the Hog's Head, it was hardly surprising.

'I will keep those words in mind, Professor,' he said tightly.

'One more word, Mr Snape,' Dumbledore said, his voice even more serious than before.

Severus wondered whether this was the part when his Headmaster told him he was being expelled or at the very least, suspended from Hogwarts. He steeled himself, his face dark but impassive.

'When the Knights of the Walpurgis disbanded upon your Great-Grandfathers death, a small group of them re-formed, some years later, keeping the knowledge of the Knights alive, but changing both their name and their principles,' Dumbledore paused and fixed him with an unwavering stare. 'They called themselves the Death Eaters.'

'What? You mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named formed part of- of the _Knights_?' Severus forgot his anger in the light of the new discovery.

'Probably, yes,' Dumbledore nodded 'Lord Voldemort must have been one of your Great-Grandfather's Knights.'

As he said this, Dumbledore took the photo from his desk and handed it to Severus.

Severus was astounded. That meant that his Great-Grandfather had known the Dark Lord himself. And he must have been the one attempting to preserve the ancient knowledge of the Knights from being lost! He knew now that the Karkaroffs must have been the 'enemies' mentioned in his Great-Grandfather's letter, trying to destroy the brotherhood from within, so they could get their hands on the books. He had seen enough in Igor's memory to be sure of that. Karkaroff had overheard Madeira talking about the book and had rushed off to set in motion the chain of events that saw him, his father and his brother, decades later, chasing him and Lily in the Forbidden forest.

Everything was falling into place.

He noticed Dumbledore observing him keenly, a frown furrowing his brow. He quickly wiped the elation off his face and resumed his deadpan expression. The Headmaster hadn't expelled him yet, but any hint of admiring the Dark Lord would definitely not be in wise. Whatever he said to the contrary, and whatever he did in his youth, Dumbledore's present-day prejudice against the Dark arts, and hence, the Dark Lord, were legendary.

'So who do you think sent the Dementor, Professor?' he asked, realising that the Headmaster still had not answered his question.

'Of that I am not sure, Mr Snape. Death Eaters? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. I do not know whether - or why, even - they seek the remnants of the Knights of the Walpurgis. I have my suspicions, of course, but I will keep these to myself until they can be confirmed. Now, to the matter of the consequences of your actions.'

Dumbledore spoke more briskly, and Severus noted that he had once more not answered his question. If he suspected Malfoy's intervention on behalf of the Dark Lord and the reason behind it, he was not going to divulge it. He waited with some trepidation for his impending sentence.

'The matter should lie in the hands of your Heads of House of course, but given the severity and potential consequences of your flouting the rules, Mr Snape, both Professor Slughorn and Professor McGonagall –'

'Lily too? But I thought you saw what happened, you know I instigated her, and –'

'I did not need to 'see' anything. Ms Evans told me. Very persistent she was, too.' Dumbledore smiled broadly beneath his white beard, ' I know you offered to take the blame for everything, and I choose to believe it is because you don't want to see your friend in trouble, rather than your fear of having her cross-examined.'

Severus looked at Dumbledore suspiciously, but Dumbledore was still smiling benignly. Of course he had wanted to avoid Lily getting into trouble. But he would have rather avoided her 'cross-examination' as he put it, too.

'Ms Evans also told me that you offered to be held hostage instead of her when the Karkaroffs attacked you,' the headmaster continued, his smile broader than ever.

Severus shifted uncomfortably. Dumbledore moved from behind his desk and came towards him.

'Well, Mr Snape, though I'm afraid not many have taken my words on house unity to heart, especially in recent times, it still warms my heart to see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor still ready to speak up for each other, and still as much friends as when I had first come upon them, back in the beginning of their Hogwarts years, determinedly trying to unravel as many of Hogwarts secrets as they could!'

Severus flushed slightly. He didn't think the Headmaster would remember a small incident like that.

'However, Mr Snape, both you and Ms Evans were out of bounds, and your Heads of House deem it appropriate that you should be put in detention.'

'Uh –right.'

He wasn't going to be expelled! He breathed a mental sigh of relief. He hoped they would be given lines. Lily said that is what Potter got, and Lily could deal with that. But the Headmaster was speaking again:

'Given your propensity for wandering in places where you should not, after much discussion, your Heads of House and myself all agreed that as detention, it is best if you learn more about the tools needed to ... er ... survive in such forbidden places, should the urge to wander in there ever take hold of you or Ms Evans again.'

_What?_!

But Dumbledore was smiling into his beard again.

'As detention, you will go to the Forbidden Forest once more with Hagrid, who knows the place best, and you will there learn the art of survival. Learn some of life's lessons, too, perhaps. Hagrid will protect you. The details of your detention are to be arranged with your Head of House. Goodnight, Mr Snape.'

Dumbledore was smiling as though he had just handed him a huge gift-wrapped Sherbet lemon. Severus realised his mouth was still open and shut it with a snap. Well, Lily would be pleased. This was hardly detention for her! She'd sneaked out often enough to visit that over-sized friend of hers. He'd probably end up tagging along while the two of them cooed over eagle-taloned Griffins, or groomed baby unicorns.

Well, perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

'Goodnight, Professor.'

Feeling slightly dazed, he moved automatically to the door and opened it. Outside, a shadow moved suddenly and Lily ran to his side. She had been waiting all this time in the dark. He inhaled the sweet meadow-flower smell of her as she clutched anxiously at his arm.

'Well? Did we get detention? He wouldn't tell me until he spoke to you.'

He nodded, then realised she couldn't see him.

'It's alright. We just have to go with Hagrid for detention. Thought it'd be worse for me.'

Indeed, despite the rollercoaster ride of his trip to Dumbledore's office. Despite finding the book and realising it was lost to him in the space of a few minutes, he felt elated now. He was still at Hogwarts, Lily was squeezing his arm in relief, and his original book was still in the dungeon hideout. He pushed Dumbledore out of his mind, and, with a smile she could not see, he pulled Lily towards the spiral staircase.

'C'mon - Let's get out of here,' he said reassuringly. 'Everything's ok now, you'll see!'

And they both stepped into the dark well of the moving stairs.

**Author's note:**_** This is the end of the 'book' story. The 'Secrets of The Darkest Arts' will remain in Dumbledore's office until the day Hermione Granger summons it to her after the Headmaster's death**_


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter 99: Detention.**

'I already told you, Sev,' Lily said exasperatedly, 'I felt nothing. _Nothing_!'

She had her nose buried in a book, and did not want to be distracted. It had just dawned on her that there were only three weeks left before their exams, and she was feeling panicky. McGonagall had said that the results they got in these exams would be a reflection of what they might expect in their OWLs in a year's time.

'He's very insidious, you hardly realise he's doing it,' Severus persisted.

Lily sighed and looked up. It was bad enough that she could hardly read in the flickering torchlight of their dungeon hideout, but Severus kept interrupting, insisting on going over and over exactly what had happened between her and Dumbledore.

'Look, when that Madeira witch invaded Jenny's mind, she damn well felt it! It left her almost in a faint, remember? Anyway – _you_ should know, shouldn't you? Apparently, you've had the same treatment, though you don't want to talk about _that_!'

And she returned huffily to her book. It was Saturday morning, and they were supposed to be catching up on the mountains of topics they had to cover for their exams. Severus had refused to go to the Library, and she found the beautiful May sunshine flooding the Gryffindor common-room too distracting and tempting, so she had joined him in the dark recesses of the dungeon.

There was another reason why she wanted to avoid the Gryffindor common-room right now. Ever since the news had got around, as it inevitably did, that Lily Evans was in detention, she had to endure her roommates' furious tirades against Severus. Alice and Jenny were particularly vociferous, and even the milder Mary MacDonald warned her that her friendship with 'that Slytherin' would get her into trouble.

Potter and Black had not been idle in the weeks that followed their forest adventure. They embroidered the story lavishly, dropping dark hints about how she, Lily, was coerced into the Forest by Snape.

Most of her Gryffindor friends had believed her version of events at first, but when news of how she had been summoned to the Headmaster's office, and of her subsequent detention got round, their attitude became disapproving, and they brushed her excuses aside, for after all, her detention was a very tangible evidence of 'that Slytherin's' bad influence on her.

This was the afternoon of their detention. They had to go to Hagrid's cabin and follow him into the Forbidden Forest. Though Lily had tried to explain that she was even looking forward to it, and it was hardly detention at all, Alice had reiterated that it was the 'principle of the thing' that counted.

She had just grabbed her books and stalked off then, shouting, 'You don't understand a thing!' Her Gryffindor housemates' attitude was perhaps another factor as to why she was in such a tetchy mood.

'She didn't need to hide what she was doing. Dumbledore, on the other hand, wants to keep up appearances.'

'Hmm? What?' She hadn't been listening.

'Dumbledore would never admit to violating a student's mind. He's very subtle, lulls you into unawareness, and then takes whatever he wants. He's a Legilimens, Lily!' Severus spoke bitterly.

He was sitting on one of the desks open book on his lap, but from the way he was glaring at it, as though it had offended him in some way, she knew he was still thinking about the Headmaster.

'Look, he didn't –' she started, but he interrupted her:

'How did you know about the book then? You said you saw it in that cabinet! There were hundreds of books in Dumbledore's office, yet you saw the right one. That's what you were trying to tell me when you came out, weren't you?'

'It just popped into my head. I thought you'd see it too as soon as you went in - that's why I kept talking to Dumbledore outside his office. I was hoping you'd see it too; it's the same as the one in that photo. Besides, Dumbledore already knew everything – or almost everything. He certainly knew those three weren't Death Eaters, but Knights of the Walpurgis. There was no point in me lying about it.'

'Things don't just pop into your head like that Lily! He was using you, as he did Potter before you. That's how he found out, that's how –'

'He knew your Great-Grandfather well once, Severus. That's how he knew about the Knights. Potter must have described them or something, and he recognised them. After all, two of them have a very strong, foreign accent'

Severus gave her a furious look before he hunched once more over his book. Clearly he did not believe her. With a sigh she turned to her own book. Severus was very sore about the fact that he had been refused his Great-Grandfather's book. She could understand why he'd feel that way, but she herself was secretly pleased. There would be no more delving deep beneath the castle for secret books whose contents had already caused the death, or worse, of goblins and wizards.

She shied away from even trying to imagine what Severus would do with such knowledge. That thought made her uncomfortable. Despite his arguments to the contrary, she knew without shade of doubt that '_ancient magic'_ as he called it, involved death, blood, and maiming of others. She was happy that Dumbledore was keeping it. He knew what to do, and someone like him would never be corrupted or tempted by whatever powerful spells lay written in that book.

He had been very nice to her that day, and had put her immediately at ease, allowing her to stroke Fawkes, a beautiful Phoenix that stood on a perch behind his desk, and looked at her out of bright, intelligent eyes. She had expected to be cross-examined, but he did most of the talking, his piercingly blue eyes looking at her over his half-moon spectacles in the meantime.

A noise made her look up.

Severus had leapt off the desk, and moved to the cupboard. He gave a perfunctory glance at the contents and then paced aimlessly about the dungeon for a while before settling in one of the two rickety chairs by the empty hearth.

She followed him with her eyes. It was not like him to be so unfocussed, especially so close to exams. But ever since he had discovered the whereabouts of his Great-Grandfather's book, his mood had alternated between bitter recriminations aimed, specifically, (and in order of viciousness), at Potter, Black, Dumbledore and the Karkaroffs; and a strange euphoria, during which he'd tease her, a familiar, playful sparring that she was used to, or else she'd catch him off-guard, smiling oddly at her.

These latter moods were becoming more infrequent, for his brooding over Dumbledore's supposed wrongs was becoming overwhelmingly bitter. She glanced over to where he sat, deceptively slouched, by the dungeon fireplace. She knew he was as taut as a wound spring, his mind busy with - well, she did not know with what: his mind was a deep dark well, and she only saw the barest ripples of what went on beneath its smooth, still surface. His back was to her, and the torchlight touched his dark hair with glinting strands of red, but it barely managed to colour the paleness of his hand where his head rested upon it.

His silence was making her uncomfortable. Not awkward, as she sometimes felt, when alone down here with him in the dungeon. On those occasions, it was a kind of awkwardness that stemmed from a feeling of intimacy, of many unspoken _things_ between them that sometimes electrified the very air of the dungeon room, filling it with a strange thrumming that drove her to distraction.

In the events of recent months, she had tried to push them to the back of her mind, telling herself that being frequently holed up alone with a boy - any boy - in a dark dungeon was enough to make any teenage girls thoughts turn inevitably in _that_ direction.

_But that is not true,_ whispered a small voice in her head, _you know Severus is different and always has been, for you._

Determined to prove the voice wrong, she tried to imagine that it was some other boy down here in the dungeon with her – Remus, or even Potter, Black or Pettigrew – and recoiled almost immediately. First of all, because she could not imagine any of them, with the exception of Pettigrew, skulking anywhere in the dungeons, especially near the Slytherin common-room. Pettigrew definitely made her uncomfortable: there was something so innately uncertain about that boy - you never knew where you stood with him.

As for Remus: she liked his quiet, unassuming manner, but she felt protective over him rather than... well ... excited.

As for Potter and Black – she almost giggled, for Mary MacDonald had a crush on Sirius Black, and regaled them often enough in the dorm describing in rapturous details, his lovely grey eyes, his groovy hair and lean form ( or 'hot bod' as she called it, in her own inimitably funny way).

Lily even found it difficult to imagine one without the other – and if they were down here with her in the dungeon, probably they'd be loudly discussing Quidditch, their next prank, (and at whose expense it should be), or boasting of their transfiguration skills. The term 'overgrown schoolboys' came to Lily's mind. The description fitted them perfectly with only one flaw: they were, after all, really schoolboys - nothing more, nothing less.

She smiled, but her eyes fell once more on the still, dark figure of Severus in the chair, as different as night from day to the two boys she had just been contemplating.

Her smile faded.

His silence was making her uncomfortable because it was an ominous silence. There was something going on in his head that was both dark and dangerous, she was fairly sure of that. She wished she could use Legilimency, but a second later, she wondered whether she really wanted to know what lay in his mind.

'Can you use Legilimency?'

She realised she had blurted this out loud, and she did not even know why.

He turned round slowly to look at her. His expression was so carefully unreadable that she knew that she had somehow hit a nerve.

'What? Why're you asking?'

She blinked, shrugging. 'Nothing. I was about to ask a penny for your thoughts, but the question came out wrong,'

He still looked at her suspiciously and raised one eyebrow.

'If I knew, d'you think I'd use it on you?' he said, with a quirky smile.

'I have no doubt that you would, Severus' she retorted, archly, ' But you'd be disappointed to find nothing else but fluff, cobwebs and an odd muggle song or two, if you tried. Especially now. If you can't study yourself, why don't you test me on the twelve uses of Werewolf saliva - here,' and she handed him her DADA book.

'You're thinking of Dragon blood, Lily. Werewolf saliva is not known to have any uses. Not even one, let alone twelve!'

'That's because nobody ever tried. Given its poisonous effect, I'm sure it does have a lot of magical potential. I'm trying to find a stimulating topic, Sev. Perhaps _you'll_ be the one to discover its uses one day.'

He gave a snort of derision 'I'd rather embrace a Venomous Tentacula! Have you ever considered that the reason it is so poorly studied is because it is so scarce? You can only obtain it from the snarling mouth of a werewolf when transformed. Pretty useless otherwise.'

'Oh.'

'So, next time we're anywhere near a werewolf, you could ask it to spit into a phial. You're good with animals,' Severus smirked.

'Okay, okay. I was just trying to get you interested. You seem out of sorts.'

'Am not.'

'Right, then why don't you practise your Summoning Charm?

'Summoning Charms are lazy wizards' best friends,' he answered, grumpily.

'I think you should try harder. You'll find the charms very efficient. With you, objects seem to lose heart half-way across towards you.'

'Perhaps I'm not attractive enough,' he said, sarcastically.

'Oh yes, you are, Severus,' she said with a mischievous grin, 'now, let's see you try.'

And she watched as he stood up, trying unsuccessfully to hide the incredulous look in his eyes, and summoned three, four, and five books towards him in quick and perfect succession, catching each deftly and depositing it in the chair beside him.

XXXXX

The sun barely made it through the thick canopy of trees above them, even though it was still quite early in the afternoon. They had been walking in Hagrid's wake for over an hour, and had long since left the winding forest path.

The trees in this part of the forest were ancient, and had thick gnarled trunks. Their contorted roots twisted themselves deep into the forest floor like long, groping fingers, as though seeking buried treasure. They resurfaced now and then, moss-covered and sinuous, like green snakes, and contrived to trip them up.

Lily had to trot fast to keep up with Hagrid, but she was used to it, and for the most part, skipped light-footed over the uneven slippery ground.

Severus, on the other hand, was not used to it.

A sudden noise behind her followed by muttered swearing assured her that he had tripped yet again, over the slippery roots. But when she looked back, she saw he hadn't fallen over – he had just wandered too close the to a tree trunk around which a Strangler plant had wrapped itself. She grinned as she saw him struggling to remove the Strangler's hundreds of tiny moving tendrils, each ending in a retractable hook, from his cloak. She went over to him.

'They do that you know,' she said. 'They latch on to anything that moves. It's the way they propagate themselves from tree to tree.'

'Well, I'm not going to stay here and be groped by a stupid plant!' And he drew his wand furiously, pointing it at the ivy-like climber, half of which had already spread itself over his cloak.

'Sev, No, don't! You'll kill it! Here - this is the way to do it,' and Lily picked up a long twig from the ground and waved it near the plant. The tendrils immediately wrapped themselves around the twig, and Lily returned the twisting tendrils back to the original plant. Severus stepped backwards, ripping apart the last few hooked into his cloak.

'It's very rare, you see,' she explained, 'Hagrid says there are only a few of them left.'

But Severus was looking murderously at the twitching tendrils.

'Fascinating,' he sneered, brushing the remnants of the plant off his cloak 'Perhaps he should get Kettleburn's students to give piggy-back rides to these things so they can propagate the species!'

'Perhaps. Tends to suck out your blood, if you don't get to another tree soon enough, though. They feed on sap, you know, so in its absence...'

She left the sentence unfinished but could see him glance back at the climbing plant with renewed interest, rather than shock.

'Where've yeh two bin?' said a voice ahead and Hagrid appeared before them, 'Ah looked back an didna' see yeh. Din I tell yeh, ter stick close to me?'

'Sorry, Hagrid. We got held up by a Strangler,' Lily saw him looking at Severus, who still had a few tendrils hooked into his cloak.

'Humph! Should've guessed! This is a detention, Snape, not some ruddy field trip. 'Sides, there's nothing them Stranglers is good fer! Yeh can't brew 'em into potions an stuff, so quit dawdling, an hurry up. We gotta arrive there 'fore sundown!'

Before Severus even had time to protest, Hagrid turned and strode off again. They stumbled in his wake, barely keeping up.

Lily knew Severus was furious. This trip was not turning out to be exactly what he anticipated. He thought they'd either be dealing with some of Kettleburn's magical creatures, or go to the forest in search of fodder for those same creatures.

In either case, he had insisted on getting a bag along, hoping to collect (as he usually did when on clandestine forest trips with her) ingredients for his potions. Unfortunately, he had no time to meander along and gather stuff, as he had expected, for they had been walking (running, almost) at break-neck speed and even, she, Lily, who was used to Hagrid's ways, had never come this deep into the forest with the Gamekeeper.

They were going due North, towards the distant mountains. Hagrid had told them before they set out, that he had been sent to investigate unconfirmed reports of a Muggle sighting in the forest and that they would be accompanying him as witnesses. It was a strange task, and Severus had argued it was impossible for any Muggle to wander into Hogwarts territory, but Hagrid had said that if Dumbledore suspected it, then it was possible.

'Anyways, the Forest isn't as well-protected as 't Castle itself, Snape,' Hagrid had said, looking disapprovingly at him and Lily, 'and yeh both know it! Yer encounter wi' them wizards in 't forest is why yer both in detention, right?'

And shoving a flowery pink umbrella under one arm, and a crossbow in the other, he had led them into the forest.

Lily was panting now, but still some way ahead of Severus. Hagrid strode on ahead, his huge frame parting the higher branches as though they were twigs. The forest was denser here, and Lily thought some of the branches seemed to have been woven together in an unnatural way, forming crude barriers about a yard or two above the forest floor. She had to duck beneath some and push others out of the way so that when she finally caught up with Hagrid, who had stopped some distance ahead, her hands were covered in scratches and her hair pulled out raggedly from the ponytail she had tied it in.

Hagrid had stopped at the edge of a small clearing. In the dim green light filtering from the canopy above, she could see that at the trees at the other edge of the clearing stood further apart, or, rather, the branches were not intertwined such as the ones they had just been through, giving the impression they were wider. She noticed many hoof-marks on the mossy parts of the Forest Floor and with a sinking feeling, she realised that maybe Hagrid had led them to the herd of Thestrals he was so proud of.

A noise behind her made her turn round and Severus stumbled into the clearing. There were several scratches across his face and pine needles and twigs in his hair, but his bag looked suspiciously bulky. Probably he had managed to gather something, in spite of their pace.

'Are we going to bloody well stop, any time soon?' he growled. 'What was Dumbledore thinking, sending us on a wild goose chase? We're not going to find any Muggles here! I thought we were supposed to be learning something more than –' but he stopped, his eyes widening in amazement and fixed on something beyond her left shoulder.

She whirled round, and from between the trees on the opposite end of the clearing a white, ethereal creature was emerging. It was tall, very tall and so white that it seemed to shine with a light of its own. At first she thought it was the ghost of a woman, for long, silky white hair came down sleekly at its side, but when the creature emerged fully into the clearing, she realised that her body merged at the waist into that of a slender, white mare.

A centaur! She had heard of them of course. Hagrid had even said he'd met them, and mentioned some of their names, but he always referred to them in the masculine sense. It didn't occur to her that there could be females.

Which was ridiculous, of course. Every species had its females and young. And this particular centaur (or Centauress) was definitely female.

As she walked towards Hagrid, picking her way over the uneven ground on long legs that ended in small, delicate hooves like those of a unicorn, her white flanks and deep chest gleamed brightly. Lily was left in no doubt that this was an example of the female of their kind, for her upper half, that in human form, was dressed in nothing more than a brown leather belt that pressed itself into the soft flesh between her breasts, and held a quiver of arrows at her back. A wooden bow, strung taut, was clasped in her left hand.

As she drew closer, towering majestically over them (at least 16 hands at the withers, Lily thought) and about eye level with Hagrid, Lily saw that her skin was just the faintest of pink, slightly ruddier on her cheeks and lips. Her face was fine-boned, with a chiselled look that gave her a haughty expression, and her eyes were a very pale blue – almost colourless, like those of an albino.

She stopped a few feet away from Hagrid and eyed them coldly.

'Good e'enin, Arna,' Hagrid said, 'I came from the long way, like you said.'

'Who are these other humans you have brought with you?' her voice was high and cold.

'They bin sent to learn the ways of the Forest, Arna. They're only foals.'

Lily heard Severus snort angrily behind her. No doubt he objected to being described as a 'foal'.

Arna swished her magnificent long white tail and took a few steps closer to them. Lily took an involuntary step backwards, and bumped into Severus as the centaur towered over her, but the colourless eyes observed her coldly, and then moved on to Severus, who stood at her side. She risked a glance at her friend and was rather surprised to see he looked rather uncomfortable under the centaurs' scrutiny.

Well, it wasn't every day a boy his age was confronted by a half-naked female centaur.

'These are students from the school,' Arna told Hagrid, 'This is a female student. I recognise her: she befriended the Spirit of the Forest once. And this one-' she turned to Severus, 'this one is reaching man-height. You know we do not allow anyone near us in foaling season, Hagrid – not even the centaurs!'

'Right you are,' Hagrid said, unperturbed, 'if you lead us on to where we can remove our own from your foaling-grounds, we will be on our way'

The centauress hesitated a second, then, with another swish of her long white tail, she turned towards the distant trees.

'Follow me,' she said.

Mystified, Lily glanced at Severus but he shook his head. He had no idea either what they were talking about, but Hagrid was speaking again.

'Arna —are yeh sure it was a Muggle?'

'It's coat was strange, but I did not say whether or not it was a wandbearer. Such conclusions must be Albus Dumbledore's.'

'Well, 't Headmaster's conclusions are uncannily correct, yeh'll find,' Hagrid said, nodding sagely, 'And did yeh see who done it, by any chance?'

Lily saw Arna's head turn towards Hagrid, her silky white hair rippling back from her head.

'We centaurs do not concern ourselves with the affairs of man,' she replied haughtily, 'but Mars has been glowing brightly for some time now; the Spirit of the Forest is dead, and the Hellbore smoke circles are widening,'

'Ah, yes... er... right, the Hellbore... whatsits...'

Lily could see by his frown that this time Hagrid was just at a loss as she was at Arna's words. She and Severus were bringing up the rear again, as both Hagrid's giant steps, and the female centaur's four-legged ones, were far quicker.

They walked for half an hour in dense forest. Lily was sure they were being observed. Barely-there shadows flickered between the distant trees trunks, fleetingly quick, and gone before she could focus on the spot they had been. Perhaps they were the other female centaurs, she did not know. Their shyness reminded her of deer.

And of her doe: the centaurs knew about her too, apparently. She wondered if she knew that it was because of her that the Spirit of the Forest had died. She hadn't known she'd been observed by the Centaurs. She wished she hadn't been reminded of the callous killing of her gentle deer, she felt bad enough about it, for every forest glade, every green shaft of light that made it through the canopy above, reminded her of the gentle, magical creature.

She had never even asked or found out what, exactly, had made the doe magical. Why she was called the 'Spirit of the Forest'. To her, it was simply because the animal had represented all that was good about the forest: from its balance and harmony, down to the littlest thing, like the earthy smell of the forest floor, the dew sparkling on the new leaves in spring...

She pushed all thoughts of that animal from her mind.

Her death inevitably reminded her of all that was NOT good in the forest, and she felt a sense of foreboding envelope her. Just as the last warmth of the afternoon was dwindling, so were her spirits.

Distracted, she stumbled on a root and felt Severus' steadying hand as he held her arm to stop her from falling. She gave him a wan smile.

'You tired?' he asked.

''m alright' she answered, shivering slightly.

Severus looked at her in concern. His thin cheeks had an unusually high colour because of the unaccustomed jog through the woods. She shouldn't be feeling this cold.

Just then Arna stopped.

'This is where I leave you,' she said, motioning to the trees ahead, 'Straight on from here about 100 paces, you will find an Elder tree of 30 rings' growth. You will find what you seek between the tree and the old wall.'

Hagrid thanked her and Arna stood still, ghostly pale in the gathering gloom as they walked past her towards the indicated path. She remained in that position until the dense forest covered her from view.

'Did they really find someone here, Hagrid?' Lily asked, to keep her mind from wandering to maudlin events, 'What if they're hurt or something?'

'If that were so, Dumbledore would've gone himself, or sent one 'o of the teachers,' he answered, ' Now keep yer eyes open fer an elder tree, Them confounded centaurs can tell the age by its growth rings, but I'm darned if I knew how they do it wi'out choppin it down! Doan want ter miss it!'

Lily obediently scoured the trees ahead for a while, but she had the distinct impression that Hagrid was uncomfortable. She turned to Severus, but he anticipated her.

'If it's a Muggle it'll probably be beyond any help,' he explained dispassionately, 'It had no business coming here anyway!'

'Stop calling a Muggle 'it'!' Lily snapped, suddenly angry, 'How can you be so hard-hearted?'

Severus looked at her in surprise for a moment, before the familiar closed look descended on his features once more. She thought that she was perhaps, transferring the rage she felt at the Doe's death onto him. But after all, her parents were Muggles, for Merlin's sake! He was referring to them as animals.

'There it be!' Hagrid called out suddenly.

Lily forged ahead, unthinking. She didn't know why she was suddenly so upset, but this particular field trip was turning out to be very unpleasant for her too. She didn't know what 'survival tools' she was supposed to be learning, but from the looks of it, she was going to have to endure more death and gloom.

Well, it was detention she supposed, and it was never intended to be pleasant.

They had come up to a large tree with thick trunk and pale green leaves and clusters of small white flowers. She looked around, but couldn't see anything. What had Arna said? She had mentioned a broken wall.

Lily looked between the tree trunks – they were not growing so densely in this part of the forest, and immediately spotted a tall, crumbling structure in the distance that could only be a wall. It was mossy, and overgrown with weeds and climbing plants, but she could see the stonework beneath and recognised it. This was part of Hogwarts boundary walls. She made her way towards the wall with some trepidation.

She almost tripped on the body. It was half hidden by the lush growth of wild ferns, and barely visible. The light blue colour of jeans amid the sea of green was the only thing that gave it away. Lily parted back the tall ferns.

The man was lying face down in that perfectly-still way that indicated death, not sleep or unconsciousness. Some leaves had fallen over him, but there were no signs of violence. Lily was steeling herself to turn him over, when she heard Hagrid come up behind her.

With a suppressed oath, Hagrid knelt down near the man's body and placed his hand on his shoulders. Severus too caught up with them, and bent over to watch Hagrid, a frown deepening on his forehead.

'Ain't even stiff anymore,' Hagrid said, and he turned him over.

Lily shrieked.

As the man's body was flipped round, the head lolled back and she saw the smooth youthful face of a teenager – 18 or 19 perhaps, but his young face was brutally disfigured by small slash wounds clumsily carved out by a small knife or dagger. Congealed blood, to which twigs and dried leaves had stuck, obscured his face, but still Lily could make out the bloodied word 'Muggle' carved out clumsily on both cheeks of the young man's face.

'Bloody 'ell!' Hagrid whispered softly.

The sightless brown eyes looked up at Lily reproachfully from the gory mess that must have once been a handsome face. He reminded her a bit of Remus, for he had the same thick brown hair and slightly hollowed cheeks, but the expression on the dead youths face was one of anguish. It was there, frozen on his face like a mask, beneath all the muck and gore, more grotesque, even, than the wounds on his cheeks, for it was an expression that should never be seen on a young face.

It struck Lily to the core, a deathly icicle that bore its way through to her heart, freezing her thoughts. But only momentarily, for the piercing cold awoke an inflaming reaction. What had he done to deserve this? Just because he was a Muggle? What cowardly witch or wizard could wreak such havoc upon someone so ill-equipped to combat it? She felt her hands ball into fists, and blinked rapidly as tears prickled behind her eyes. She had heard of Muggle torture of course, but it was something she had seen written in the _Daily Prophet _- factual and dry little articles outlined in black. Muggle torture did not stare up at you accusingly inches away from your feet, so blatantly cruel and so undeniably _real._

Hagrid's huge hand passed gently over the youths' face and the light brown eyes were closed forever. A tiny beetle was crawling across the youths' pale forehead.

Lily bent over and flicked the beetle off, shuddering slightly as her fingers made contact with the cold, waxy skin of his face. She crushed the necrophiliac skin beetle savagely beneath her shoes.

'They must've lobbed his body o'er the wall,' Hagrid said.

''They' who?' Lily asked, barely recognising her own hate-strangled voice.

'Ah, couldn't say, fer sure, Lily,' Hagrid answered sadly 'but judgin' by his face, I'd say this was Death Eater work. Possibly tossed over 't wall as a message to Dumbledore. The Headmaster has been very outspoken recently in favour o' decent wizarding folks protectin' their Muggle neighbours in this war. Earned him some harsh criticism, you know.'

Hagrid sighed and put his arms beneath the body.

'Anyway, best get going. Dumbledore will want to know about this, and we have to get out of the centaurs' foaling grounds. They don't take kindly to intrusions, this time 'o the year.'

And with that, Hagrid slung his crossbow over his back and lifted the youth's sad remains into his hands.

'Follow me close, yer two. It's gettin' dark, an I don't want ter lose you!' and he set off towards the trees.

Lily followed, her eyes on the dead, dangling arm visible behind Hagrid's broad back, and the only indication of what burden the gamekeeper was carrying. She heard Severus fall into step beside her.

'It's not true, you know,' he started.

'What's not true?' she bit out, sensing a conflict but too mad with indignation to try and prevent it.

'That,' he nodded towards the dead body in Hagrid's arms, 'It's not Death Eater work.'

'And how would _you_ know?'

'I don't. But I think that it is a rather pointless killing, and Death Eaters would not kill unless there is a very good reason to.'

'Again: how would _you_ know what they consider as a good enough reason? Or is this information _reserved_ for Death Eater wannabes like Rosier, or that Lestrange bloke you hang around with?'

'Leave my friends out of this! Why d'you have to drag _them_ in, whenever you hear the words 'Death Eater'?' Severus spat, getting angry in turn, 'Besides, I have another theory about why that Muggle ended up there!'

'What? He went for a walk in the middle of the Highlands and got lost?' she retorted sarcastically, 'You know Muggles can't see Hogwarts – he might be a wizard after all!'

'On the contrary, I'm fairly sure it's a Muggle.'

'I said don't call him that!'

She stopped, her raised angry voice startled some roosting birds above, but Hagrid, who had already drawn far ahead, did not hear. Severus stopped too, his face white and eyes narrowed in hatred.

'Fine! 'he' then!' he hissed, ' Whatever he is, he is a Muggle, and nothing will change that. I don't know who threw that Muggle's carcass over the wall, but I know that Dumbledore's behind all this!'

_'What?_'

'Why did he send us out to the very place we were caught trespassing on? Why did he say we had to learn 'life's lessons' here? And how did he know about the Muggle?'

'Will you listen to yourself, Severus?' Lily said, her voice trembling with rage as she started moving again, 'You're raving!'

Why was Severus so mule-headedly determined to mistrust Dumbledore? He had never forgiven him for sequestering that old book, but really, this was taking things too far! And he wasn't even sorry for that poor dead boy! She glanced ahead and though she could still hear Hagrid's crashing footsteps in the undergrowth, he was too far ahead to be seen.

Severus had fallen in step again and to her dismay, had picked up the subject again.

'Dumbledore said we needed to learn one of 'life's lessons', didn't he?' he continued, bitterly. 'And this was detention, right? He thinks he can show me the errors of my ways, and you, the dangers of wandering the forest with me, don't you see? So what better way to do it than have us see the mangled body of a -'

'Are you bloody_ blind_, Severus? Didn't you see what was carved into that boys face?'

'It was done with a knife. Why use a Muggle knife? Pretty clumsy too. Someone really had it in for that Muggle, but why Death Eaters? There are loads of witches and wizards who take their revenge on their Muggle neighbours, without the Ministry ever finding out. And this could be such a case – unreasonable mangling of Muggles just to prove a point.'

'Muggle-baiting, you mean.'

'No, that's done for pleasure.'

She winced at his callous words. It was like a cold shower and she stopped to stare at him, as though seeing him for the first time.

'Pleasure...' she repeated, in a deadpan voice, her eyes never leaving his face.

Severus slowed down, but the look inside his eyes was now unreadable. They were cold and dead, and she could not see anything beneath their black surface.

'Yes, pleasure, Lily. Some wizards have bizarre tastes, I guess,' he shrugged 'and, in my opinion, waste their magic with such pastimes,'

She was about to tell him exactly what she thought about such 'pastimes', but Severus continued speaking, his voice low and so vicious that even she was taken aback ;

'And before you start your self-righteous accusations against Death Eaters,' he hissed, 'I'll have you know that during that last raid on that Muggle nightclub in Hampshire – the one that was splashed all over the _Prophet,_ - the 'rape and pillage' they quoted was carried out by Aurors, not Death Eaters! Apparently the capture of a couple of the Dark Lord's followers went to their heads, and they ran amok!'

'I don't believe you!'

'Of course not, if that rubbish newspaper is your only source of information! But I know better. Aurors can use unforgivable curses with Crouch's blessing, and some of the new recruits in Auror Department are just itching to use them. They know they will not be investigated too closely: they're described as the wizarding world's 'young heroes', at the forefront of the fight against evil, aren't they? Nobody is going to touch the Ministry's elite. Besides – no '_priori incantatem'_ spells are going to reveal the stuff they did – like rape!'

'They wouldn't!'

'Oh yes, they would!' he shot back 'Twas a Muggle nightclub, wasn't it? Plenty of sluttish Muggle girls there. And they had the audacity to blame what they did on Death Eaters, as though any one of the Dark Lords followers would taint themselves with that kind of Muggle filth...'

'Oh, really? So Death Eaters dropped into that club for a friendly drink with their Muggle neighbours?' she retorted, feeling the ice cold core in her centre pass, shivering, through her whole body and mutate into sharp spikes of red-hot fury that prickled at her very skin.

He did not answer her.

'I know what they think about Muggles, Severus, and I'm sure they would not 'taint' as you call it, any of their so-called pure blood with any formal ties to Muggles, but I'm sure they would not be above a spot of rape here and there, don't you think? Quite an amusing pastime for Death Eaters, I'm sure – or – hang on, perhaps it's an example of Muggle-baiting. You said it was done for _pleasure_...'

She felt that her sneer could have matched his own, but she didn't care. Severus' face was in shadow now, for it was twilight, but she thought she'd scored a point, for there was no getting away from the fact that Death Eaters hated Muggles. In face of the dwindling numbers of pure-blood families, they feared the sheer number of Muggles. For them, one less Muggle, like that poor boy in Hagrid's arms, was good news.

'Some Muggles deserve it!'

The words were spoken so low that she barely hear them but there was no mistaking the pure hatred Severus managed to infuse into his words. With that he whirled round and marched off into the gloaming light between the trees.

It took her a few seconds to realise who he was speaking about.

'Not all Muggles are like your father, Severus!' she shouted after him, but the darkness had swallowed him up and all she could hear were the innocent sounds of the small forest night creatures, as they went about their business totally unaware, and uncaring, of the tides of war that was washing back and forth over the microcosm of their existence.


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter 100: The Broom Cupboard**

Severus glanced back at the Gargoyle behind him as it moved back into position, guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore had questioned him closely about the young man's body they had found in the Forbidden Forest.

At first Severus did not understand why the Headmaster couldn't just hear it from the Gamekeeper. After all, Dumbledore trusted that lumbering, monster-obsessed oaf more than he did him. But if his theory was correct, then the Headmaster just wanted to see their reaction (once again, Lily had been called into the office before him).

When it was his turn, he had been positive that Dumbledore would try to use Legilimency on him again, so he went in well prepared, his face emotionless and still, already half sunk into the Occlumency state.

But Dumbledore had just stuck to factual questions, and did not try Legilimency at all. He confirmed that the body did indeed belong to a Muggle, and the Ministry had been alerted so that his family could be found.

Severus had done his own research of course. The Muggle did, in fact, die in that Hampshire nightclub he had mentioned to Lily.

Who killed the Muggle he did not know, but a Death Eater had been killed by Aurors in that nightclub, that same night. Rabastan Lestrange told him it was a certain Rowle, one of the Dark Lord's older recruits. The Muggle might just have been caught in the cross-fire, his body used in revenge against Dumbledore – and not only because of his outspoken views on Muggle rights.

Rabastan told him that Dumbledore had founded a group of witches and wizards who had vowed to destroy the Dark Lord and his rebel army.

That was why the Headmaster had been absent so often from Hogwarts. Lestrange said they had called themselves The Order of the Phoenix and the Dark Lord's spies had confirmed even Ministry Aurors had been enrolled as members. Further proof that the Ministry was corrupt through and through. It was Dumbledore's Order that had alerted the Ministry to the presence of Death Eaters in Hampshire.

The Order of the Phoenix.

He snorted derisively as he set off down the 7th floor corridor. Typical to call themselves after Dumbledore's pet bird! Its plumage was even a typically Gryffindorian red and gold!

However, at the end of the interview, Severus had the distinct impression that Dumbledore was worried in some way. The uncomfortable thought that he had given away his thoughts by _not_ giving away anything, crossed his mind.

Or perhaps he had learnt more from Lily. Severus had toyed with the idea of teaching her Occlumency, but somehow he did not think she would excel at it as she did with other subjects. She was too open and honest to really even see the point of learning it, probably. Besides, he would have to reveal exactly how he got to learn, and she was annoyed with him enough not to want to add to it.

Since their detention in the Forest, she had been rather cold towards him. They had lost sight of Hagrid after their argument that night, but had followed, mostly in a tense silence, the large footprints and broken twigs and branches left behind by the Gamekeeper, until they eventually caught up with him some half-hour later.

Lily had remained silent throughout, her eyes fixed upon the limp arm of the dead youth she could see in Hagrid's arms, and something seemed to have died in her green eyes that night.

In hindsight, he knew she must have been upset to see a mangled body. Lily was easily upset at seeing any form of suffering, and she had a maddening habit of always trying it 'fix' it. She didn't realise that suffering made you powerful. It built up your defences like nothing else did (if you survived, that is) and protected – erased even – your vulnerabilities.

So it was foolish of her to expect him to go to pieces at the sight of the dead Muggle – much less admit that it was directly the Dark Lord's doing. The Dark Lord had far more important things to do than toss bodies over Hogwarts Walls – the Dark Lord had the responsibility for saving the wizarding world – magic itself – from sure extinction at the hands of the hordes of Muggles, and Muggle-loving fools, who were so determined to push it to the brink of extinction.

Not that the pure-blood zealots were going about it in the right way either: their inbreeding was causing more harm than good to their cause. Now, half-bloods, on the other hand, had the right amount of hybrid vigour necessary for magic to survive, and if magic was strong in any witch or wizard, that should matter more than their lineage. He thought the Dark Lord understood this, for he hand-picked the elite in his inner circle based on their devotion to magic itself, and to the cause.

Muggle-borns like Lily, whose magic was so strong that it couldn't be ignored, would have their status regularised by marriage. A blood tie that would be indissoluble and protect her from the over-zealous. Last year, he had dismissed such rumours about the new order of things, as products of the over-fertile, prurient imagination of blokes like Avery and Mulciber, who often enjoyed themselves in the boy's dorms describing their future harem of second-class, muggleborn slave-witches. However, he knew now, that there was an inkling of truth to their fantasies, though he still had not found out exactly what the Dark Lord's intention was.

He found himself, lost in thoughts, in front of a tapestry of ridiculously-dressed trolls half-way down the seventh-floor corridor that led to the stairs.

He shook himself angrily. Now was not the time to daydream, besides, he had still to try and get back in Lily's good books. She had hardly spoken to him in the two days that lapsed since their detention, and had spent most of the time studying in the Gryffindor common-room. From her strained face, this was not turning out to be too productive though. Or perhaps it was the effect of Dumbledore's interview.

She hadn't wanted to tell him what they spoke about.

Dumbledore.

He frowned. It was in this very corridor that he had approached them once in their second year when they had been looking for a disappearing broom cupboard somewhere along the blank wall opposite the tapestry.

He looked at the innocently-blank wall opposite Barnabas the Barmy's tapestry, still frowning. He walked over to the end of the corridor, where a large vase decorated with dragons stood in a niche. Even back then, Dumbledore had told Lily, in not so many words, to keep him, Severus, out of trouble.

Typical. He looked at the blank wall again, wondering, in the back of his mind, why a broom cupboard needed to disappear at all. Only Filch used them. He recalled how he and Lily had hidden in it on their very first day at Hogwarts. They had been running away from Peeves, for he, Severus, had insisted on taking Lily to the Library.

He wondered if he was the one to have influenced Lily all these years, rather than the other way around, as the Headmaster had so obviously intended. His frown deepened as he retraced his steps. It was his fault she had been in detention after all, just as it had been that very first day, when he led her along the then-unfamiliar seventh-floor corridor.

A bad influence.

He had heard those words applied to him many times before, both in the Muggle and the magical world, and he had always taken it in his stride – after all, influence was influence, and good or bad depended largely on perspectives.

True, he carefully preserved each insult, each snide remark, in his mind, fully intending to retrieve them at the appropriate time, when his_ influence_ would command respect, and then he'd shove them down each one of his denigrators' throats! He knew who he was and what he wanted - he always did.

In recent months, however, he had exposed his friend to danger, many times.

True, the Karkaroffs were out of the way now. Well, Igor had still, surprisingly, evaded capture and was somewhere out there. But he was on the run, and his mind was no longer engrossed with finding the book any more. He had something he considered more precious to find now.

So he and Lily could walk the streets with as much fearlessness as any other witch or wizard dared do in this war.

As for his 'influence' – good or bad – over Lily, well – she was _Lily_: irrepressibly, unequivocally, _her._ He couldn't have imagined anyone else like her. Other girls were ridiculously predictable, but Lily was different. She had a knack of throwing him off-balance such as no-one else had, and her buoyant optimism, her vitality, her enthusiasm and wildly careless disregard of wizarding norms, even her penchant for seeing everything and everyone through rose-tinted spectacles that so irritated him on occasion, were so indescribably _Lily Evans_ that he had no wish to see anything different.

And then there was her magic. It was pure, unadulterated power and so incredibly strong that the sheer force of it left him breathless, especially on those occasions when they had shared wands. No other muggleborn he knew had that kind of magic. A couple of years ago, he had even entertained the idea that a wizard was her real father, not Mr Evans. He had heard of such stories. Of course, he had kept this idea to himself. Lily would probably slap him about the face if he dared suggest something so scabrous!

Since then he had been forced to admit that, despite the many pureblood writings to the contrary, magical ability was not conserved, much less strengthened, by exclusive inbreeding. It might work for breeding animals, but with witches and wizards, the rules of genetics were different.

And Lily certainly did not fall in any category he knew of.

It worried him sometimes, and he wished she could change some of her views, for they were dangerous, but he knew Lily would not be swayed, and he did not wish to see the lively light in her eyes dimmed.

It had, on occasion.

He took a deep breath and sighed. He would just have to ensure he did both the thinking and the worrying for her.

He was about to leave the corridor with the troll tapestry and the blank wall, when he realised that the wall was no longer blank.

A door had appeared about midway along its length and he had been so lost in thoughts, pacing up and down, that he did not realise immediately.

He went over to it cautiously, drawing his wand, feeling the thrill of discovery - something he hadn't felt in ages. He was not so naive about barging in through disappearing doors as he had been when he first entered it, four years ago.

Carefully, he pushed the door open and peered inside.

It was smaller than he remembered, and smelt of cleaning powders. Mops and brooms were propped against the wall and buckets and rags occupied the floor. It was broom cupboard, nothing more. The same one that had saved them from Peeves back in first year.

Feeling slightly disappointed, he was about to go out when something in the corner of the dimly-lit space caught his eye. It was a broom, but he recognised the shape as that of a racing broom, not a cleaning broom.

Severus smirked. Obviously Filch was hiding more than his cleaning material in the cupboard. No wonder he had chosen a disappearing broom cupboard to hide this particular broom. Probably the room was triggered open when someone thought about it. He was not surprised – so many of the doors at Hogwarts behaved strangely. Well, the man was a Squib, and violently bitter about it. He had confiscated this out of spite, or perhaps because he wanted to have a go on it.

It was very old-fashioned, rather large and cumbersome, but nonetheless, Severus saw it was one of the school's Quidditch broomsticks. More than that, he thought he recognised something special about it.

He went in and took it into his hands, turning the rather large, carved handle over so that he could see beneath. There was nothing there, but he passed his wand over it with a muttered incantation, and his name 'Severus Snape' written in clumsy, jagged letters, came into view.

He felt like a lump of hot coal had settled in his stomach and his mouth set in a bitter line. It was the broomstick Potter and Black had tricked him into using back in first year! It had a Hurling Curse on it, and had almost broken his neck then. He was about to toss it furiously back in its corner, when an idea crossed his mind.

He had never owned a broomstick, and during his stay at the Rosiers last Christmas, when he had ridden on the fastest, latest, models all over the Rosier estates, he had been reminded of what possibilities would be open to him if he had a broomstick.

After all, he was good with curses: both at casting them and at breaking them. A Hurling Curse shouldn't be a problem for him.

Making sure no-one was looking, he grabbed the broom and headed straight for the stairs that led downstairs.

The door to the broom cupboard melted away into a blank wall behind him.

XXXXXXXX

Lily watched Severus across the Ancient Runes classroom, a deep frown furrowing her forehead. He was sitting next to Frank Longbottom and was bent over his book on Runes, carefully scribbling notes into the margins of his book, not even bothering to look up at Professor Clynderwen. She wondered if he was even really writing notes on Ancient Runes at all, for he had a habit of using the margins of his book for any subject that took his fancy: a remembered spell, an idea for a potion, a new use for an old ingredient: he managed all that, as well as actually pay attention to what the teacher was saying.

Well, she couldn't really see what he was doing, for she had made a point of sitting next to Xenia Lovegood, and had ignored him when he came in. They were the only representatives of their respective houses for Ancient Runes, and usually always sat together.

Except today.

She tore her eyes off him with difficulty and looked down at her own textbook, trying to concentrate on the intricacies of the different declensions of the Nominative and Accusative of the ancient language they were studying.

She stole a glance at Xenia, who was fiddling absent-mindedly with one of her many braids, but the vacant look in her blue eyes told her the girl's mind was miles away. She sighed and tried to focus on Professor Clynderwen's wrinkled face, but her eyes were once again drawn of their own accord to Severus.

She bit the end of her quill, frowning. She hated not talking to him. It was a self-imposed misery, of course, she knew that. She didn't know why she was doing it. Why was she so angry with him? Did she expect him to apologise? And for what, exactly? For trying to foist the blame of all those Death Eater atrocities on some berserk Aurors? For not feeling properly sorry for the dead Muggle whose body they had been sent to retrieve a few days ago? For believing that that boy deserved it, just because he was a Muggle, and for thinking that all Muggles, like his father, were nothing more than stupid animals, threatening the stability of the wizarding world?

That boy had had a name, for Merlin's sake! Dumbledore had told her. He was called Andrew Ridgely, a nineteen-year-old car mechanic from the north of Hampshire! She had lain awake at night wondering how Dumbledore, or the Ministry, would break the news of his death to his mother and father, wondering if he had any brothers or sisters, or a even a girlfriend.

She was roused out of her reverie by Professor Caradoc Clynderwen's voice.

'... to write a simple invitation, addressing it to Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation of our counterpart Ministry in Norway, inviting him to a Conference, to be hosted here, on our homeland, on the Strengthening of Ties between Magical Communities, through the sharing of knowledge and traditional goodwill of our host Department,' Clynderwen said, with a smile that pushed his deep wrinkles up over his eyes, 'May I remind you that similar questions may come up in your forthcoming exam, so please put some effort into it!'

Lily glanced down at her textbook, slightly flustered. It would have to be a formal request, and she wasn't too good at that. Her book was not much of an inspiration. It was not covered in cramped notes like Severus's was.

There _were_ some notes, written in her much larger, and rather untidy, handwriting, but they were interspersed with imaginative little doodles and various embellishments. Scribbled across one particularly large doodle of a flower and some burgeoning hearts, was the word 'Pathetic!' in tiny, cramped handwriting. She smiled in spite of herself. She had drawn that on purpose, knowing Severus wouldn't be able to resist scrawling exactly what he thought of it.

She glanced once more across the room to where Severus sat. He was already scribbling away, and looked bored, for he had a flair for the language - many languages - so this was probably easy stuff for him. Frank Longbottom was peering hopefully at Severus' work, but the small handwriting, and the fact that Severus tended to hunch over his work, defeated him.

It took Severus only a few moments and he was ready. He turned his parchment over, probably to stop Longbottom from looking at it.

Lily was half-hoping he'd look in her direction, but he did not. He went back to scribbling on his textbook and completely ignored her.

She felt a twinge of regret. It was always so whenever they quarrelled. She was now worried that she'd offended him and he wouldn't speak to her again!

She sighed in frustration. Why was she always the one to end up feeling bad about it? Probably Severus was relieved not to have her nagging him about Muggle rights any more.

With a sigh, Lily looked down at her own blank parchment and started to laboriously write the required invitation.

Several minutes later, Professor Clynderwen stood up.

'Time's up. Now, I want this to be an exercise in translation, as well as writing, so I want you to hand over what you've just written to your desk partner, and I will ask you to interpret what your classmate has written.'

There was some anxious muttering at this. Nobody particularly wanted their neighbour to look at their glaring mistakes, but there was no arguing with Clynderwen, and they all grudgingly handed over their parchment to the one sitting next to them. That's why he said 'put some effort into it', Lily thought, as she handed her parchment to Xenia. Beneath the frailty of the old Professor's appearance, there was the indomitable confidence of some 80-odd years of teaching experience.

'Mr Snape, you are an excellent language student, how about you start off, then,' the teacher said, turning to Severus.

Lily grinned as she saw Severus smirk, and Frank Longbottom's face fall comically.

'And do please stand up,' Professor Clynderwen continued.

This time, Severus scowled. Lily's grin became wider. Severus hated standing up in front of the class. He said that it was the sort of thing for the likes of Potter. However, stand up he did, picked up Longbottom's parchment, and read it silently, one eyebrow raised.

Lily knew that look. It usually preceded a sarcastic remark about something or someone.

Finally, Severus cleared his throat.

'I'd rather not, sir,' he said.

'Why ever not, Mr Snape?' Clynderwen looked surprised.

'It may not be appropriate, Sir'

'Oh, I'm sure there are some mistakes here and there, Mr Snape, but you are capable enough of making the right adjustments to Longbottom's writing'

'If you insist, Sir,' Severus replied in a deadpan voice, and he looked down at the parchment in his hand and started reading, a sneer playing about his lips, '_Dear Mr Brunsvol, Order of Fafnir, First Class, we would be very honoured if you could participate in some licentious festivities organised by Mr Stamford, our Head of International Magical Cooperation. This will take place in his home, where Mrs Jessica Rodgers, a witch with very big ... er ... bosoms, will be eager to please you in the name of International cooperation, and ...'_

His voice was drowned out by howls of laughter from the whole class. Frank Longbottom's face was on fire, but old Clynderwen was looking at Severus in bewilderment.

'Mr Snape, are you making this up, or –?'

'Just minor adjustments, Professor,' Severus said, drily, ' otherwise, Longbottom's invitation would be unreadable due to its friendly overtures of pornography, rather than grammatical mistakes. I toned down the anatomical mistranslation of 'big heart', but I'm afraid Mrs Rogers is furthermore described as being in a rather compromising position beneath the person of the Minister himself. Reading between the lines, it may be Longbottom's attempt at writing 'Undersecretary'. He ... ah ...went for a _literal _translation, I guess.'

The class howled with laughter. Two Ravenclaw boys were thumping their hands on the desk. Poor Frank, he wasn't any good at Ancient Runes. She tried not to laugh at his expense, but this was hilarious! She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and watched as Frank Longbottom snatched his parchment out of Severus's hands, his face flaming red.

Severus had probably enjoyed thumbing his nose at the Ministry through the hapless Frank's awful piece of work.

A smirk firmly on his face, Severus sat down, but just as he did so, he glanced briefly in her direction. He held her gaze for a moment, his smile faltering, but she couldn't hide the wide grin that was on her face, and she beamed at him.

Then Clynderwen approached their desk, demanding to see the offending invitation. Longbottom handed it to him, throwing Severus a dirty look. But Severus didn't even notice. He was back to scribbling in the margins of his book while the old Professor gazed, eyebrows raised, at Longbottom's parchment.

A small, relieved smile curled Severus lips as he worked, which she somehow found endearing. Sleek black hair half-hid his face, draping itself well beyond the nape of his neck as he hunched over his book. Lily kept on looking and sure enough, while Clynderwen tried to restore order in the giggly classroom, Severus looked up from beneath the curtain of dark hair and caught her eyes.

No words were needed, really. She knew everything was alright again between them.


	101. Chapter 101

**A/N : I have been posting one chapter a week regularly since 2009, but just now, before starting on the last 12 months of this fic, I will be skipping a week or two in order to get a bit further ahead, and make sure I've explained everything and gathered up any loose ends, etc. **

**Although the main storyline has been in my head since the beginning, I'd also like some time to think on how best to present the rest of the story. Fifth year, especially, is going to be very exciting, but challenging.**

**I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my Beta, TuesdayNovember, for her excellent work and patience in going through such an enormously long fic, and a big thanks to all you guys who read it! I will be ready with the next chapters soon, and in the meantime I hope you enjoy this conclusion to Sev and Lily's Fourth year.**

**Chapter 101: The Farewell Party.**

Lily came out of greenhouse four with Mary MacDonald and Thalia Swanson, looking ruefully at the green gunk beneath her fingernails. She tried not to think of it as green blood. They had just had their Herbology exam, and they had had to uproot and prepare mandrake roots. The human-like figure beneath the soil always made her squeamish, despite Professor Sprout's assurance that it was one of the Mandrake's many defence mechanisms, and that it was, really, just a plant. She hoped she'd done well enough in the exam, for she kept closing her eyes before cutting up the mud-coloured root-figures.

It was a beautiful day, and the breeze was definitely refreshing after the humid, smelly stuffiness of the greenhouse. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had had their Herbology exam first, and they were now dispersing over castle grounds in search of some shade.

'Oooo, cooee! Jake! Hey, Jakey!' Thalia shouted suddenly, spotting a tall sixth-year Ravenclaw boy.

Lily recognised him as her new boyfriend from Ravenclaw.

Jake grinned at her and she pulled him, giggling, in the narrow space between greenhouses three and four, which was half-hidden by overhanging ivy. As they passed by, Lily saw Mary glance rather disconsolately at her best friend, as Thalia drew the Ravenclaw boy into a passionate kiss beneath the ivy.

'Jealous, aren't we?' a snide voice remarked behind them.

Cassiopeia Blackwater had come up behind them with a couple of her Slytherin friends.

'Shut it, Blackwater!' Mary said, uncharacteristically sharp.

Usually she poked fun at people in such situations, but Mary had been feeling a bit left out, now that her best friend was always off with Jake.

'You may have got rid of your pigtails, McDonald, but you still look like a demented owl with those huge glasses! The four-eyed half-blood! And as for you, –'

But she did not get to finish her sentence, for Mary MacDonald whipped out her wand and pointed it at a barrel of Dragon manure sitting in a corner of the greenhouse, right behind the snickering girls. With a hissed incantation, she made the barrel topple over and roll right over their feet, leaving them knee deep in the steaming, smelly, pile. Cassiopeia shrieked in disgust, lifting up her robes, and Lily sniggered. Knowing what a prissy little witch Cassiopeia was, this must be her worst version of a nightmare. She hadn't even thought of using her wand to shield herself.

'And you look like a dragon turd, Blackwater!' Mary sneered, 'But don't worry, I'm sure someone, _somewhere,_ will go out with you. A troll perhaps – they don't mind smells!'

'Why you - !' But Cassiopeia's friends had finally reached for their wands.

'_Protego_!' Lily's charm caused all the three Slytherin girls to stagger backwards, trampling further into the fresh dung. It was so forceful that the very air vibrated with its power. They knew no spell would break through something like that, and they gave up trying to retaliate, concentrating instead, on getting out of the mess.

'I'll get you for this, McDonald! You're nothing but a filthy half-blood hiding behind that mudblood's back. Unlike you, I have a boyfriend, and Seth's going to be livid when I tell him!'

'Mulciber doesn't scare me, Blackwater! But he _does_ fit the description of troll, doesn't he?' Mary answered with savage pleasure.

Lily nudged Mary. She was going a bit too far with this, but the Slytherin girls just shot them a venomous look, hitched up their robes to avoid the mess and left towards the castle, leaving a dark trail behind.

'C'mon, Mary! Let's go sit by the lake,' Lily suggested.

She had rarely seen Mary MacDonald in such a temper before. With her innate good humour she usually always managed to see the funny side of things. But her good nature seemed far away now as she marched, scowling, at Lily's side past the greenhouses and towards the distant lake.

There was no sign of Thalia and her boyfriend: they had retreated further into the recessed space between the greenhouses and probably hadn't heard anything, being too engrossed in one another.

Lily sat down by the water's edge and Mary flumped down beside her, still fuming. Two angry red spots suffused her pale cheeks and her thick and wavy blond hair was ruffled by the breeze so that it, too, stood up indignantly on end.

Mary tore up clumps of grass, while Lily dabbled her hands in the water, trying to clean off the last of the mandrake blood.

'She's right, you know,' Mary said after a while, still picking dissolutely at the blades of glass, 'I _do_ look like a demented owl!'

'Don't listen to her, Mary! She's nothing but an over-groomed poodle!'

Mary looked up with a smile at her words, but sobered again immediately.

'She's got a boyfriend, though.'

'So _what_? It's _Mulciber_ you're talking about, you know!'

'Yeah, well, I s'pose so. He's the worst of the lot.'

Lily thought of asking her who she meant by 'the lot' but bit her tongue.

Some distance away from the lake, beneath the spreading branches of some trees, a small group of Slytherin boys had gathered. The Slytherins had their Herbology exams that afternoon, together with the Ravenclaws. She could make out the thick-set figure of Wilkes, who had Pavo Parkinson in a friendly (or not so friendly) headlock, and was play-punching him for the benefit of some passing girls. Lily doubted whether it even crossed his mind that he was behaving like a Muggle. Rosier was sprawled on the grass, idly leafing through a book, and, in the thickest part of the shade, leaning against a crooked tree trunk, was Severus. She grinned. He was observing Wilkes's antics and scowling. Probably just a hair's breadth away from hexing him into better behaviour.

'Thalia's going out with that Jake bloke. He's Beater on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team,' Mary resumed.

'Hmm? What, sorry?' Lily was roused out of her observation and turned to look at her fellow Gryffindor.

'I said Thalia's got Jake, and even Alice has that Longbottom buzzing around her. She pretends to hate it, but I think she secretly finds it flattering. Everyone's going out with someone ...'

'No, they're not! None of the boys in our year are, and –'

'They will soon, though,' Mary, muttered peevishly, the flush in her cheeks deepening, 'Sirius and James are just so popular. Did you _see _those girls after the last match? If they don't ask someone out soon, the girls'll do it instead!'

'Mary, if you like Sirius so much, why don't you just go up and speak to him. You're so much fun around everyone, and yet you're tongue-tied around him!'

Mary put her finger on the arms of her thick glasses moving them up and down jerkily on her nose.

'Demented owl, remember?' she said, ruefully.

Lily made a noise of exasperation. 'No-one goes out with someone because they don't wear glasses, Mary! Look at Potter! _He _wears them and he's got his own fan club! Or because they're flattered by the attention, like Alice! And if that girl, Blackwater, is going out with Mulciber, she must be desperate!'

'He isn't that ugly, really...'

'But he's a horrible _bully_! Perhaps she's just doing it to be able to say she has a boyfriend, I don't know. But there's got to be something more to it, than that! So don't get your knickers in a twist because it hasn't happened yet, Mary. Perhaps you'll like someone else instead. Anyway, me and Jenny aren't going out with anyone, either.'

'Well, Jenny needs to pluck up more courage, she's terribly shy. You, on the other hand, are not: Why don't you go out with someone? You're really pretty! Boys notice you, too,' this last was said with the merest vestige of envy, but Lily was rather taken aback at the directness of the question.

_'What?_'

'You heard me,' Mary said with a grin that announced the return of her good humour, 'why don't you go out with someone?'

Without thinking about it, Lily's eyes flickered over to where Severus was standing like a disdainful dark angel over the group of Slytherin boys, and to her intense mortification, she felt herself blushing.

'You really like him, don't you?' Mary asked, quietly.

'Of course I do, he's my best friend.'

'No. I mean 'like him' as in really _like him_, you know!'

Lily made an exasperated noise, trying to hide her confusion, 'You and Thalia keep teasing me about Sev– I wish you'd stop it!'

'I mean it! I m serious this time!'

Lily looked at her in some surprise. Though not as vociferous as Alice, Mary MacDonald certainly did not approve of the reputation for Dark curses Severus had made for himself. Her opinion had plummeted further after Lily was put in detention. But now Mary wasn't looking at her disapprovingly. Instead, she looked worried.

'There's not a serious bone in your body, Mary MacDonald!' Lily chose to ignore her friend's question.

Mary said nothing else but continued to look worried as Lily's eyes wandered, of their own accord, once more to the little knot of Slytherin boys beneath the trees.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Severus sat alone in the furthest compartment of the Hogwarts Express, nursing a thumping headache.

There had been a farewell party in the Slytherin common room last night, organised by Narcissa Black, for it was her last night at Hogwarts. It had been meant for Seventh- and Sixth-year Slytherins mainly, but Regulus, as her cousin, had insinuated himself in, offering to pass round the drinks. There had been plenty of the latter: not just butterbeer, but Firewhisky too, for special hampers had been delivered by owl that evening, direct from the Black residence.

A strange, rhythmic music was provided by a bejewelled music box sent over by Narcissa' sister Bellatrix. Despite its small size, the music emanating from it was loud – deep, reverberating drums intermixed with higher, flute-like notes. It was a wild and stirring music, and someone had said there was a shrunken head magically imprisoned inside the box.

Strangely enough, he, Severus, had been invited. Some other half-bloods and the odd muggleborn or two that were in seventh-year had been forcibly evicted at wand point from the Slytherin common-room, but Narcissa herself had come for him. Grabbing him by his arm, she had dragged him to the table and placed a glass of Firewhisky in his hands.

There were some raised eyebrows at this – he was only a fourth-year _and_ a half-blood - but no-one actually protested. Narcissa Black was the ultimate authority on wizarding society (as well as the most beautiful and eligible witch of one of the oldest and richest families in the world of magic) and no one gainsaid her.

Even when she hugged him and kissed him goodbye at the end of the party.

At first he thought it was the Firewhisky.

He wasn't used to it, and had more than one reason to stay away from it. He should've thrown it away. Besides, a couple of bottles of a strange, milk-like liquid, also sent by her sister, Bellatrix, had had a potent effect on a couple of seventh-years who drank it. They were still dancing in complete abandon on the table, the witch's robe unbuttoned as far as it could go.

But even as the half-empty glass of Firewhisky fell from his nerveless hand, as Narcissa clung on to him, her body surprisingly warm and yielding – he had always imagined it would be like hugging an ice-statue somehow – he knew she was doing it on purpose. It was her farewell gift to him – a stamp of approval for everyone else to see. He didn't like the analogy, but it was difficult to scowl when the most beautiful and unattainable of Pureblood witches in Slytherin was moulding herself to him the way she was.

Over Narcissa's shoulder he saw Regulus, a glass of Firewhisky in his hand, wink at him, and someone whistled their appreciation as his arms came up awkwardly around Narcissa's slim figure. She knew exactly what she was doing - he could feel it, and when she broke away, the many pairs of eyes that were staring at them – some shocked, some knowing, and some shifty – confirmed his theory.

Being Slytherins, even those who were shocked at Narcissa's embrace, were quick to hide it. His reputation for knowing Dark curses had infiltrated even among the senior students, and besides, everyone knew that there was always a calculated motive behind Narcissa Black's every action. If she had chosen a hook-nosed, greasy-haired, fourth-year half-blood for preferential treatment, then that just confirmed, in their minds, the many rumours that flew about him in Slytherin: he was a dangerous, but useful, ally, and despite his questionable lineage, was to be respected.

Severus knew this was just as well, for he was on his own in Slytherin now. Narcissa's unlikely friendship over the last year, based on their shared secrets, had aroused curiosity among the purebloods. They still sneered at him of course: they were Purebloods – complacent in the knowledge that nothing could take their superiority away from them, just as they knew that nothing could remove the tainted blood that flowed through Severus' veins.

But their attitude had become increasingly tempered with a grudging respect. More so because their curiosity had never been satisfied, and the rumours about Severus Snape had grown wilder after recent events.

'Hello, Sev? Can I join you?'

A pair of bright green eyes swam in front of his rather bleary vision. He sat up straighter and nodded, then immediately regretted it, for his head hurt more.

Lily bounced in the train compartment and sat down opposite him.

'You look terrible,' she said, going straight to the point.

'That's news,' he answered, acerbically.

'Is it true, then? Aubrey Bertram was saying there was a wild party in your common room last night.'

'Narcissa's farewell party, yes.'

'Some party. The Slytherin prefects are huddled up in a back compartment looking green. I've had to step in and take care of the first years, for they wouldn't budge. Narcissa looks fine, though.' Lily said this with a slightest hint of disdain in her voice.

'Narcissa must've been warned by her sister, and taken an antidote to that damned music. It was jinxed. Bellatrix Black sent it.'

'Bellatrix? The one who was almost expelled from Hogwarts for trying to poison Muggleborns? Well, that figures. And I thought it was the Firewhisky!'

'That, too. Some over-indulged, I guess.'

Her eyes asked the next question. They were looking at him searchingly and slightly anxiously.

No, of course I didn't, Lily,' He was annoyed that she even considered the possibility, 'I would've ended up dancing half-naked on the fucking common room tables if I had! You know I hate dancing!'

'You never even tried,' she looked as though she was suppressing a smile.

He scowled at her, rather half-heartedly, for it made his head ache to do so.

'I resisted the effects of the music better than anyone, I suppose,' he did not tell her that he had even sunk, for a time, into the Occlumency state when he realised the effects of the enchanted music box, 'but that didn't stop the bloody thing from giving me a headache!'

'I was wondering why you were sitting here alone,' Lily retorted with a grin, 'though the appearance of some third-year Gryffindor boys with hair spouting from their tongues made me suspicious.'

'They were being noisy, so I cleared the compartment.'

'Lucky I could fix them, for they were choking. I recognised that particular curse as yours, Severus!' she said sternly.

'They weren't choking. But I told them I could arrange a Choking spell if necessary. They left of their own accord, then.'

'You scared them!'

'They're Gryffindors, aren't they? They're not supposed to be scared!' he couldn't help smirking through the pounding of his headache.

'Anyone with a ponytail growing out of their mouth would be frantic, Sev! I had to use a severing spell to take it off.'

'The counter-spell's _Capelli recessus,' _he replied, turning to the window, 'more effective.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' she answered primly, standing up, 'in case you send me out of this compartment with hair growing in places it shouldn't!'

His eyes snapped back to her.

'No. Please don't go!'

The words were out before he realised and he cursed himself inwardly. He hated sounding as though he was pleading, but the raging headache was slowing down his thoughts.

'I – I wouldn't ... you know...' he continued, awkwardly.

But Lily was smiling and fishing for something inside the back pocket of her jeans. (She had already changed to Muggle clothing).

'I know you wouldn't. Here. Take this.' She handed him a small phial half-filled with an opaque liquid. 'Headache potion. After hearing about the party and seeing the result of your cheerful mood, I thought you might need this.'

She sat down again and offered him the miniscule phial.

'Thanks,' he murmured as he took the potion from her, 'Should've thought of it, but the damned party only finished a couple of hours ago. Barely made it to pack.'

He raised the glass bottle to his lips and drank the bitter contents. The relief was instantaneous. He opened his eyes to find Lily observing him closely a small smile playing on her lips.

'Better now?'

'I don't need a nursemaid, Lily,' he snapped.

She sounded as though she was speaking to a small child.

But her grin widened.

'That's what I was waiting for – a genuine, no-nonsense, Severus-Snape-like retort. I guess you're cured.'

He tried to scowl at her, but found he couldn't quite manage it, for his lips were betraying him and twitching treacherously upwards. Lily laughed and leaned back in her seat to glance out of the window. She was sitting opposite the train's forward movement, so she was probably trying to catch a last glimpse of the wild highlands before they disappeared.

Not only did he feel better, but Lily had come to look for him (true, this might have been to prevent further hair-growing curses) but she did come nonetheless, and was now sitting opposite him, her green eyes sparkling, and grinning teasingly. He was glad he had cleared out the train compartment.

Now that he thought about it, she had not been sitting with him on their last train journey last Christmas, for he had chosen to sit with his Slytherin friends. He had seen her trying to catch his eye, but had studiously ignored her. The Karkaroffs had been after them then, and he had wanted them to avoid them finding out about any connection to her. He had failed of course, for they had already found his hidden treasure trove of mementos when they ransacked his house.

But the Karkaroffs were out of the way for now- most of them anyway. Unlike his Christmas holidays, he could look forward to his summer holidays without the dread of being stalked – or worse, of Lily being stalked because of him. He would have Lily all to himself, without the interference of Dumbledore's insidious words, or Potter and his gang of morons ambushing him. They could walk the streets of Castleforth as safely as any other underage witch and wizard could, in this war. They would be far away from the pureblood prejudices of Hogwarts, and Lily would forget the deaths she had witnessed, her eyes would regain the sparkling innocence they had lost over the events of the last year.

Not that Lily was anything but spontaneous, honest and warm-hearted.

Everything, in short, that he was not.

Or that Narcissa was not. He remembered how the beautiful daughter of the House of Black had embraced him a short while ago: it was calculated and cold, and though she had managed to surprise him, he had felt nothing beyond a faint stirring of some basic instinct. When he remembered the few odd times that Lily had embraced him, they had been heart-stopping, exciting, yet strangely natural moments – completely undeserved of course – but still, he could remember each and every occasion. They were buried like treasure in his memory, to be dug up and savoured when alone and unobserved.

Not like now. Lily was with him, sitting in front of him and he realised he was staring at her again. She must have noticed for she was looking rather determinedly out of the window, her lips slightly parted and a faint peach-blossom blush diffusing her cheeks. He blinked and cleared his throat, sitting up straighter.

Perhaps he should take matters into his own hands this summer – he had been tempted to on occasions, he had even believed he had seen a glimmering of something in Lily's eyes that whispered treacherously to his heart that perhaps – just perhaps – she was seeing him as something more than 'best friend'. It had become more pronounced after they had shared their magic once, deep down in the castle dungeons.

It was an intoxicating thought, and he had often toyed with the idea – fantasised, rather – of telling her how he felt. Given what they had been through this past year, he had pushed that thought to the back of his mind, and even now, with the worst behind them, every time he thought of speaking up, all the doubts, the harsh reality of the many reasons why he should NOT do it, came screaming back up at him from the depths of his own mind, like wolves ravenous at the smell of hope. He was not good enough, not rich enough, not important enough – the list was endless. Besides, he'd as likely as not draw the attention of the pureblood zealots towards her. Cassiopeia had been muttering something along those lines recently, though her anger was divided between Lily and that other Gryffindor girl she hung around with, MacDonald.

He was making his way slowly but surely in the wizarding world, and he wanted to be in a position to protect her from both the excesses of the some of the purebloods, as well as the ravaging hordes of berserk aurors the Ministry were unleashing.

In the meantime, he would be happy just to see Lily back to her old self. They could wander down by the riverside like they used to do. Perhaps he'd let her persuade him to go swimming in the river this time. Last summer she had fallen in, and _that_ was something he wouldn't forget in a hurry!

Lily looked up just then, and green eyes met black.

The seconds stretched and Severus felt as though the air in the compartment had been replaced with an electrical miasma that he couldn't draw into his lungs. When he thought he couldn't stand it anymore, Lily dropped her eyes, auburn lashes covering up the brilliance of her eyes. The blush in her cheeks deepened, and she gazed out of the window once more as she said:

'I came to see you because of something else, too, you know.'

'I... Really? What?' His voice sounded strangled.

'Well, we don't have the two-way mirror anymore...'

'Oh, that. Right. I have your telephone number, remember?' There - at least a coherent sentence. He found he could draw air into his lungs again. Lily however, did not seem to want to meet his eyes.

'You didn't receive any letters from your parents at all this year, did you?'

Severus spirits sank. He had been determinedly trying to avoid thinking about home. It had been festering at the back of his mind for weeks now. He had purposely glossed over the thought that he would have to be stuck in Spinner's End, trying to drown out that squalor with thoughts of having Lily to himself.

Why did she have to bring it up? He wanted to enjoy these last few moments before he had to face the grey, grim reality of his half-Muggle home. He scowled and stared out of the window too, not answering her.

'Look, Sev, I know you've been thinking about it – '

'No, I haven't!'

' - and I know you can't tell what you're going to find when you get back,' she continued, ignoring him, ' But if things are bad, you know my offer will always stand.'

He said nothing but gazed moodily out of the train window. He did not want to be reminded of the number of times he sought shelter in her bedroom, when his father returned from the pub in a drunken frenzy last Christmas. The attack by the Karkaroffs seemed to have removed any vestige of restraint from the man. He seemed determined to sink lower than he had ever done before. Severus glared angrily at a small Muggle town they were passing by. This summer he would not tolerate it. This summer he'd use magic on Tobias Snape if necessary!

'For all its worth,' Lily's words broke into his thoughts. She was leaning forward, looking at him hesitantly, 'we're going for a short trip to the seaside – a long weekend, not more, but I'd really like you to come along, Severus. I know you've always refused to before, but I'd really – _really_ – like you to come.'

He looked at her, his face expressionless. He thought of how best to refuse, but it seemed as though she really meant it...

'I – I mean, if you really don't care to,' she murmured, correctly interpreting his silence, 'it's okay. After all, I suppose it's nothing as thrilling as the Rosier estates.' She said this with just the faintest hint of bitterness, 'It's just a Muggle house by the sea, not even a resort or anything like that. But it's pretty quiet, and I thought you'd like it,' she bit her lip, possibly aware she was pushing him.

'Your sister will be thrilled.'

'Oh – Petunia's not coming. She's off on holiday with her boyfriend's family.'

That was interesting. Suddenly the idea had its appeal. Certainly, Mr and Mrs Evans would be there, suspiciously cross-checking his every word. But that kind of suspicion he could take in his stride. He was used to it. The benefits far outweighed the risks, for he would, at least, be away from Spinners' End, too.

'I'll pay my own way,' he said finally, with a grimace, as Lily clapped her hands in childish good humour.

Just at that moment, a floating Hogwarts hat exploded outside their compartment door, sending green fireworks whizzing all the way down the corridor. The punctured hat floated feebly to the ground, the puncture holes on fire.

'I'd better see what those first-years are up to,' she said with a grin. 'They were trying to levitate Andy Jolson's trunk out of the train window, last time I saw them. Call me tonight, okay? You'll arrive before I do, if you're travelling by Floo.'

And she stood up, gave him a fleeting smile and left, leaving a faint, meadow-sweet smell lingering in the compartment behind her. Severus slid down his seat and closed his eyes momentarily, his lips twisting into a small smile.

Going home to Spinner's End was always a bittersweet experience, but just now, with her scent still strong around him, he knew he would endure a thousand times the unpleasantness of home, as long as he could have Lily to himself for a few hours every day or so. And with a seaside holiday with just Lily for company, this summer might even turn out to have more sweet than bitter.


	102. Chapter 102 summer 75

**Chapter 102: Father and Son.**

Severus climbed out of the fireplace at Number 117, Spinner's End with some difficulty. The fireplaces in the row of red brick houses were small and utilitarian. They did not need to be big or imposing to heat the poky living rooms of any of the drab houses there. But the house at the end of the row, although in outward appearance no different from the rest, had quite a large fireplace in proportion to the room.

_Even so, not large enough_, Severus thought, as he struggled to heave his trunk and a long narrow package out of the fireplace. His mother had put an Enlargement Charm on the fireplace so that it was even more spacious than it appeared at first glance, but Severus did not remember struggling so much last year. Perhaps it was his mother's protective charms working against him, too.

His struggles with the long package dislodged some soot which fell in a soft silent mess onto his clothes and hair. He swore under his breath as he finally stepped onto the hearth.

'Wha' t' ell's tha', Severus?'

He froze. The person he'd least been hoping to see on his return was his father. As he shook his sooty hair out of his eyes he saw Tobias Snape sitting at the small table in the corner. The late afternoon light that filtered through the grimy window cast his father in deep shadow, and he hadn't noticed him.

Well, he thought unenthusiastically, he was still alive, that much he could surmise. Though 'alive' was, perhaps, a euphemism. As he got over the spinning sensation of floo travel and his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Severus noted that his father looked even worse than he remembered. There was a grey five o'clock shadow around his lower face, bags under his bloodshot eyes, and his hair, once thick and brown, fell over his face in long, dirty strands, liberally sprinkled with grey.

He did not need the sour smell to tell him why he looked that way. An open bottle, dark brown and corked, stood brazenly in the middle of the table.

'Well?'

Tobias Snape was still looking belligerently at the long package.

'It's a hockey stick.'

'Don't gi' me any of yer lip, boy!' Tobias snapped suddenly, getting up unsteadily from his chair, 'Ah know wha' that bludgering thing is!'

Severus gave him one disdainful look and prepared to heave his trunk upstairs, mentally cursing his father. He had hoped he'd be at the pub this time of the day. He'd already had a few drinks too, judging by the working-class Yorkshire he'd lapsed into.

Even Severus remembered a time when his father refused to let the same dialect the rest of their street spoke rub off on him. He had considered himself a cut above the rest, then.

Those days were long gone now. Perhaps it had dawned on him that there was nothing essentially different between him and the rest of the vast number of working class men that called Spinner's End their home.

'That there's a broomstick, and I won't have you flyin aroun' t' place, or some such craziness! I ferbid yer mother sich foolishness since befer yeh were born, an' I'm not havin' one o' them flying broomsticks in here. Yeh'll break yer neck!'

Tobias Snape lurched forward and put his hand heavily on the long package, but Severus had anticipated him.

The older man found himself staring at a long, black ebony wand inches away from his face. Blue bloodshot eyes stared into the black, finding there the same reflected hardness, the same anger, but more focussed and controlled.

'This is mine,' Severus enunciated clearly, 'and _I'm_ taking care of it!'

'Why you -! You _dare_ point tha' thing at me -?'

Severus could see the mad rage building up behind those bleary eyes. His father never could control his temper when drunk. But there was a flicker – the barest flicker - of something else as the wand hovered menacingly between them.

Perhaps it was the humiliating memory of last Christmas, Severus did not know, but his father drew back slightly and looked imperiously down his hooked nose at his son. He was still taller, but up close, Severus could see that his normally strong face was thin and gaunt now, and the clothes hung off him.

'You think you can do wha' you bloody well want, when you 'ave tha' stick i' your han', don't you? Think you're a man now, eh?' his father snarled, his features twisted in rage. 'Well, let me tell you summat, _son_!'

He hissed the last word in sibilant sarcasm, bringing his face close to his. His eyes _were_ focussed now.

'I've bin doin' my own research on that freak school o' yours, too. Yer Mum 'elped, though she doesn't know it. Yer not supposed to use magic when ye're a' home. Up ta us, yer parents, ta enforce t' rules. Ye'll be expelled from that freak school otherwise. So I got t' address o' that Misuse o' Magic Office, and let me tell you, Severus, I'll bloody well let 'em know if you ever dare point this thing –'

His hand shot out with lightening speed, catching Severus unawares, and closed, vice-like, around his wand hand, painfully twisting both his hand and the wand away from him, so that Severus found himself staring at the now-glowing tip of his own wand.

'- at me agin! Then by God I'll make you pay for it! I'll make sure you're expelled so you could try yer hand a' earning yer livin like a man!' Tobias continued, in a voice strangled by hatred and alcohol.

Suddenly there was a gasp, followed by a sharp, crackling sound, as though of lightening, from the direction of the door, and Severus found himself staggering backwards. His father had let go of his wand hand, as though burnt.

Eileen Snape stood in the door that led to the stairs, a round flask in one hand and her wand in the other. There was a horrified look on her face, and her hair was tousled as though she had just got up from bed.

'What did you _do_ to him?' she shouted.

Severus wasn't sure whether she was addressing him or his father, but judging by her appearance, she had totally forgotten he was supposed to return from Hogwarts today. He wrenched the long package from his father's hand and started towards the stairs, not bothering to reply.

'I didn't do anything, you damned witch! ' his father shouted, his eyes bulging with rage, as he took a step closer to his wife, ' 'e comes back 'ome wi' one o' those blasted flying broomsticks, ready ta go gallivantin his way across t'skies and bring all that unwanted attention on us agin. 'ave you forgotten wha' 'appened last time 'e wor here?'

'Forget? _Forget?_' his mother voice rose shrilly, and she stepped forward, her wand still clutched tight in her hand, 'How can I _forget_? I've had to double the strength of these potions since then, just to keep your worthless carcass alive, you ungrateful bastard!'

She slammed the round flask she was carrying onto the table next to the stoppered bottle of drink, which teetered perilously, but did not fall over. She gave one enraged look at the bottle and turned to her husband again. Severus took the opportunity to sneak towards the door and start heaving his trunk upstairs.

'You're nothing, _nothing_ withou' that magic stick you carry around!'Tobias retorted, 'You and yer useless son! I should just take it an' snap it i' two! You'll see then - you'll see wha' I mean! You'll come grovelling to me then –'

'Yes you do that Tobias! You try and touch my wand! You'll be dead within the year if you do! It's magic that's keeping you alive, whether you like it or not!'

Severus brought his wand round and pointed it at the door behind him which slammed shut, so that his parent's voices were muffled. With a final heave, he pulled his trunk upstairs and down the small corridor into his bedroom.

Dumping both trunk and package in, he closed the door and leaned against it. His bedroom was exactly like he had left it last Christmas, - there were some Muggle clothes on his bed, exactly where he had left them lying months ago, and there was a thin film of dust over everything.

No-one had even entered his room. It seemed as though his parents had forgotten his existence, and only his shabby, dusty, room remained in vague evidence of some long-lost son, gone from their lives ages ago.

His sudden re-appearance in their sitting room downstairs must have served as an uncomfortable reminder of someone they were better off without. Listening to the crescendo of voices filtering up through the bare floorboards of his room, he thought that with him out of the way, they could go back to brood over their mutual hatred in peace. Well, - not peace, but perhaps, without the distraction of having him as a weapon in their power struggle.

Not that he was going to stay in their way. His father's threats still rang in his ears and he knew that if Tobias had to really try and get him expelled from Hogwarts, it would complicate life for him. The Misuse of Magic Office was _obliged_ to listen to the parents of underage wizards in disciplinary hearings. He wondered where his father had got that particularly useful bit of information. He did not want the Ministry's attention drawn to Spinner's End again.

He did not trust the Ministry.

And as for his father trying to break his wand: he'd kill him first! No-one touched his magic. No-one!

A loud crash of shattering glass accompanied by his mother's shrill, angry voice told him that Eileen had lost control. Probably she had just hurled his father's bottle at the grate or something. She blamed the drink. She always did.

She spoke of it as though it was some seedy pastime which he simply had to denounce, and it would disappear forever. As though it was a streak of perverse contrariness that kept Tobias from saying 'Enough, no more now!' Severus still could not understand why his mother was being so wilfully blind to the hopelessness of it all.

Severus knew from experience that when Eileen started throwing objects around, then a point of no return had been breached, and his parents' fight would not fizzle out, as it sometimes did, in muttered imprecations, or his father stomping off to the pub. It would continue till the bitter end.

Unfortunately, his father had the annoying habit of rarely passing out, even when drunk. It was as if the drunkenness concentrated itself in his immeasurable capacity for anger, so, his faculty of speech more or less intact, he would bluster and swear at all and sundry, dredging up grudges past and present. He would not remember much of it when he had slept it off, but Eileen would make sure to remind him, for she could keep a grudge as well as he did.

As if to underline his words, his mother's shrill voice was interrupted by his father's deep growl, a chair was knocked over, and hate–laden insults flew back and forth, penetrating, like noxious fumes, right between the floorboards of his room, poisoning the very air he breathed.

He slid down the door of his room, squatting down on the floor and forced himself to breath evenly and deeply, to disengage one by one, the tendrils of dread that had strangled his heart and mind since his arrival. He let the shouting and the swearing downstairs wash over him, not through him, emptying his mind of all emotion, focussing on inducing a sterile nothingness into the upper layers of his mind.

He was good at this now – drifting in and out of Occlumency, so that nothing mattered any more. There was just this calm, emotionless nothing that did not hurt or make him lose control. His mind became perfectly lucid , and he could see everything with incredible clarity and focus. It was like an invisible shield, warding off all negative emotion – _all_ emotion really. He had used the state of Occlumency often enough last Christmas, on exactly the same occasions.

Perhaps, he had been using it all his life without knowing really. It is what had kept him sane during those times when he could not run away from his parents' fighting. Not run away, really, for he was not a coward. But when he was too small a child to be able to influence the battling of the giants in his home, he had taken to the streets whenever he could. It was much better than crouching in a corner and crying. That was something he had long since found out, served for nothing.

He felt his breathing slow down and his heart beat slowly and regularly. He could still hear the voices below, of course, but he was curiously detached from it all. He could and would interfere only if things got out of hand, but either way, his mind would be unhampered by all the emotional baggage at the time of action.

At least for a while. For Severus, so used to always be thinking, or planning, or inventing, his other layers of consciousness were still there, seething fretfully beneath the veneer of indifference, eager to be allowed full rein.

But this summer he had to keep them in check. He'd suffer in silence if necessary, for he did not want a repeat of what happened last Christmas, and go whimpering in the night, like a beaten dog, to Lily's house again.

XXX

The early morning sun had gingerly managed to push a few of beams of light through the grimy upper window of number 117, Spinner's End, as though reluctant to illuminate whatever might be found within.

The bright light fell upon a thin, dark-haired teenager sleeping awkwardly slumped against the door of the room. Even though his eyes were closed, they were squinting in protest against the rude, glaring, intrusion of the light.

Unable to tolerate the discomfort any longer, his eyes fluttered open and he squinted at the dancing dust motes as he sat up with a faint groan.

Severus Snape hated sunlight.

Its torrid, white light illuminated, in harsh, garish detail, all his surroundings: his room, his street, and, most of all, himself. Everything was twice as ugly in the unforgiving light, and the squalor was rendered more brazenly evident under the unforgiving summer sun.

Severus preferred the dark. Not necessarily the pitch-black darkness of night, but he loved the shadows cast by the light of a single candle: they were alive with a thousand possibilities; he loved the warmth of torchlight in the dungeons: sometimes it managed to disguise the palor of his skin, glossing over his many defects; he relished the greenish glow of the underwater Slytherin common-room: he could fully open his eyes down there, and not have his eyeballs seared by the whitewash effect of the sun.

He moved towards the window and drew the threadbare curtains across. This dislodged fluff from the unwashed material, and the dust motes went into a frenzied dance in the middle of his room. Glaring at the sunbeam in annoyance, he proceeded to his bed and sat down.

He hadn't even unpacked. His parents had argued till the early hours of the morning and it had ended only when his father finally stormed upstairs to sleep it off. His mother had sobbed herself to sleep on the armchair. Her gurgling sobs, and muttered imprecations, were the last thing Severus heard before he himself had dozed off. At least she was unharmed, for she had had her wand with her.

He unpacked quickly, cast a quick Cleansing Charm to get rid of the layer of dust and hurried downstairs before his father woke up. It was a weekend, so he would probably be staying at home.

His mother glanced up from the armchair she was curled up on as he came in. She looked uncomprehendingly at him for a few seconds, and Severus knew she had probably forgotten about him again.

Something along those lines must have crossed her mind, for she blinked and unfolded herself from the armchair, trying to smooth down her wrinkled clothes.

'Do – do you want breakfast?' she asked tentatively, passing her hand over her dishevelled hair.

Her voice was hoarse and Severus wondered why she even bothered asking. Perhaps she had just realised she had a son and was clumsily trying to remember what she needed to do about it. Well, judging by the general mess of the place, breakfast had not been a morning ritual in the Snape household for quite some time now.

'Don't bother, I'll brew some tea. Want some?' he asked rather tersely before disappearing into the small kitchen at the back.

She shook her head mutely and turned her face away, lest he see her lip tremble.

Now that he had had a good look at the sitting room in the early morning sunlight that slanted in through the window by the door, he saw that it was even worse than he remembered seeing it yesterday. Broken brown glass glittered on the floor by the hearth, and the sticky mess from the bottle had seeped across the floor, wetting the hearth rug. The floor was itself was unswept and dust lay thickly over the bookshelves that lined one wall. This in itself was rather unusual, for if there was one place that Eileen always kept reasonably clean, it was the bookshelf.

The kitchen was hardly any better. Unwashed dishes, their uneaten contents congealed, lay stacked in the old stoneware sink, and the linoleum on the floor was sticky. He gingerly pulled out a grimy kettle from beneath the pots, washed it, and set it to boil, frowning at the mess around him.

Apparently, his mother hadn't been doing much housework recently. Not that she was ever an excellent housekeeper. Her work was erratic, and, unless she used magic, rather shoddy. Even when she _did_ use magic, he had seen students at Hogwarts use cleaning charms with much better results than his mother.

He remembered that the Prince family had had a House elf. That would explain a lot. Probably she had never ever been required to do anything much before her marriage forcibly opened her eyes to the squalor of living like a Muggle.

But she had never let the place run to seed so badly. She had always kept their few rooms grudgingly clean. Frowning, he took two chipped and tea-stained cups from the cupboard, poured the tea into both and returned to the sitting room.

'Here, take this,' he said, as he handed her the cup.

'I said I don't want any!' but she took the cup from his hand anyway, looking down at tea inside as though it was some strange elixir. No-one had brewed tea for her in a long time.

Severus put his down on the small table, righting the small chair that had been knocked over yesterday. Taking his wand from his jeans pocket, he proceeded over to the hearth and with a sweeping motion of his wand, the broken glass was swept neatly into a little pile.

'What are you doing!' his mother hissed suddenly, standing up as though electrocuted, 'if he catches you using magic, he'll tell the Ministry! Didn't he tell you?'

'Well, let's hope he doesn't find out then. Besides, I'm just tidying up. This place is a dump!'

Eileen bit her lip, but Severus ignored her. Not that he was some cleaning freak, but he hated untidiness and disorder. Even in his dungeon hideout, though he didn't care if the ceiling was begrimed with soot, and the walls glistening with damp, he could not stand clutter, and all his ingredients and sample bottles were meticulously labelled and stored.

'You shouldn't anger your father, Severus, you know his temper gets the better of him when he's had a few. See what he did yesterday?'

'So why _d'you _provoke him then? Why not use that wand and send him packing, if he gets like that? You can wipe his memory later!'

'His brain's addled enough without Memory Charms!'

'I wish that were true, so perhaps he'd go to the pub and forget to come back!'

'He's not going there much anymore,' Eileen took her cup of tea and sank wearily into a chair by the table.

'Well, _that's_ news!' Severus growled savagely.

He didn't like the idea of having to face Tobias every evening. He pointed his wand at the bookshelves and the dust magically disappeared. Eileen watched him over her cup of tea, but did not protest again.

'He told them, down at the pub, what happened last Christmas,' Eileen said finally, 'They thought it was just a drunken nightmare, but he kept insisting.'

Severus stopped to stare at her. His father never even breathed a word about why his wife and son were so strange, why they didn't 'fit in' with the rest of the inhabitants. He tried to imagine Tobias explain that he had been attacked by two wizards who put him under the Cruciatus Curse.

'They think drink has addled his brains, now. They keep making fun of him. That's why he ...' she shrugged, the bitter lines around her mouth belying the indifferent gesture, and took a sip from her tea.

'It's his own damn fault!' she continued sourly, 'I told him time and again not to go there. But did he listen? Did he heed my warning? No!'

'You wrote to Dumbledore last January!' Severus said, trying to head her off, for he sensed one of her furious tirades against her husband about to burst forth.

'Well, what did you expect? At least, he put my mind at rest.'

'He, what?'

'He did, eventually. I knew no-one could come after you and that damned book while you were under Dumbledore's protection,' Severus gave a snort of derision but she ignored him, 'but neither did I want to imply you had anything to do with it, so I said the book was mine. It was, after all. Dumbledore replied months later, saying that the matter had been taken care of.'

'It was.'

'What happened?'

'Those wizards, they were captured. Trod on too many toes, I guess. Nothing to worry about now.'

His mother looked at him disbelievingly, but he just sat down at the table opposite her.

'Nothing but a full-blown wizarding _war,_ Severus! I don't want you drawing any further attention to us here. Bad enough we had both criminals and Aurors sniffing around our house last time you were here! And I don't want you anywhere near the Evans! The Ministry is not what it used to be, and –'

'The Ministry never was what it was supposed to be, Mum. But I've handled worse than those idiots! And I'm going to see Lily right now!'

'_Severus!_'

But he had already disappeared through the door and into the mid-morning July sunshine.

XXX

As Severus waited outside the Evans door, he realised that he had slept in his clothes and probably looked like a tramp in the harsh sunlight on their doorstep. He had been so eager to get away from home that morning, that he hadn't been thinking. Well, Lily wouldn't mind.

Unfortunately, it was not Lily who opened the door.

Severus felt the smile slip off his face as he gazed at the long, bony face of Petunia Evans. She had bright blue eye shadow around her eyes and very red lipstick. The contrast with her pale skin and hair produced an overall gaudy effect, which was further exacerbated by the bright primary colours of her tunic and pants.

'Oh, it's you,' she said, her face settling into the sour expression he remembered so well. 'I thought it was my boyfriend'

'Is Lily in?' he asked through clenched teeth.

'She's still asleep,' Petunia replied, unconsciously half-closing the door, as if she couldn't get rid of him quickly enough. Her eyes swept slowly up and down his figure, and her lips curled in disgust as she took in his crumpled clothes; long lank hair, and inconspicuous dark jeans and shirt.

'I should've thought it wasn't Vernon. I would've heard his _car _pull up the drive,' she said with a delicate emphasis on the word.

'Well, we wizards use broomsticks, you know. They are silent and don't belch out black fumes from their rear end!' Severus sneered, enjoying how her eyes widened in horror.

'Don't you mention those - those abnormal things!' Petunia hissed 'You're even worse than I remember! I can't imagine why even Lily would want to hang around with you!'

Just then, a mustard-coloured Morris Marina drove up to the Evans house, interrupting Severus' furious retort. It slowed down in front of the Evans drive and he noticed that two angry red spots had appeared in Petunia Evans' cheeks. He realised that this must be the famous Vernon, and she, Petunia, was probably ashamed to have her boyfriend find her talking to such a disreputable character standing bold as brass on her drive.

Severus dug his hands in his pocket and grinned maliciously as a young man with dark, bushy sideburns and moustache came out of the car. He was wearing fashionably tight, checked trousers, but his plump belly, clad in a patterned, wide-necked shirt, was spilling out over his belt. He looked like an overstuffed sausage in a psychedelic casing. Severus' grin widened as he waited for the young man to come up.

'Lily's in the living room with Dad,' Petunia hissed suddenly, holding the door open, 'Just go on in!'

'I thought you said she was still sleeping,' he replied as he brushed past her through the door, 'But never mind, you can introduce me to your boyfriend some other time, Petunia. I bet he'll be _dying_ to meet me!'

The scarlet flush in Petunia's face deepened, but he looked back with an evil smile at Vernon, who was standing by his car, already frowning at their whispered conversation, and then he stepped inside. Petunia hurriedly skipped outside and closed the door behind her.

He found Lily engrossed in three large books, sitting cross-legged on the sofa wearing a dressing gown and a frown. Her father was watching television and greeted him in a wheezy voice.

'Hi, Sev,' Lily said, looking up from her book. She looked tired and her forehead was still creased.

'What're you reading?'

She snapped her books shut guiltily, and stood up.

'Some books Mary lent me. I'll – I'll show you. Come on up.'

'Remember what I told you, Lily,' her father said in an uncharacteristically sharp voice, as they left the room.

He did not even look round from the television, but Severus recognised the hidden warning in his voice. Lily stopped and opened her mouth, but after a second's hesitation she decided not to answer him and passed out of the room, her cheeks slightly flushed.

When they reached her room she left the door pointedly ajar.

'What was all that about?' he asked, though he thought he knew the answer.

'Mum and Dad said we're not kids anymore and I'm to leave the door open when you're here,' she mumbled all this in a rush, not even looking at him as she bent over her desk, her face covered by her long red hair.

There was an awkward silence as she fiddled with the books she had brought with her. Severus shrugged off her parents' evident mistrust – their attitude towards him had always vacillated between grudging acceptance and fearful distrust. More the latter in recent years, but Severus wished Lily would look at him now, though he half-dreaded to find an expression of disgust at what her parents thought.

'I'm sorry they're being so... you know...' Lily murmured, gesturing helplessly at the door. She looked at him fleetingly as she did so, and he saw that her face was beetroot-coloured now. She looked nervous, but not disgusted. Even though he had slept in his clothes and probably looked every bit as unkempt as Petunia said he was.

Lily had gone back to fiddling with the books on her desk, her face shaded once more by her long, thick hair. He moved closer and touched her arm.

'Hey,' he said with a small smile, 'If they only knew, huh?'

Lily actually giggled then, and looked at him blushing, from beneath her fringe. It was a conspiratorial look that made him feel warm inside. The occasions he had referred to were bittersweet really, but it was a secret they shared, and Lily was actually _blushing_. He was emboldened to ask her to meet him that evening, and had just opened his mouth to do so when slow footsteps announced the coming of her mother. Rose Evans was carrying a heavily-laden laundry basket and stopped to peer at them from behind the towering pile of clothes. She greeted Severus cheerily enough and moved on, but he was silently cursing the open door.

Just then a high-pitched shrieking giggle floated in through Lily's window.

He looked out and saw Petunia Evans laughing at something Vernon had said. She had gone inside his car, but her carrying voice could still be heard through the open window.

'Why does _she_ get allowed to go in his car?' he asked.

'She's almost 18 now, and anyhow, that slimy Vernon Dursley 's doing his best to suck up to Mum and Dad. He keeps boasting about his car, his job opportunities–'

'Whereas I have neither,' he blurted out in a brittle voice.

Somewhere at the back of his mind he knew it was an unfair comparison, because unlike Vernon, he had never officially laid claim to an Evans daughter.

'You have something better,' Lily said firmly, 'You have magic. And besides, you don't hate me, like _he_ does. I can see it in his eyes when he speaks to me. I guess Petunia had something to do with that though.'

Severus turned away from the window. Lily had, (possibly unconsciously for she had gone back to reading her books), compared him to Vernon Dursley as a possible suitor. He smirked.

'Anyway, what's that you're reading? You said you'd show me. You're not usually so keen to start work in summer, and we've only been back a day'

'They're books on the Healing Arts. Mary MacDonald's Aunt used to work as a healer in St Mungo's before she moved to France, and she left Mary her books. She lent them to me.'

Severus said nothing but frowned. He thought he knew where this was going.

'Lily, you know that you can't –'

'Why not?' she interrupted fiercely, 'He's my _father,_ Sev! And he's sick. He got worse since I saw him last and I just can't stand around and do nothing!'

'You can't use magic! Even if you weren't underage, you can't interfere with Muggles!'

'Says _who_? You said your Mum brews potions for your father!'

Severus was on the point of snapping out that he wished she didn't, but bit his tongue. His and Lily's attitude to their respective fathers was so diametrically different, that he knew it was pointless to argue.

'You've got to help me, Sev,' she said, sitting down at the desk and pulling the mountain of books towards her.

'How?' he bit out, 'I'm not a healer, and the kind of books I read are somewhat different in scope from those, remember?' he said sarcastically, indicating the pile of books on Healing on her desk.

'Well, you healed my hand once when I cut it,' she said, with a shy smile, 'so you must have hidden talents. Besides, if you're so interested in curses, don't you think you should learn how to cure them?'

'You don't 'cure' curses, Lily. I thought after four years of DADA the word 'counter-curse' would be a bit more familiar to you. Anyway, I never learn a new curse unless I know the counter-curse, or a poison without having the antidote. However, your father isn't suffering from a curse, is he? He has a weak heart.'

He saw her flinch slightly, but she still determinedly opened one of the books.

'It's just that these books are so difficult, Sev. They're aimed at fully-qualified witches and wizards, and some of the spells are so confusing. They say that the most important thing is to empathise with your patients, for the magic to work.'

'Well, that shouldn't be a problem for you, should it? If you can manage to sympathise with those Gryffindor idiots you're surrounded by, then you'll manage anything!'

'Don't be nasty. I find it difficult to sympathise with some _Slytherins,_ after all. You're the exception - most times,' she grinned up at him 'Now, come on, grab a chair and see if you can find anything useful here. I was hoping there's a potion to brew or something.'

'You mean you want _me _to brew a potion for you,' he said with a wry smile as he pulled another chair to the desk, 'You can't use a wand in this house.'

'Well, yours is the only place in all Castleforth where we could risk using magic. I could come over and help you –'

'No!'

'Are your parents still angry at me?'

'They had no right ever to be angry with you! You did nothing wrong!'

'How d'you find them yesterday? I didn't want to ask, but-'

'They're fine!'

Lily bit her lip and said nothing, but just looked at him. To avoid seeing the waves of pity he was sure were rising in her eyes, he grabbed one of the books on Healing Arts and opened it, fuming silently. He shouldn't have cut her off like that. It probably confirmed what she suspected. And she was bloody well right about it too.

'Look – ' he said awkwardly after a while, 'They're too engrossed in fighting their losing battles to bother too much about me or anything else, right now. And that suits me. So let's get on with this and find some potion to cure heart disease, since you can't use a direct spell. No-one comes into my room anymore, so if we find a potion I'll probably be able to brew it for you.'

And dark head and red head bent over the large, dusty books, while the sun outside climbed higher in the summer sky sending shafts of light slanting ever more vertically through the open window, as though to remind them that summer was there, but it would not last forever.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Dreamless Sleep.

Lily Evans slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt and a dark green cap into which she tucked her long hair. She vaguely remembered from old comic books that cat-thieves wore black to be less conspicuous in the dark.

Not that she planned to steal anything, but it was after midnight and she had decided she would walk to Spinner's End.

It was foolhardy to the extreme - she knew that, especially since she had to do everything as a muggle. She could not even throw a Disillusionment charm to disguise herself. Hence the dark clothes.

But she hadn't heard from Severus for three days and she was worried. For the umpteenth time she cursed Potter for having taken her two-way mirror. Severus had left her house that first day of the holidays laden with two of her books on the Healing Arts, promising to look at them carefully again, for they hadn't managed to find any potion that could renew a failing heart.

They had found spells (very complicated ones, too) to correct irregular heartbeats, but she knew she couldn't risk a direct spell on her father. It was underage magic, but most of all, what if she got it wrong?

Lily tucked her wand in the waist band of her jeans, and made her way downstairs, letting herself out with her key. She had left her window open just in case she needed to get in that way.

The streets around her neighbourhood were deserted, but she knew that there were some disreputable areas close to Spinner's End, especially at night.

Her heart beat rather painfully in her chest as she passed swiftly along the dark areas between each pool of lamplight, past the small deserted park near her street, and beyond. It was not so much the wizarding war that made her nervous – she hardly thought Death Eaters would bother with her, but it was dangerous for a Muggle girl (and that is what she had to be right now) to walk the streets down by the river alone.

She had decided to go at night because she remembered with perfect clarity how unwelcome her daytime visit to Spinner's End had been two summers ago. At least Mr And Mrs Snape might be asleep now, and she knew from his description that Severus' bedroom window overlooked the street.

She wondered what could have happened. Had he been caught using magic by his parents? If so, it was all her fault! She knew he often used magic in Spinner's End, but usually he did it surreptitiously.

She was getting nearer to the houses by the river now. Contrary to the deserted streets of her own neighbourhood, several people were up and about, even though it was past midnight. A group of young men were lounging near one street corner, and several of them looked at her curiously as she crossed to the other side of the street to avoid them. She placed her hand firmly on her wand, drawing comfort from the barest tingling of the magic inside it. However, none of them spoke to her, probably disconcerted by her strange clothing.

At several other street corners she saw young girls in heavy make-up and tight, miniscule skirts loitering, their deadened eyes scouring the street for their next customer. They evoked in Lily a feeling of inexplicable sadness, rather than the disgust Petunia said she should view them with. A few cars crept slowly down these streets, engines purring in anticipation. Sometimes they would slow down at a street corner and another of the young girls would be swallowed up in their dark interiors.

Lily took a deep breath, forcing herself not to stare at the hapless girls. Finally she reached the cobbled streets by the river. These were thankfully deserted. There weren't even any cars. Although she had been there only once before, it had been such a disastrous occasion, she remembered the way clearly.

She turned finally into Spinner's End, heart beating fast. The windows in the long row of red brick houses were all dark or had their curtains drawn.

Except the last. It was Severus' house, and a small light filtered through the dark curtains of an upstairs window. From what he had described, it was his window.

Taking her Gryffindor courage in both hands, she picked up a small stone and hurled it against the window, hearing it tinkle against the glass, then she retreated to the darkest part of the street. If it wasn't Severus's window, she'd only get him into trouble.

The chink of light between the curtains was suddenly extinguished, but Severus did not appear at the window as she had hoped. He must have gone to sleep or something. Disappointed, she moved forward, thinking she'd try one last time, and was just bending over to search for another stone, when a furious voice just a few feet away from her made her jump out of her skin:

'What the hell d'you think you're _doing_ here!'

'_Severus!_ You scared me!'

He was standing in the darkened doorway, his face white with fury, but his eyes were looking past her, flicking up and down Spinner's End.

'Quick! Get inside!'

He actually grabbed her arm and dragged her through the door, and then with a last belligerent look at the street outside, he closed the door.

She found herself in a small, darkened sitting room, with a small table, armchairs, and a rather large fireplace. She could see that one wall consisted of bookshelves, but the rest of the room was in shadow, for the only light came from a half-shut door at the back.

'What on earth were you thinking, coming at this time of the night?' he hissed angrily.

In the yellow light filtering in from the back room, his face looked sallow and gaunt. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was long and unkempt, throwing his face into deeper shadow as it fell about his face. His clothes were rumpled and it looked like he hadn't slept for days, but despite all this, his eyes burned feverishly bright, the light from the door creating a yellow, reflected fire in their black depths. A familiar smell lingered in the closed space. She recognised it as a brewing smell.

'I thought you were still awake, I saw a light through your curtains. I couldn't risk coming during the day in case I got you into trouble again with your parents,' she explained.

He said nothing, but she saw him glance involuntarily at a dark shape on the sofa.

'Not much chance of that now,' he said bitterly.

She gasped. It was so dark that she hadn't noticed the still figure of a thin woman on the old sofa.

'What – what happened, Severus? What's wrong with your Mum?' for she knew without shade of doubt, that Mrs Snape was not just taking a nap.

Severus moved towards the middle of the room, pointed his wand at an old-fashioned ceiling lamp, and the room was suddenly flooded with flickering yellow light.

'Overdosed on Dreamless Sleep Potion. I brewed it for her myself this morning,' he replied, bitterly, 'She said she was having trouble sleeping, having nightmares. I just didn't think she'd...' He gestured helplessly at the sleeping woman.

Lily stared in shocked silence at the thin, dark-haired woman. Then she saw with relief that her chest was rising and falling in deep, regular breaths. But Lily knew enough about potions to realise that there were serious consequences for anything taken in excess of the right dose.

She went over to the sofa and gazed down at Mrs Snape. She had only glimpsed her once before and her face had been twisted in anger on that occasion. Not now, though. Now her face was expressionless and smooth. She had long black hair untidily tucked into a bun at the nape of her neck, her clothes old-fashioned and rather threadbare. Over them she wore an apron with a large pocket from which a Yew wand protruded. She resembled Severus greatly: she had the same thin face, high cheekbones and pale skin.

But despite her blank, potion-induced expression, Lily could see that there were tiny wrinkles around her eyes and frown-lines on her brow. Kneeling down by the sofa, she tried to imagine how this woman's face would look like when free to express her feelings, and she wondered, with a shiver of dread, what could have made this woman seek a potion-induced oblivion.

Lily looked up and noticed Severus' eyes were on her.

'It's not your fault, you know,' she said quietly.

Severus did not answer her. There was something else that was amiss.

'Where's your father, Sev? Does he know?'

'My father disappeared three nights ago. He went to the pub and never came back.'

_'What?'_

'That's why she's like this! Instead of being happy to be shot of the bloody bastard, she makes me go with her to search for him!' Severus voice rose in barely controlled rage, 'We've trawled every fucking Muggle park in the area, every hell-hole they call pub, all the gutters and alleyways, and even the river! She even insisted on alerting the muggle police! And still didn't find him!'

'I'm so sorry, Sev. I was worried something had happened. I never imagined it was so bad!'

'It's NOT bad, Lily! Don't you get it? I'm _glad_ to be rid of him!'

'Your mother isn't,' she said quietly.

Severus glowered at her from behind the sofa and said nothing as his eyes flickered briefly on the recumbent figure of his mother. Mrs Snape's breathing had not even changed despite their raised voices. Lily wondered what the consequences to this particular overdose were.

'Look, Lily, you shouldn't have come.' he stated flatly, 'You risked being mugged or worse. You're not used to this place!'

'I have my wand with me. I was worried when you didn't phone!'

'I didn't have time! If that bloody Potter hadn't stolen the two-way mirror, I would've made it clear that I wanted you to stay away! I thought you'd 've seen enough of these slums once already!'

'I just want to help, Severus,'

'I don't need your help, Lily! I can deal with this by myself, I always have done,' he snapped harshly, '_This_ isn't your problem!'

'_You_ are my problem!' she retorted, angrily blinking away the tears that prickled behind her eyes, 'I'll be damned if I can just turn round and leave you here alone. I just can't do it! I wouldn't leave _anyone_ to face something like this by themselves, let alone my best friend!' She stood up and faced him squarely over the still figure of his mother on the sofa, crossing her arms defiantly. 'Besides, what would you have me do, go back to the streets again? You said they're dangerous!'

Severus glared at her, but she could see his expression had softened somewhat. She had weathered Severus' temper before, and knew from experience that he hated appearing to need help. This was definitely one of those occasions, and she needed to take matters into her own hands.

'So, shall we look up those books on healing arts I gave you?' she said more briskly, 'There might be something about antidotes there.'

'That's what I was doing when you hurled that stone at my window!'

'Oh, right. By the way, how did you know it was me? I'm in disguise.'

This time she saw his lips twitch upwards, as his eyes flicked over her from head to toe.

'Only _you_ would think of dressing up like a modern-day version of Arsėne Lupin. You look like a caricature burgler!'

'I thought I wouldn't be noticed,' she replied with a sniff as she shook took off her dark green cap and shook her hair out.

'You must dress like the locals not to be noticed,' Severus explained.

Lily's mind went back to the girls at the street corners, and frowned doubtfully.

'You must've created quite a stir.' Severus continued, 'but anyway, I knew it was you. I'd recognise you anywhere!'

'So did you find anything about your Mum's symptoms?' Lily asked eager to keep Severus talking, lest he remember he had told her to clear out.

'Yes. Overdose will put the sleeper into a dreamless sleep from which he or she cannot wake up. The severity of the symptoms will depend on the quantity of potion taken and ... and... how eagerly the subject has sought oblivion'

'What about an antidote?'

'There is one, and I've just finished brewing it,' he indicated the door at the back, which must lead to a small kitchen.

'That's great then. Let's give it to her.'

'There's a slight complication,' he mumbled uncomfortably, 'Hang on, I'll get the book.' And with that Severus went through another door to the side of the room. She could hear his feet clattering up some wooden stairs.

She knelt down by Mrs Snape again and gently put an old cushion under her head, to prop her up. The sleeping woman's breathing did not even change rhythm. Her hands were cool but not cold, for it was a warm summer night.

Severus clattered downstairs again with one of her books on healing magic and Lily joined him at a small table. He opened the book on the page marked 'Common Potion Overdose' and pointed out a paragraph halfway down the page.

'_A Healer has to be wary of leaving the Dreamless Sleep Potion or indeed, any form of Sleep Potion, anywhere near a witch or wizard suffering from Melancholia, or else a state of heightened anxiety, because it is easily viewed as way of escaping their reality ._

_Dreamless Sleep Potion is the preferred potion for these depressed witches and wizards because of the complete oblivion it induces (common Sleep potions do not prevent them having nightmares, thus having their hated realities pursue them even in their sleep)_

_In their eagerness for oblivion, the witch or wizard would hastily down a triple dose of the potion, especially if they have benefitted from its effects on previous occasions._

_It goes without saying that the consequences of overdosage are severe. In the case of Dreamless Sleep potion, there will be an extreme aversion to regaining consciousness, and the witch or wizard could remain in dreamless sleep for weeks and months, and may even eventually waste away from starvation. _

_It is with extreme difficulty that the 'Risveglio' or awakening spell is administered in enough strength to be effective. The Healer must use all the power at her disposal for this spell to work. However, it is the only spell that is sufficiently powerful to allow the patients a brief return to consciousness in order to swallow 3 ounces of the antidote to Dreamless Sleep (please see page 130 for the ingredients and method of preparation of the Antidote) _

_The temporary return to consciousness is brief and traumatic for the witch or wizard involved, for they view their return to reality as falling into a nightmare, rather than the other way around,' _

Lily looked across the table at Severus. He was glowering darkly at the book as though it had offended him in some way.

'It's the _Risveglio_ spell, isn't it?'

He nodded. 'I've found the page where it explains the _Risveglio_ spell in detail, and I've tried it on her, but she didn't even blink!'

A look at his scowling face gave Lily an inkling of what might have happened. After all, she had been reading and re-reading those books since Mary MacDonald had given them to her several weeks ago. She _knew t_he basic principles.

'Sev, when you tried the spell, did you really want her to wake up?' she asked gently.

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug that spoke volumes, but his scowl deepened.

'She looked relaxed. Seemed a pity to wake her. But what's that got to do with it?'

Lily sighed. It was sad knowing his mother's potion-induced calm was at the root of Severus' half-hearted attempts at waking her up.

'It has everything to do with it, Severus,' she explained, 'Like Dark Curses, you have to _mean it_ for the magic to be effective. So you have to really _want_ to help the patient, if you need the healing magic to work. Here, I'll try'

Severus did not even protest as she turned to the page on the _Risveglio _charm and studied it. It only took her a few minutes.

Going over to where Eileen Snape lay comatose on the sofa, she knelt at her side, her wand in her hand. Severus took his place silently behind her. Lily dithered for a minute before raising her wand. What if, like Severus thought, it was better for her to remain in blessed oblivion than face a harsh reality? After all, what did she know of this woman?

She was only a teenager – with no real experience in such matters. Her mind flashed back to the suicidal young woman in the pauper's cemetery last summer. It seemed like it was happening again – with potions instead of pills. Lily felt her wand hand tremble.

'Look – if you'd rather not,' Severus started, but Lily shook her head.

His mother was alive, and whatever Severus said to the contrary, she knew he cared. And so did Mrs Snape. She gazed down at the work-roughened hands of the older woman, at the thin, high-cheekboned face with its fine web of worry-lines that not even the dreamless potion could completely smooth out. She had to try and help her find something to live for. This woman loved her men - she just did not know that, perhaps.

'_Somnia Sine Risveglio_!'

Her wand glowed with a golden light and a shower of teardrop-shaped sparks emanated from the tip, landing gently on Mrs Snape's figure, shining like molten gold on her drab clothes, coalescing a second later, to glow brightly around her face and neck. They settled in fiery pools in the small depression of her neck, and circled her head like a soft glowing halo. A sharp intake of breath from Severus's direction told her the spell was working.

Suddenly the golden lights were extinguished, and the room dimmed into comparative darkness. Eileen Snape drew a gasping, strangulated breath, her features twisting in horror, though her eyes remained closed. The change was dramatic and frightening, but Lily tried to remain level-headed, for her sake.

She looked round and saw Severus staring at his mother as though he couldn't believe his eyes.

'Quick! Get the Potion Sev, this won't last long! Mrs Snape – _Mrs Snape_!'

'_Accio_!' He summoned the potion from the kitchen, caught it deftly, knelt down by her side, and wordlessly handed it to her.

Just then his mother's eyes fluttered open, but they were glazed and unfocussed. Her face was no longer blank, but twisted in horror at something only she could see. Her breathing had become ragged and distressed, and she moved her arms feebly, as though trying to ward off someone or something.

'Mrs Snape, you've got to drink this! Sev, help me lift her head a bit.'

Finally Eileen Snape blinked and her eyes focussed on Lily who was holding a small bottle to her lips. Her expression became a mixture of rage and fear, and she mouthed barely coherent words, her arms flailing wildly.

'Get away... poisoning me...!'

With a sudden violent movement she knocked the bottle out of Lily's hand, sending it flying towards Severus, who was holding up her head. It's thick, yellowish contents splashed down his arms and chest and the bottle shattered uselessly on the floor.

'Damn it! Mum, stop struggling!'

'Do you have any more?' Lily asked, looking down in horror at the glutinous mess on the threadbare carpet.

'Maybe just enough in the cauldron. I'll get it!' And he ran to the kitchen.

Eileen Snape was now struggling to sit up, but the effort made her dizzy and she closed her eyes, sinking back on the sofa. Her breathing was now fast and shallow.

'Mrs Snape, please relax! Severus has gone to get more potion, you need to drink it,' Lily spoke softly, hoping not to alarm her again.

After all, she had never understood the older woman's aversion to her. She had reacted the same way when she had found her on her doorstep two summers ago. Severus had never explained, but she thought she knew why. His mother was a woman who had married a Muggle, had been disowned because of it, and had then been sorely disillusioned by her husband and her married life among Muggles. She, Lily, was a Muggleborn, and as such, hardly better than a Muggle in her eyes, and represented perhaps, all the bad choices of her youth.

Mrs Snape's eyes were squeezed shut, and her hands had started to tremble. Lily wondered if she had even heard her. She took one of her hands in hers, searching for a pulse and noted how cold and clammy they were now.

'What are you doing here?'

Her voice was so low that Lily barely heard the whisper. She looked up and found Eileen Snape's dark eyes, so like Severus', staring at her coldly. She was lucid, but it would not be for long. She removed her hands from hers.

'I was worried about Severus, Mrs Snape. I hadn't heard from him for so long. I didn't know he couldn't leave your side. I - I would like to help-'

'I don't need your help!' Her voice was barely audible, but there was no mistaking the venom in it.

'I – I know. Neither does Severus,' she admitted, then she took a deep breath and looked the older woman in the eye, 'But can you stand around and do nothing, while someone you ...' she caught herself just in time, '... someone you care about needs you, whether he admits it or not? You can understand that, can't you? ' she continued softly.

Eileen Snape said nothing but turned her head away weakly, staring blindly up at the ceiling.

'We'll ... we'll look for Mr Snape, I promise,' Lily whispered, 'You'll see. We'll find him.'

A single tear appeared at the corner of Eileen Snape's eyes and trickled down the side of her face. Then her eyes rolled back and the trembling worsened.

Just then Severus ran back with a chipped glass bottle filled with more of the yellow potion.

'Hurry Sev, she's slipping!'

'Mum! Drink this! Drink this now!' his voice cracked with urgency, and he lifted her head slightly putting the bottle to her lips.

With a low moan, Eileen opened her eyes and gazed bewildered round her. She seemed to have forgotten where she was again, but then her eyes fell on Severus and she blinked rapidly, trying to focus on his face.

It was pale and drawn, but his eyes were hard and burned with an anguished fire.

'Please Mum,' he muttered, between clenched teeth.

Looking at her son with an expression that looked like wonder, Lily saw Eileen Snape put the small bottle to her lips and drink deeply.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Her body relaxed and became limp once more. Severus laid her back down gently on the pillow as she fell into a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling gently. However, unlike dreamless sleep, there were tiny movements of the muscles of her face – a frown, a slight grimace, and rapid twitching of her eyelids.

Lily realised she had been holding her breath all this time, and she let it out in a heartfelt sigh, falling back to sit on the floor.

'Thank Merlin it worked!' she breathed in relief 'What'll the potion do now?'

'Your book says she'll still sleep for 12 hours at least, but the dreamless effect will wear off, and any time after that, she'll wake up.'

'Let's get her comfortable then. Twelve hours is a long time to stay on a sofa'

Severus looked doubtfully at her, then pointed his wand at her probably thinking to cast a levitation charm, but then seemed to think better about it and instead bent over and lifted his mother into his arms. She moaned softly, but did not wake up.

'I'll be with you in a second,' he said as he disappeared through the small door to the right of the room.

Lily's heart was still beating very fast after the emotional roller-coaster ride of the previous half-hour, so she busied herself by cleaning the broken bottle and spilt potion from the floor.

She used magic to do so, revelling in the clandestine pleasure of it. Going through the door at the back she found herself in a small kitchen with worn cupboards, an old-fashioned stove and chipped stoneware sink. Finding a small bin beyond a door leading to a small backyard she pointed her wand at it, and watched as the glittering pieces of broken glass disappeared inside.

Looking around the small kitchen, she noticed with a shiver, a large, almost empty bottle of the purple Dreamless Sleep potion on the small table by the wall. She tried to imagine the anguished time before Mrs Snape put that bottle to her lips. A small, empty cauldron lay on its side on the floor, glass phials were scattered all over the work surfaces and a pungent smell lingered in the air.

It took her only a few minutes to clear up the small kitchen. She knew Severus hated clutter. Then she made her way back to the living room. It was small and rather shabby, but the well-stocked bookshelf made her feel immediately at ease. Books were her friends, and she would normally have gone straight to the shelves to browse.

She had always been curious about Severus' house, even more so because he had been so adamant that she should come nowhere close to it.

But Severus still hadn't come down.

Moving over to the other door she pushed it open and fumbled around in the dark for the light. To her surprise, she found an old toggle switch and flipped it on so that the naked light of one electric bulb revealed a narrow staircase. Apparently, the house had an eclectic mixture of old-fashioned lamps and electric light bulbs.

'Sev?' she called softly as climbed up.

There was no answer and she found herself on a small landing. There was a half-open door at its far end and she made her way towards it.

'Sev?'

The door opened wider and Severus stood there.

'Is she still asleep?' she asked in hushed tones.

He nodded and opened the door further, wordlessly inviting her in.

It was a plain room with plain furniture, lit by an oil lamp on a bedside table. A double bed, wardrobe and dressing table of some dark wood, and pale patches on the wallpaper that indicated there might once have been pictures or photo frames hanging on the wall. Lily walked silently into the room. Eileen Snape was lying on the unmade bed. Severus had removed her apron, wand included, and covered her with a blanket. She was still sleeping soundly, but her breathing was not as regular as before and her face, slightly flushed, moved in fleeting expressions that Lily could only interpret as painful. Perhaps her dreams – or nightmares - were slowly returning.

Lily frowned and bent over the sleeping woman, straightening the sheets around her. Twelve hours of nightmares was a long time, and from what she had learnt over the years of knowing Severus, there was plenty of material for nightmares.

She glanced up to Severus leaning against the doorjamb, looking at her as she fussed about the bed, a strange expression on his face.

'What?' she said in a loud whisper.

But Severus shook his head and said nothing, so with a final pat to the bed, she followed him outside and he made to shut the door.

'Leave the door open, just in case she wakes up or something.'

'Not before twelve hours,' he said, firmly, but he left the door ajar.

In the yellow light from the stairwell, Lily could see that the strain of the past days seemed to have miraculously lifted from his face. He still had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was all over the place, there were potion stains on his hands, and his shirt was messily stuck to his chest with the potion his mother had knocked out of her hands, but his eyes were no longer burning with the hellish flame she had noted earlier, and his lips were no longer taut with suppressed rage and bitterness.

Severus never ceased to amaze her with his limitless energy. He probably hadn't slept since he returned from Hogwarts – even before, if Narcissa's farewell party was taken into account, and yet now his dark eyes were alive with a restless yet controlled energy, and he looked ready to remain awake another night if necessary. She herself, however, now that the immediate danger to Mrs Snape was over, felt as though she could use a good nap. It must be close to one in the morning.

'Sorry 'bout that,' she said sleepily, nodding at the mess on his shirt, 'I should've been more careful. Thank goodness you had more potion.'

'Don't apologise. Actually, ...' he glanced down at his feet, shifting uncomfortably, then his eyes flickered briefly to hers, 'Look, ... thanks, okay?'

She smiled up at him. 'One day, you're going to have to admit that my books on Healing Arts are better than yours on Dark Arts!'

He lifted one eyebrow sardonically, but did not argue the point.

'There's something I've got to show you,' he said instead, 'Wait in my room while I wash this gunk off.'

He opened another door that led off the small corridor and she followed him inside a darkened room. Pointing his wand at a lamp on a small table by the window, he muttered an incantation, lighting it, and the room was bathed in a warm glow.

The warm glow did nothing to disguise the fact that it was a very sparsely furnished, with bare floorboards and dark, non-descript wallpaper that was peeling at the corners. There was a bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a small table that served as a desk. Books covered every available space.

Severus rummaged around in a small wardrobe for fresh clothes and then disappeared outside, leaving her alone to examine his room in girlish curiosity.

To her initial delight, she saw that the small table by the window was laden with books: mostly dark, leather-bound volumes she knew could only be on magic. There were also a few jars of ingredients, but Lily knew he kept most of his stock of ingredients at Hogwarts, in their dungeon hideout.

She sat down on a rickety chair, running her fingers lovingly down the spine of the thick books. It was then, as gilt titles of some of the books caught the light of the oil lamp, that she noticed that they were books on Dark magic. She removed her hand and took a deep, steadying breath. Other books had ominously blank, dark, covers, with no titles or authors' name, and others yet were written in a strange script: Greek or Russian, but she had no illusions about what they contained.

Several crumpled-up parchments littered the small table and even the floor, and one in particular, an expensive-looking, crested parchment caught her eye, because it was sticking out like a bookmark from the other book on Healing Arts she had lent him.

Feeling uncomfortably as though she was prying, she opened her book on the marked page. The parchment was marking a chapter entitled '_Healing Spells for the Correction of Cardiac Arrhythmias'._ She smiled, but as she was closing the book, she noticed that the crested parchment was not blank, but there was something sketched on the other side.

Without thinking, she turned it over, and there, in black ink, was a crude, but fairly accurate, drawing of the Dark Mark. It was signed 'Reg' with the addendum: '_Hope you like the stuff I sent!' _

She stood up, somehow feeling as though she had been through a cold shower, and snapped the book shut over that horrible mark. She knew Severus' fascination with the Dark Arts, she had even teased him about it, but this was worse.

She sat down on the small single bed in the middle of the room, trying to rationalise her thoughts. It was just a letter after all, and he hadn't drawn that Dark Mark. Given what he'd just been through these last three days, he probably hadn't even read what 'Reg' – Regulus Black, she assumed – had sent.

Her fingers played nervously around a loose thread from the eiderdown blanket on the bed. She couldn't blame Severus for what his Slytherin friends sent him. She had heard rumours linking the Rosiers and Lestranges to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but from what Sirius Black let slip about his parents, they were not Death Eaters, though they obviously sympathised with the pureblood credo they endorsed.

She knew, at the back of her mind, that she was wilfully ignoring some crucial facts about that letter, but she felt tired now as the emotions of the past hour started to catch up with her. She passed her hand over her face wearily, and purposefully pushed all thoughts of the Dark Mark out of her mind. She _wanted_ to believe in Severus. He was too intelligent, too _distrustful_, to be easily swayed.

Her eyes fell on the pillow. There was a frayed hole in one end and several threadbare patches, but it looked inviting. She laid her head down on the pillow, and was immediately aware of his scent on it. It was familiar, and thus, right now, comforting. She did not want to believe he was becoming someone she did not know. Not that she could ever know everything about someone like Severus Snape.

She smiled tiredly, burying her face in the familiar smell of the pillow: she had assumed he hardly ever lay down to sleep! If she could just rest for a few minutes until Severus returned, she'd be better able to face him. She would never let him go astray – not if she could help it!


	104. Chapter 104

**Chapter 104: Night Flight.**

Severus shook the water out of his eyes and pulled the dark blue T-shirt over his head. The skin on his arm and chest was rubbed red-raw where the pungent potion had covered it. It had taken him a while to scrub the glutinous, smelly antidote off, but he persisted, for he hated odours - they interfered with his sense of smell. He surveyed himself in the small damp-spotted mirror above the sink. With only cold water in the small bathroom and a scratchy bar of soap, it was the best he could do.

At least his mother had drunk the potion, thanks to Lily Evans.

_Lily Evans._

She was here in his house. In his very _bedroom_. The thought electrified him.

And he had tried to make her feel unwelcome. Had bitten her head off when she tried to help. What was _wrong_ with him! She knew, after all, better than anyone else, what his life was like here in Spinner's End. _And yet she had still come_.

He felt strangely relieved, like that time when she had first come across him after he had been brutalised by his father. It felt as though somehow, the worst was over. He had never wanted her here, but now that she was, well... he felt both relieved and excited.

He opened the door to his room.

'Lily?'

She was lying half across his bed, dark hair splayed out across his pillow, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. He smiled - he couldn't have been more than ten or fifteen minutes in the bathroom, but she had fallen asleep. Her feet were touching the floor among all the crumpled up parchments of useless notes on healing potions for her father.

He approached the bed cautiously and stared down at her greedily. _Lily Evans in his bed!_ He wrenched his mind away from the many thoughts that were suddenly clamouring hotly for attention in his brain.

There was still the question of taking her home safely.

He didn't dare touch her, for she was not stunned, as she had been in the forest when the Karkaroffs attacked them.

'Lily!' he repeated, louder this time.

'_Mmmmh_,_!_'

It was a soft moan, and it sent his blood rushing in places it shouldn't. Her eyes were still closed, but she stirred and he knew she was waking up. He moved hurriedly to the window and pushed it open, welcoming the cool, night breeze on his flushed face. The room seemed suddenly hot and close.

As he had guessed, Lily's eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a start. It took her a few seconds to see him in the recessed space between the window and the wardrobe.

'Sorry,' she said rubbing her eyes, 'I must've dozed off. Have you been calling me long?'

'Just now. Are you fully awake, because I said I'd show you something?'

'Oh, yes, right. What?'

She stood up, her eyes already bright and eager. Her expression reminded him of the time when they were children and he could still enthral her with his stories of the magical world. Perhaps he could still manage to surprise her.

He went to his wardrobe and rummaged about at the back until his hand encountered a long hard object. He drew it out and held it up for her to see.

'A _broomstick_! Sev, you got a _Broomstick! _Where – how d'you get it?' she squealed immediately, coming over to take it into her hands.

'It's not new. Just an old Shooting Star. You can see that, I guess.'

With Potter bragging about his latest models all over the Gryffindor common room, no doubt she could see the difference.

'Who cares? It's a racing broom, isn't it? We can fly this, can't we? And it can't be detected.'

'Uh... no. As long as no muggle sees us, we can ride it. That's what I was going to propose.'

'What about your Mum?'

'She'll be fine for at least 12 hours. And it's the perfect night. No moon.'

'That's brilliant!' she exclaimed almost jumping up and down in excitement, 'Where d'you get the broomstick from? Have you tried it? How does it handle?'

'If you stop acting like a hysterical Hufflepuff, I'll tell you!' he answered, though he could barely restrain a satisfied smirk.

He knew she missed flying and it had been with great reluctance she had stopped going to the Flying club in their second year at Hogwarts. Possibly, he thought with uncomfortable realisation, she had stopped going because of him. He had given it up first, annoyed with Potter and Black's insults and their superiority at Quidditch. She had stopped going too. Well, now he'd make it up to her.

'It ...er ... had a curse on it, and Filch had disposed of it, but I fixed it and it works fine now. Better than I expected.'

He didn't tell her it was the same broomstick Potter had planted on him back in their first-year. He had made a fool of him then, but he wasn't going to allow that to happen again. With beautiful irony, he would be using the same broomstick to take Lily Evans flying.

'Better than that Vernon Dursley's stupid car! Oh, this is _so_ exciting!' Lily grinned, turning the handle over in her hand.

Severus smirked, feeling his summer at Spinner's End had taken a sudden upwards turn after the strain of the first few days, but Lily's next words wiped the smile off his face.

'And we can use it to go looking for your Father,' she said, happily.

He just stared at her in disbelief. She looked up at his shocked face and her smile faltered.

'I – I promised your mother, Sev' she spoke gently and with some trepidation.

'You _what_?'

'I promised your mother that we'd find him,' she said nervously, resting the broom stick on its end, 'She needs him, whatever you may say.'

'She needs him so's to have someone to hate! She needs him to survive in this dump!' his voice rose angrily.

'Perhaps she needs him because she loves him! She was _crying,_ Sev!'

'Perhaps she needs him because she needs to find out why he left, so she can hate him all the more! And she cries whenever she provokes him to the point of hitting her, did you know that? She doesn't cry because of bruises or broken bones, but because she knows she could stop and yet doesn't. She blames the drinking, but knows she drives him to it. We both do.'

He heard his voice drop lower, a vicious whisper, and he saw Lily's eyes widen in shock, but he was furious and past caring now. If she had wanted to come to Spinner's End - well, it was about time she saw it in the full glory of its sordid reality! She had to stop thinking she could fix things! If there was ever any love between his parents it had long since been buried, and any pitiful remnants of it had been twisted into a more convenient hatred.

Lily looked at him in silence, her hand to her mouth. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Severus, cursing himself mentally, looked away. Why couldn't he control himself where Lily was concerned? It was bad enough she'd seen this dump he had to call home, without making it worse by interfering. He had hardly slept in four days, but his blood was boiling right now.

'I still think there's hope for them, Severus-' Lily whispered, her voice tremulous.

Severus made an impatient noise and walked to the open window, looking up at the clear sky. It had gone so rapidly downhill – all he had wanted was to forget everything for a while, and get away from here, take Lily flying. But now, she stood blinking away tears in the middle of his room, and he was murderously considering what he would do if he _had t_o find his father.

'I don't want to find him, Lily' he said flatly, watching a few clouds scudding across the starlit sky. 'And perhaps, neither does he'

He felt a soft touch on his arm and stiffened. He did not want to argue any more. He was tired of arguments. Lily could see whatever sentimental rubbish she wanted in his parents' miserable existence; he did not want to even try to understand anymore.

'Let's go flying, Sev.'

He thought he had misheard her. He turned round, his brows drawn suspiciously, but she was smiling, though her eyes still glistened suspiciously.

'What?'

'If you think your Mum'll be okay, let's just get out of here!'

He looked at her a second more, and then wordlessly pointed his wand at the lamp, extinguishing it, and led the way downstairs. He couldn't get out of the house quick enough. She had changed her mind, and he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass. Lily followed, carrying the broomstick.

'Let's go to the back yard, it's darker there,' he said, taking the broom from her hand as he led her through the small kitchen and out of the back door.

The narrow alley between the backyards or Spinners' End and the next row of red brick houses was unlighted and perfect for taking off.

'Remember you can't use magic now,' he said, lowering his voice.

He could barely see Lily against the backdrop of his darkened house. The distant orange glow of street lights barely made any difference here, but he thought he saw her nod.

'How about we go to Hazelwood Fields? It's got trees, we won't be seen,' he asked, as though the idea had just occurred to him.

In actual fact, he had planned this before leaving Hogwarts. In the silence of the dark backyard he could hear his heart thumping treacherously.

'You mean where we did our Astronomy project last summer?'

'Yeah'

'Great idea, I loved that place! No short cuts through cemeteries this time though, okay?'

'Don't worry, I won't even fly us over them.' he mounted the broom eagerly 'Now c'mon. We don't have much time!'

But Lily just stood there in the dark.

'I – I don't know if it's such a good idea...' she began.

Severus' spirits plummeted. He couldn't see her face, but correctly interpreted her nervous wriggling.

'Don't you trust me?'

'It's not you, Sev, It's me – I haven't ridden a broom in over two years and never pillion. I don't want to be a liability!'

Severus almost smiled in relief, 'You never forget how to ride. I found that out last Christmas at the Rosiers. Come on up. Believe me, you won't regret it.'

Lily just stood there in the dark for a moment, then he felt her hand on his arm, steadying herself as she threw a leg over the broomstick behind him. The broom was already half-hovering, vibrating slightly as though eager to be off.

'Ready?' he asked, feeling a thrill of excitement as her hands circled his waist hesitantly.

'Ready,' she responded firmly.

Wanting to shorten the time they could be seen by muggles, he kicked off into a steep, fast climb, grinning as he felt her arms tighten involuntarily around his waist.

The cool night air whipped his hair about, lashing his face into a lucid state of awareness, of excitement, that he had all but forgotten existed during the previous days of close confinement between the festering walls of his home. He felt alive, the cold but cleansing bite of the wind, and speed of the broomstick, forcing his mind to focus on the present; on the way Lily Evans was clutching him; on the warmth of her presence behind him.

He had reached a point high enough not to be effected by the streetlights of the city below, so he levelled out, slowed down to a more leisurely pace, and waited to hear Lily's reaction. He wasn't disappointed.

'Oooh, that was soooo exciting! I 'd forgotten what it felt like! It's _amazing_! Can I squeal like a first-year now? The occasion really warrants it!'

'If you do, I'll turn this thing over!'

'Bet I could still hang on, though! The feeling for flying is coming back now! Look - no hands!'

And Lily took her arms off his waist and held them up in the rushing air. Severus, feeling with regret the freezing spot around his ribcage where her arms had been, smirked and turned sharply into a deep dive towards the dark, distant, river below. With a stifled shriek, Lily grabbed onto him again and he flew them close to the dark water of the river, skimming its surface. They were already far enough upriver now to be almost out of town.

Lily, giggling excitedly, held on to him with one hand and, leaning over, touched the surface of the sluggish river, leaving a narrow white trail that gleamed in the starlight. They were going so fast that if a muggle had to see them they would be nothing more than a dark blur across the water.

Lily's laughter was a dead giveaway though, so he pulled the nose of the broomstick into a climb again and resisted all further temptations to show off. Such antics were for the likes of Potter, and Lily had been an excellent flier herself, anyway.

A few minutes later, they had reached the woods that had taken them a good part of the night last summer to walk to. He landed them gently on the top of the small hillock they had done their astronomy project on, on that occasion. The trees kept the city's glare to a minimum here, and the starlight was just bright enough to differentiate between the darker shapes of the trees around them.

'That was wonderful!' Lily enthused as soon as they had dismounted, 'Can I have a go now?'

Severus nodded and handed her the broom. Then he threw himself down in a pool of darker shadow and watched her as she kicked off and flew over the tree tops. It wasn't long before she was zigzagging excitedly between the branches and speeding into the fields beyond.

Severus' eyes strained to keep her in sight. She was just a dark blur in the distance. He hoped she wouldn't stray far though. He scanned the horizon for anything that looked untoward, for an innate wariness was second nature to Severus Snape. It kept him ever watchful, ever distrustful, and rarely, if ever, allowed him to relax. It had been ingrained into him over years of fending for himself, of paying dearly for every lapse of attention or moment of distraction.

Even sleep alluded him, and he had learnt at a very early age, to wake at the slightest sound, at the slightest _feeling _of something wrong: at home he would always somehow wake up before an impending argument, before the raised voices of his parents were loud enough to wake the neighbours; and at Hogwarts, he even found it impossible to sleep until the snores of the other boys assured him they were all sleeping. If any of the boys that shared his dorm got up in the night, whether for innocent or not-so-innocent reasons, they would always find the dark eyes of Severus Snape glaring at them form between the curtains of his Four-poster, and they, as well as students from other houses, had learnt early on that it was difficult, if not impossible, to catch Severus unawares, especially at night.

Severus stood up and strained his eyes at the distant fields. Lily had disappeared behind a clump of trees between the distant fields and hadn't come out. His anxiety, never too far beneath the surface, returned with a vengeance. She was too good a flier to have crashed into a tree, he tried to reason with himself. She probably had just stopped to pet a damned fox, or coo over a family of badgers. She spent too much time with that bloody Hagrid! Besides, she had been flying for at least half an hour, and it was time to go back.

He could not shake off the feeling that tonight would end badly. It was always so with him: a good thing, briefly enjoyed, would come crashing about his ears at the last minute, as something would always surely spoil it. Their last stay in this place had ended with a Dementor attack.

Just then a dark blur reappeared from behind the trees and sped towards the hillock he stood on. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief as Lily flew once round the clearing and swerved to a stop beside him.

'What kept you?' he asked sourly as she dismounted.

'Horklumps! A whole nest of them. I never saw any so close to home.'

'No reason for you to disappear for a whole hour. Anyway, they're useless things'

'It wasn't a whole hour, besides, no animal is _useless,_ Sev. They just _are_, you know? '

He shook his head in mock exasperation. 'No I don't. They're just pests that are food for another pest, the Gnome, so you can't even consider them as good fodder for something useful.'

A broad grin spread across Lily's pale face, 'Not according to Xenia Lovegood though,' she said, 'Apparently, Gnome saliva has wonderful powers the wizarding world has yet to discover. She mentioned ...er... the 'gift of tongues.''

Severus snorted in disbelief and wished that there was a moon that night so he could better see Lily's face. It was rare that Lily poked fun at anyone unless they were being obnoxiously big-headed, like Potter and his gang, but she was a clever witch and sometimes, the things that Lovegood came up with moved even her to sarcasm, though unlike his brand of sarcasm, hers took on a gentle and tolerant form.

'We have to go back now,' he announced regretfully, taking the broomstick from her, 'It will be dawn in an hours' time, and you don't want to be caught out of bed.'

He felt vaguely disappointed that it had ended so soon. He didn't know why he felt that way. Possibly because he had been half-expecting some sign from Lily that she considered this a date, of sorts. After all, most muggles took their girlfriends out in a car, like that Dursley, or a motorcycle. The latter, however, brought to his mind images of Sirius Black and his obsession with those particular muggle vehicles.

He scowled in the dark at the thought and shook himself angrily. He had not asked Lily out after all, and besides, at 15-and-a-half, he was too young to drive. A clandestine ride on a stolen broomstick was all he could offer her. Not that she had seemed to mind, of course.

On the contrary, she had flown off on the broomstick and completely forgotten the time. At least he could fly her home. But she was saying something.

'How about I drive on the way back, Severus?'

'What for?'

'Don't you think I fly well?' she countered.

'As a Slytherin, I have to say I'm reluctant to throw caution to the wind and trust in typical Gryffindor recklessness'

'Well, as a Gryffindor, I trust a Slytherin to take me flying with no ulterior motive, other than having fun,' she said this half-jokingly, but Severus froze. He could feel the serious undertone. What did she mean, exactly? He tried to make out her features in the dark, but her face was just a pale oval shape.

'What ulterior motives?' he asked, his mouth dry.

'Oh, you know, most Slytherins would only take a muggleborn on their brooms, if they intended to hex her or something. Glad you're not like that, Sev, though you still need some help with the 'having fun' bit.'

'Tonight was. Fun, I mean'

'Yes, it was,' she nodded vigorously, 'but seriously Sev, can I drive?'

'Fly'

'Whatever. You know what I mean. I was thinking, perhaps, we could –' she stopped.

Severus could not see her face clearly but he recognised the hesitancy in her voice.

He frowned. 'Could what?'

'Well, perhaps we could fly over the streets downriver, you know. I mean no one would see us –'

'Is this about my father again, Lily?' he snapped angrily.

He should have known. When Lily Evans decided to save someone there was no turning her back, and she would save them whether they liked it or not! And she had promised his mother. He felt the darkness closing in around him, his mind dragged kicking and screaming back to grim reality. She was not interested in flying with him after all, but it was just a means to an end; to keep a promise to a woman who disliked her, and who had actively tried to keep her away from him.

'Look, Severus, I know things are a bit rough between them, but it is what your Mum wants. She has no-one else.'

'She has me. I can take care of her!'

'You're away at school for most of the year. She will be so alone.'

'She'll get used to it. She'd be a million times better off than with that – that-'

'That's what I always presumed, Sev. Even for your sake. But after tonight, I – I think that she'd be less lonely, less...'she paused, gesturing helplessly, 'How can I explain? You like solitude Severus, but you have your Slytherin friends, and you move about in the magical world whenever you can, and for most of the year. You always had that link, that certainty, even before Hogwarts. But it's hard when you are a witch in a muggle world. No-one understands you. They look at you strangely – as though there's something wrong with you.'

'You're talking about yourself, aren't you?'

'Perhaps. It wasn't so bad after MacGonagall explained to my parents what was 'wrong' with me. But for Petunia, I guess I'll always remain a freak. Looking back, I guess she was jealous, and I suppose it helps her cope, but... well...' she sighed as her voice cracked slightly with hurt trembled slightly and Severus could hear the hurt

'So why do you think my mother would be better off living with someone who so clearly resents her and her magic?' he tried to keep his voice level, hoping to convince her.

'Because he _understands_, Severus. He doesn't like it, but he knows she's a witch. It's got to count for something, After all, you said yourself she doesn't want to, or cannot, return to the wizarding world,' she paused, 'And because she is the one who has to turn him away, if that is what it has to come to. It will be totally useless otherwise. She will have to _want_ to kick him out of the house and be independent of him,' she added, speaking with conviction.

Severus knew she was right. He didn't know how Lily had figured out so much from so little contact with his mother, but he knew that Eileen would always cling in hated dependence on her husband. It had been for too long a number of years now, too many reasons. As for him – well, he would survive as he had always done.

Lily was right in ways she did not comprehend. His mother would not leave Spinner's End. He stuck his hands in his pockets, staring darkly at the distant lights of the city beyond the line of trees. A dog howled in the distance.

'I'm – I'm really scared for you, however,' Lily whispered hesitantly behind him 'When he gets violent -!'

'Well, don't be!' he snarled, 'I can handle him. It won't be the first time, and as soon as I'm of age, I'll get the hell out of this muggle dump, and see to it that she's given the respect the name Prince deserves! Besides, who says we'll find him alive?'

He had spoken more harshly than he intended, for Lily gave a small gasp, but he was past caring. Perhaps he _hoped _his father was no longer alive! That would shock her, no doubt, but then, he had often wished it. Why did the drunken bastard have to disappear after the first day of his summer holidays? A small voice whispered at the back of his mind that perhaps it was because of him. They had had an almighty row that first night he came back.

'It's not your fault, Severus' Lily had come up behind him and was gazing at the distant skyline too.

That was the second time she had said that today. Was she reading his mind, now? He shrugged but did not answer her.

'Alive or dead, your mother will need to know,' Lily said and he could tell she was forcing herself to speak unemotionally. 'She doesn't have friends, does she? Among the neighbours, I mean.'

He looked at her, and though he was sure she could not see his face in the dark, she correctly guessed the sarcastic expression there.

'It's so sad, really,' Lily continued, 'if you think about it. You have me, after all, but she doesn't have anybody to even confide her problems to.'

He looked at her again. _You have me_... Lily's simple words rang in his ears. They were confidently spoken as though there was no doubt in her mind of the sincerity behind them.

'I should've phoned you,' he muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

'Yes, you should have,' she answered simply, 'but now I know that you would not have.'

He raised his eyebrows quizzically, but her features were barely discernable though he could detect a slight smile in her voice.

'Look, Mum does have some contacts in the wizarding world,' he said, trying for some reason to lighten the situation: 'She had floo powder and I know she uses it, late at night, usually, though she never lets on who she's speaking to, so it's not that bad. Speaking of which, what's the time now?'

Lily took out a small torch from her pocket, and pointed it at her wristwatch. At least, with a broom, they did not have to spend half the night walking.

'It's gone past three,' she said.

'Time to get back,' he sighed and held out the broomstick to her 'especially if you want to scour the alleyways downriver. You drive.'

'Fly,' she corrected, echoing him, as she took the broomstick in her hands and flung her leg over it with barely-suppressed eagerness, 'Don't worry, you won't regret this!'

A snort of derision was her only answer.

'Oh, come on, Sev, you know I said we still have to work on your notion of fun. And it's a long ride home. Now, climb on!'

Severus threw his leg over the vibrating broomstick and placed his hands gingerly around Lily's waist. He did not know whether he liked or hated this position. It certainly was one in which he had no control over the broomstick's flight, and Severus Snape was one who liked to feel in control – every time and at all times.

However, when Lily kicked off suddenly into a sharp vertical climb, he found that that position had an unexpected, though dubious, advantage, for Lily slid involuntarily back on the seat against him, and her warm weight between his thighs set his heart beating wildly, and sent his blood pounding hotly through his veins .

'Hold on tighter, Sev,' Lily shouted, as she accelerated, the whistling wind whipping the words out of her mouth.

But he did not need to be told, for his arms had circled her waist of their own accord, and his body arched protectively over hers as they both bent low over the broom in the correct aerodynamic position for an ascending acceleration. And accelerate they did, for Lily was pushing the broom to its limit - he could feel it vibrating slightly in protest.

Stinging strands of her long hair lashed his face, so that he had to close his eyes momentarily. That seemed to make the meadow-sweet smell of her stronger to his heightened senses, and he breathed in deeply, taking the opportunity of burying his face in her sweet-smelling hair.

Lily went into a couple of playful rolls and sharp swerves, whilst still climbing, that had him struggling to breathe and set his heart pounding even more painfully in his chest, for the movement shifted her weight against him, and that, as well as their breakneck speed, were effecting him in ways he did not want to admit.

He clenched his teeth and swore fluently under his breath, as his brain become more befuddled with their closeness, his breathing more ragged, and all his instincts were screaming at him to pull Lily even closer to him.

However, somewhere deep in Severus' mind, the ever-present icy core of cold reason was warning him that unless he took hold of himself, he'd have some very awkward explaining to do.

He was trying to ignore both the voice of cold reason, and the hot urges that were driving him to distraction, when finally Lily levelled out their flight path , slowing down to a more leisurely pace, and he thankfully slid as far back as the cushioning charm on the broomstick allowed.

Lily looked over her shoulder at him, grinning, her hair whipping about her face.

'D'you like that?'

He could only manage a strangulated sound.

'Well, judging by your choice vocabulary a minute ago, I'd say I managed to ... uh ... surprise you!'

He took a steadying breath and tried to muster a convincing scowl.

'You fly too recklessly!'

'You fly too controlled! Except when you threatened to throw me off the broom, that is!'

'I could still carry out that threat, if you don't fly straight,' he retorted, darkly, 'We're reaching Castleford now, look!'

Beneath them, the tiny dots of yellow lights formed distant serpentine patterns in the darkness.

Lily gave an exaggerated sigh. 'I'll teach you about fun one day, Severus Snape. I'm not giving up on you. Anyway, I think I'll follow the river.'

And she pointed the nose of the broomstick down so that they slid into a steep dive that felt almost like freefall to Severus.

'Don't go too far downriver!' Severus shouted, once he could make himself heard over the whistling wind, 'There's too many pubs there. We might be seen!'

'No, we won't! We're going too fast, so it'll only take minutes to cover the area!' Lily shouted over her shoulder.

They were skimming swiftly over the black sluggish water of the river, and had reached the first of the abandoned houses.

'It's very late already!' Severus leaned close to hiss irritatedly in her ear. His mood had already taken a down-turn at the fast-approaching area of river around Spinner's End.

'Besides, if you keep shouting like that, we'll be heard!' he continued in a loud whisper over the rushing night air, 'And DON'T look back when you're flying close to the surface!' for Lily had looked over her shoulder at him to retort.

He saw her head turn forward again, and cursed himself for letting her persuade him to do this. He had already scoured the foul-smelling area downriver for hours with his mother, ending up ignominiously at the Muggle police station to file a missing person report at her insistence.

'There! There, look! There's somebody on the river bank!'

They had been going so fast that they overshot the figure. Lily swerved in a wide arch over the water as Severus squinted down at the steep banks. They were in shadow, but he could just make out a dark figure sprawled half-way up from the water's edge.

'Probably just some drunk tramp,' he said hopefully, as Lily took them lower.

But when they dismounted, he realised with a sinking feeling that the long, thin summer coat the unconscious man was wearing was familiar. It was what his father wore to go to the pub on chilly summer nights. It was patched at the elbow, and was a grey-brown colour.

He overtook Lily who, broomstick in hand, was cautiously approaching the dark figure on the yellowing grass of the riverbank.

'It's him,' he said curtly, as he knelt down beside him.

'Is he – is he -?'

'He's not dead,' Severus answered, as he placed his hand distastefully on the man's neck, feeling for a pulse. It was fast, as he knew it would be.

He felt Lily kneel down beside him, and he cursed himself inwardly again for allowing her this. He had been sure it would have been a futile search, and now the bloody bastard had to turn up on the riverbank closest to Spinner's End. And of course, it had to be Lily who spotted him.

And in this pitiful state.

'Why – why's he trembling like that?' Lily asked in a hushed but worried voice next to him.

'He's gone cold turkey!' he bit out, through tight lips.

There was not much light to see by, for the embankment was in shadow, but the jerky shaking of his father's body was obvious. His coat was heavily smeared down the front, and torn in several places, but the worst was the smell.

It was a revolting mixture of sourness, and something worse. Like unwashed dishcloths. He had never seen his father so bad, even when drunk. Severus found himself breathing through his mouth as he bent over the prone figure of his father, trying to turn him over.

Hot waves of shame and hatred rose up in him. Why – _why_ did Lily have to witness this, too? All in one fucking night!

He managed to roll Tobias Snape over, and though the uncontrollable shivering did not stop, he moaned and flung his hands in front of his face, batting away invisible flies.

Severus wished Lily would look away, but instead she had fished out her small torch and was shining it over the man's face, her expression one of growing concern, mixed with something that looked like sadness.

She was right to be concerned, for his face was a mess. One eye was swollen shut, his hooked nose was bloodied, and there was several days' growth of beard across his scraggy chin. Drops of sweat covered his entire face, so strands of his dirty, unkempt hair were plastered to his face.

'Somebody beat him up, Severus. Maybe that's why he didn't go back home,' Lily was saying, 'I think he was trying to get back. We're close to your street here, aren't we?'

'Maybe he should never have left home, then!' Severus snapped, 'Stop trying to excuse him, Lily!'

Lily would have normally retorted angrily, but this time she bit her lip and said nothing.

It was worse. He looked away and wished she'd stop looking at him too, for even in the gloom, he would be able to see her eyes shining with pity and with unspoken reproaches.

'Them rats are crawlin' all o'er me!' a sudden hoarse voice broke the silence.

Tobias Snape had opened his eyes at the sound of Severus' voice, but he was agitated again, brushing at his clothes wildly.

Lily's eyes sought his in bewilderment, but he just shook his head.

'They get that way sometimes. Hallucinations and delirium. But he never – he was never, ever - '

He stopped himself in time. He was not going to make excuses for him, either. Not even to Lily Evans. He had never seen his father sink to this state ever before. He never even lost complete control when drunk. But then, he, Severus, was away at Hogwarts most of the year, he did not know the extent of his problem, and his mum had been giving him potions that helped.

Severus knew the signs, however. One did not live around the area of the riverside slums and not notice the beer-sodden tramps that lurked in the dirty alleyways near the pubs, or the few men already in the grip of the shakes, who rummaged in bins for half-empty bottles. He stood up and glanced quickly up and down the river bank to see if anyone had seen them. The area was deserted.

'We've got to get him out of here' he said dispassionately, 'He won't last long'

Lily looked up at him then, her eyes widening in alarm. She had taken out a hanky and was wiping his father's forehead, as he tried with difficulty to focus his bleary eyes on her.

'Is it so bad, then?'

He shrugged. 'Usually they're carted off to a muggle hospital, if they get convulsions. He's not there yet, but...'

'You're 'im!' His father's voice interrupted them suddenly. He was pointing a shaking finger at Severus, and struggling to sit up 'You're 'im as caused all the trouble!'

Severus looked coldly down at him, but Lily was attempting to calm him down.

'Mr Snape, please relax, you're not too well.'

'They wouldn't believe me, see? I told 'em all about them wizards 'oo ransacked our house, but that Smithson bloke, 'e called me a liar and I 'it 'im!' he blinked blearily at Lily for a second, ' And who are you, lass?'

'I'm Lily, Mr Snape. I'm - '

'There, now. You look like a smart young lady, Lily. You wouldn't have some small change, would you? I had a slight accident and seem to have mislaid my wallet.'

Clearly he did not remember her. He had even dropped his Yorkshire accent and spoke with his original upper middle-class twang. He had forgotten how he'd sent her running in fear from Spinner's End, the only time they met.

'No, Mr Snape, but I think you should go home. Your wife has been very upset these last few days, and-'

The effect of her words were dramatic. His face crumpled up and he buried his face in his shaking hands. They couldn't make out what he was saying, for his voice was husky and muffled, but the name Eileen was repeated several times between great, heaving sobs.

Severus was flabbergasted. Quite apart from the fact that seeing a grown man cry made him very uncomfortable, when that man was his _father,_ it made Severus feel like this was some bizarre dream. It could only be the delirious hallucinations brought on by his being dry for three days. From what he said, he had got into a fight and been beaten unconscious; his body dumped in some alley or down the river embankment, as was the normal outcome of such brawls.

Lily had one arm around his father's shoulder, and she was whispering something to him in a soothing voice. He wondered how she could stand the rancid smell off him, but there was no disgust on her face, and he wished, in a vague, detached way, that this _was_ only a nightmare, and he would wake up in the morning knowing none of this had happened.

He had sworn very early in their friendship that he'd keep Lily well away from the grim reality of his life in Spinner's End. And yet here she was, kneeling in the dirty grass by the river next to that filthy drunk he had to call father, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. What was even more surprising was that his father, his face still buried in his hands, was nodding his head slowly at her words.

Severus felt as though someone had slipped the carpet from beneath his feet, and watched in bemused detachment as Lily comforted the trembling man, and convinced him to get to his feet. The lighted torch in the grass at their feet threw them both in eerie shadows.

Severus shook his head to clear it from the improbable scene. Lily had never seen his father in one of his rages, of course. She had once see their outcome written in a bloody message on his face, but it was not the same thing as actually seeing the man himself , face twisted in mad fury; arms, fists clenched, punching savagely ...

'Sev, some help, please' Lily was struggling to hold Tobias up, for he had winced and doubled over in pain as soon as he managed to stand up.

He moved over almost in a trance, and grabbed hold of his father's arm, steadying him. Tobias Snape was shivering uncontrollably and his eyes squeezed shut against some pain within.

'We can't risk taking him on the broom, he'd only fall off,' she was saying.

Severus shook himself out of the Occlumency-like state he had fallen into.

'I'll do it,' he said firmly 'You take the broom and go home with it. It'll soon be dawn.'

'I'm coming with you!'

Severus swore softly, but could not do anything else for he was concentrating on getting his father up the steep slope of the embankment. He was a tall man, and though much thinner now, he was leaning heavily on him. From the frequent grunts of pain that escaped him, he had sustained some heavy bruising or broken ribs. At least, Severus thought, though his father had, for once, found himself on the receiving end of a severe beating, he seemed to have a good pain tolerance. This thought stirred in Severus something unexpectedly and curiously like pride.

They finally managed to negotiate the slope and got him through a gap in the rusty railings. Slowly and painfully, Severus half-carried the shivering man along the few streets that separated his house from the river.

Lily was looking anxiously at Tobias who looked close to collapse again, as Severus fished around in his jeans pocket for his house key. A greyish light between the houses at the opposite end of the street announced the approaching dawn.

'Lily! You need to go now, or it'll be too late!' he urged. If she got into trouble, because of _him_ ..!

She glanced swiftly at the lightening sky, and he could see her hesitate.

'He'll be alright. I'll give him Mum's potions. And then she can take over when she wakes up in a few hours. Now for Merlin's sake, take the broom and _go!_'

'I left my window open,' she said 'I'll get in all right. But will you be okay?'

He nodded impatiently and she flung one foot over the broomstick and kicked off.

He waited until, seconds later, her dark figure disappeared over the rooftops of the red brick houses opposite. Putting his key in the door he swung it open and bodily heaved his father inside.


	105. Chapter 105

**Chapter 105 : The Ebb and Flow of Tides.**

Rose Evans looked on as her daughter lifted the curtains to peer through the window for the fifth time that morning.

'It's still early, dear,' she told her.

Lily just nodded and let the curtains fall back in place. She sat down on the sofa but got up again almost immediately, to wander aimlessly about the room.

It was the end of July, and they were leaving for their holiday on the coast in an hour. Lily had packed her things the night before, and was now restlessly wandering from room to room, waiting. Her mother's eyes followed her around the room. She knew who her daughter was waiting for.

'You know Severus is always punctual,' she said, reassuringly 'Don't worry, he'll come.'

Lily's eyes flitted briefly to hers, and Rose knew immediately that she had hit a raw nerve. Lily was afraid that he might not turn up at all. That just confirmed how anxious she was that her friend accompanied them on their short holiday.

Rose Evans sighed and resumed packing the last few essentials in a capacious handbag. Purse; keys; maps; her husband's heart pills and several bottles the doctor had recommended she take along, just in case.

_Just in case. _

John's heart condition was worsening slowly. It was unusual at his age, but the doctor had told them, with that cold professional air she so hated, that it happened sometimes. It runs in families, he had said.

That is why it would only be a short three-day break this year in a small B&B cottage in Cumberland, on the North-west coast. The fresh air would do him good, and they would avoid the crowded hustle and bustle of the beaches at Scarborough. Lily wouldn't mind, but Petunia would miss the summer excitement of the resort. However, this year, Petunia was not accompanying them.

Her eldest daughter had already left with the Dursleys the day before. Rose Evans thought Vernon's parents, even his sister Marge, a bit pompous and narrow-minded, but knew they would take care of Petunia. They had that upper-class, self-righteous attitude of those who considered themselves pillars of society, and who would thus make sure that everyone around them walked the straight and narrow. The important thing of course, was that Petunia was happy, and it would give her, Rose, some reprieve from hearing the sisters' continuous bickering.

She glanced over at Lily who had thrown herself in front of the TV. There was nothing much at this time of the morning, but Lily's glazed look told her she wasn't watching it anyway.

Lily had been behaving oddly recently, even for a teenager. When she returned from Hogwarts she had noticed her father's deterioration, and had taken it upon herself to find a cure. She had brought magical books with her, and spent hours reading them, far into the night sometimes.

Lily was a clever girl, and moreover, she had the special gift of magic, so, against her better judgement, Rose Evans had found herself hoping that perhaps magic could provide the solution to John's condition, that conventional medicine did not have. Lily had told them all about Healers, St Mungo's, and magical potions that cured diseases, and she herself had seen enough in Diagon Alley to believe that something could be done, even though five years ago that McGonagall witch had explained all about the Statute of Secrecy and how their worlds must be kept separate.

Rose watched as Lily got up again to twitch the curtains apart and glance down their drive. She was growing up fast, Rose realised as she observed her daughter. Sometimes, she caught a glimpse of sadness in those green eyes that looked so much like her own. Perhaps it was the realisation that she could do nothing to help her father (the Healing Spells had turned out to be too difficult and too risky) that caused a shadow to darken her daughter's lively nature.

Or perhaps there was something else, too.

Severus had only come over that first day, and then he had rarely visited again, although he did phone Lily often. She had not wanted to eavesdrop, but she heard snatches of conversation, mostly about potions. Sometimes, however, Lily stopped talking when she realised she was there.

She had confronted Lily about it of course. It was not something she liked doing, for Lily was always very defensive where Severus was concerned, and prickled with typical teenage fervour at any perceived slight on her friend. She was becoming so touchy, that despite her protestations to the contrary, Rose Evans was becoming increasingly suspicious about Severus being 'just my best friend'. From her own experiences, boy-girl 'best friendships' rarely remained so innocent when hormones started raging.

'Does Severus mean something more to you than just a friend?' she had asked her yesterday, trying to catch her off-guard while dreamily gazing out of her window in the direction of the river.

And catch her off guard she did, for a deep, rosy-pink blush immediately suffused her cheek, so that even the smattering of freckles were lost in the deepening flush. And when she did not immediately and indignantly deny it, as she had half-expected, Rose's suspicions were confirmed.

She had stammered something about Severus having a hard time at home, and that he didn't want her to tell anyone about his troubles, and that she was just worried about him,

But she could not fool her mother. Rose Evans had not pushed her any more.

She sighed. They grew up so fast. And her beautiful youngest daughter, unlike Petunia, still retained a certain childish optimism, a naïveté, that worried her sick sometimes. Severus, on the other hand, had a certain worldly air, a certain control, that one did not expect to find in one so young. She could not quite put her finger on it, because at other times, the bitterness and dark sarcasm, as well as a certain dangerous glint in his dark eyes, hinted at passions that existed just beneath the surface of his control, that actually made her feel afraid for Lily.

It was not innocence lost with Severus – it was more like innocence that had never been.

She knew more about Severus' life than her daughter gave her credit for. When Lily had first befriended the small boy, back when they were children, she had been pleasantly surprised at his quiet knowledge and studious nature, - glad even that their home could offer some reprieve to the obviously neglected child. But now – she did not know how the way his drunken father behaved – especially towards his wife - would affect the teenager. Tobias Snape had been in the 'missing persons' list of the local Police station a while ago. With such a father figure, she wondered what Severus was growing up into.

To complicate matters, there was the occult war between two factions of wizarding society, each determined to annihilate the other. She did not need Lily to tell her that many of the strange happenings in the news recently were due to wizard activity; to the one they called Voldemort. The fact that Lily had assured her their own Prime Minister was aware of the situation, reassured her somewhat, but not entirely.

Just then the doorbell rang, startling her. Lily flew out of her seat and ran to the door. A moment later, she was ushering the subject of her musings into the sitting room. Rose noted with wry amusement how her daughter's face was transformed, for she was beaming happily now.

Severus, on the other hand looked calm and collected. He was dressed in unfashionably dark jeans and t-shirt, and carried all his belongings in a small rucksack on his back. He looked even gaunter than when she had last seen him. Lily was right to be worried about him.

'Good morning, Mrs Evans' he said, levelly.

'Good morning, Severus. Ready to go, then? I'll just call John.'

God knows the boy looked as though he needed the holiday, too.

'Uh... I got this for you Mrs Evans. Lily asked me to brew it,' he said, before she went out of the room. He was holding up a small bottle with a greenish transparent liquid inside. Rose glanced from him to her daughter. Lily was grinning widely now.

'It's a magic potion, Mum' she said 'It'll make Dad better!'

She looked at the small bottle in her hand, for speech had left her. She had been so judgemental and instead, he had been making her husband a healing medicine. _Potion_ she corrected herself.

'It s a magically enhanced form of the old digitalis tablets,' Severus explained, seeing her silence, 'In fact, foxglove forms part of the ingredients.'

'Foxglove is also known as Witch's Gloves' Lily interrupted with a smile 'Even muggles knew it had magic potential. Anyway, Mum, it – it's the best we can do, since we can't risk a direct spell. It'll fix some of the damage, and prevent what's already there from getting worse. You'll – you'll use it, right? Severus made it.'

Her smile faltered slightly, but she spoke with absolute confidence in her friends' skills.

'Thank you, Severus. You too, Lily. Of course I'll use it,' she said, her throat tight with gratitude. She tried so desperately to hide her anguish at John's illness, that sometimes these little gestures of help completely undid her. Of course John would use it. Like her, he had grown to have absolute faith in his daughters' magic. He also had few other options, she thought grimly as she went upstairs to her husband, holding the precious little bottle in her hand.

XXX

Severus and Lily sat on a large rock in the middle of a grey beach watching the ebb tide slowly receding into the distance. The sea was very different from the steel-grey blue of that morning. The sun had been shining then, but now, dark clouds had gathered in the distant horizon turning the Irish Sea into a leaden-grey mass, and even the wind had picked up a little.

Lily hoped the sea storm would miss them, or blow itself out over the distant Irish coast, but looking back at the beach, she saw the few desultory beachcombers already moving towards their parked cars.

They had arrived at St Cuthbert's B & B yesterday afternoon. It was an isolated old farmhouse whose owners had once tried to eke a living on the sea-swept land to the east of the cliffs overlooking the beach. Actually, Asby-St-Cuthbert's was the name of a hamlet a few miles inland, but the new owner of the B & B, a young entrepreneur from Manchester called Morrison, had rather brutally converted the old building to modern standards, and never bothered with its original name, Fleswick Farm, preferring St Cuthbert's, as it sounded more 'touristy'.

They had spent the first morning with her mum and dad, exploring the small hamlet of Asby-St-Cuthbert's and the country lanes around the area. To her relief, her father had taken the potion and consequently, looked and felt much better. Severus, of course, would not take credit for it, and brushed off her father's words of thanks with almost surly indifference.

Lily put it down to his trying time at home. Or perhaps because her father – anyone's father – reminded him of his own. Since she had last been to his house, the night they found Mr Snape by the river, Severus had categorically refused to let her come again, but had religiously phoned her every few days at first, ( possibly, she suspected, to ensure that she did NOT just grab the broomstick she still had in her bedroom, and fly over there to see for herself). In answer to her questions, he always replied that his parents were 'fine', and it was with great difficulty that she managed to extract anything else out of him.

What he grudgingly revealed was that despite his unexplained absence, his father had managed to retain his job by the skin of his teeth, and his mother had fully recovered from the overdose of Potion. She worried about him, but had to content herself with hearing his voice every few days from a public phone booth until the crisis blew over, and he felt confident enough to leave his parents on their own.

That was why she had felt so relieved to have him walking by her side that morning as they followed her parents' leisurely pace along the country lanes. Severus walked mostly in silence, but keenly observant of everything around them. Finally, even though the gentle walk had not even tired her father out, her mother insisted that they return to the B&B to rest.

It was then that Severus had suggested they go down to the beach.

She glanced at the still dark figure sitting on the rock in front of her. Severus was engrossed in observing some of the sea creatures that were making their appearance in the soft, silty sand beneath their rock. Uncharacteristically, even though he was the one to suggest the trip, he had not brought his bag with him, as he always did whenever there were potential ingredients to collect.

'Have you ever been here before?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'Probably not. I've flooed a few places with my Mum before, but I don't remember ever seeing the sea.'

No wonder he was so absorbed in watching everything around him. His eyes had been following the path of small crab as it sidled sideways towards their rock, pausing hopefully at each breathing hole that pockmarked the sand.

Lily smiled. She loved the limitless energy, the way his eyes lighted up in absorbed concentration, when he was seeing something new. It was the same look he got when brewing a new or difficult potion, or discovered a little-known spell. But there was something bothering her that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

'Why didn't you get your bag with you?' she asked, 'I'm sure we could find a Mackled Malaclaw eggs or a carapace. Even a Murtlap, perhaps'

His eyes flickered to hers for a minute before they resumed staring at the errant crab.

'Forgot it,' he muttered.

They lapsed once more into silence. It was not the companionable silence of that morning however, and there was something tense about the Severus's posture, about the way his eyes kept flitting from the microcosm of sea life at their feet, to the distant horizon, his eyes fixed on something she could not see. His tone was one of enforced calmness that denoted nervousness.

'Have you got your wand?' he asked inconsequentially.

'No. What for?'

He gave her an exasperated look. 'Anything could happen! You should always keep it with you!'

'What could possibly happen here? It's in the middle of nowhere!'

He gave her a look of disbelieving exasperation. She relented.

'Well, ok, perhaps you're right. But I can't believe anything so foul as a Dementor or - or a Dark wizard would be lurking in the seaweed or something...'

'Why not? D'you think Dementors will go up in smoke on contact with seawater? Azkaban is in the North sea, Lily, The ocean is their element!'

'But this place is so beautiful!'

'All the more reason for Dementors - and Dark wizards - to flock to the beach in midsummer to admire the view!' he snorted derisively, shaking his head at her credulity.

She grinned. 'Bet they would go up in smoke if they tried to sunbathe, though!'

'The Dementors or the Dark wizards?'

'Both. In order of evilness!'

'Well, you should be glad one of us had the presence of mind to get a wand, then' he retorted with a grimace, 'besides, there are other dangers. Completely unmagical ones like the tide. What if we're caught, in typical storybook fashion, by a rising tide or something?'

She laughed as he looked distrustfully at the distant waterline. 'There's slack water right now. Look out there, see? It'll be some time before we need worry about high tide.'

He did not look convinced, but then it was his first time by the sea after all. And it was the first time they both were away from it all she realised: away from Castleforth, with its grim reminder of what Severus had to face when he returned home; away from Hogwarts, and the growing viciousness of the anti-muggleborn movement; away from the constant reminder of the harsh realities of a wizarding war. This place was so beautiful, so far-removed both from their hometown and the musty precincts of Hogwarts castle, that it was refreshing and exhilarating.

_It was also the perfect romantic setting._ The words entered her mind unbidden, and she determinedly pushed them out.

Sitting here on this small rock, hearing the thin, reedy cries of the sea birds blown inland by the storm, the restless shifting of the sea, and smelling the saltiness of the sea breeze, Lily expected she should feel at peace. But she did not.

They had lapsed into silence once more, but there was a tenseness, an _awareness_ of each other that was making her feel exquisitely excited, terrified and irritated all at the same time. It felt a bit like the electricity in the air that preceded a storm, and it had become an increasingly familiar feeling. Just as the instances of companionable silence between them were becoming increasingly rare.

They usually managed to disguise the awkwardness by teasing banter. Sometimes, by quarrelling.

But the feeling had been building up all night and all morning, and something about the tenseness of the muscles beneath Severus' thin shirt meant that he noticed it, too.

'Hey, let's go see where that footpath leads to,' she exclaimed, to break the silence and to have something to do other than focus on his closeness, and on the little thrills of pleasure that swept up and down her whenever his hand inadvertently touched his, or whenever she caught _that_ look in his eyes again.

'That muggle pathway is suicidal!' he retorted, looking at the small, white path carved out of the cliff face.

'Don't be a wet blanket, Sev. It's a panoramic walk. Look - there are railings!'

He looked with distaste at the pathway meandering its way slowly up the cliff face between jagged, wind-worn rocky outcrops. It was punctuated here and there by rusty broken railings.

'Great. So we have a choice of slipping to our doom on the rocks below, being impaled on those rusty railings, or being blown off the cliff face entirely, by the storm.'

'That's right. You're getting the idea,' Lily said, grinning. She loved discomfiting him.

'And you're going to tell me this is another of your attempts to teach me 'fun'. Or is it some Gryffindorian hare-brained scheme for proving valour?'

'No. Well, a bit of the first perhaps. But you were the one to suggest going for a walk by the sea, so...'

He said nothing else but giving her a strange look, he slid off the rock and onto the soft sand.

'Come on, then,' he said quietly, with a small smile that sent shivers down her spine.

They trudged their way through the soft sand to the rockier part of the beach towards the distant cliff. It was, as Lily had said, a panoramic pathway leading from the beach up the cliffs and beyond. A small weather-beaten wooden plaque described the walk as having originally been constructed in Victorian times for those who wished to 'take the sea air'. It had been renovated several times since.

Severus gave the board one disdainful look and started up the narrow path. It was green and slippery with alga at first, but apart from the broken and rusty railings, reasonably well-constructed and wider the further up they climbed.

The view of the crashing waves on the rocks below was spectacular, but wild and awe-inspiring. Not a typically romantic setting like the beach below, Lily tried to convince herself, as the wind whipped her hair about her face. Thank goodness, Severus did not know Legilimency, or she didn't know what he'd think of her girlish frivolity. He'd run a mile.

Or perhaps not. She had sort of felt that he liked her, but with his increasing pureblood ideals, she wasn't sure how he felt about having a muggleborn friend. After all, she was no different from any of other muggleborns his friends behaved so despicably towards. How long would it be before he started seeing her through their eyes?

This was a thought that drifted across her mind sometimes. She always determinedly ignored it. They were childhood friends, they had been through too much together, and he had _promised _her he would never forget his muggle roots.

They were far away from Hogwarts now. She looked at Severus' slender figure some way ahead. He was moving sure-footedly along the narrow path, probably forging ahead to see if it was secure.

What if he said something? What if he asked her out? What if it ruined their friendship?

She suddenly realised she was terrified.

'You tired?' Severus had turned round to look at her and he had to shout over the rising wind.

He had noticed her pale face.

She shook her head. 'Just the cold wind.'

'There're some caves beyond the next outcrop. I can see them from here,' he shouted, 'We could stop there for a bit.'

The wind had changed direction, becoming a strong westerly, and the storm that seemed to be so distant was coming closer now and its dark, leaden colour was tinged with a strange, sickly, yellow haze. Lily saw Severus look at it suspiciously. She couldn't blame him, she had never seen such strange storm clouds before.

Their path wound round a jagged outcrop of rock that looked like a clenched hand with index finger pointing accusingly at the sky above, and in a few minutes, they were by a series of deep caves set in the cliff face. They were more like fissures worn away from between the harder and softer layers of the cliff, and were thus barely man-height, though deep.

Their path did not lead straight up to the caves, it veered downwards, as though pointedly avoiding their dark mouths. It was also partially collapsed at this point, too, and no attempt had been made to fix the damage.

Lily and Severus clambered up the few yards to the caves and stumbled thankfully inside.

Even with the lowering sky outside, it was still much darker by contrast inside the cave, but at least they were sheltered from the wind. Lily squinted at the cave's interior, her eyes still adjusting to the dimness, and took a few steps further in. Something crunched underfoot. The sound was suspiciously brittle. Severus came up beside her.

She remembered she forgotten a small torch in the pocket of the sleeveless jacket she was wearing. Fishing it out, she shone it onto the rough cave floor and saw there were small bones – hundreds of them, gleaming eerily white in the beam of the torch. They appeared to belong to small mammals, and birds especially. She recognised the beaked skulls of many seabirds, but there was something not quite right about them.

Severus bent down and picked one of the bleached bird skeletons in his hand. It did not fall apart in separate bones but came up whole, bones fused together so that even in death, its wings of bone were outstretched as though in mid-flight. He dropped it and picked another and then another, holding them in Lily's torch light and examining them closely. Many were fused whole skeletons in twisted, contorted, shapes, and some larger bones were fused together but broken off from the original skeleton.

'What happened here?' Lily said in a hushed whisper, as she directed the torchlight to the furthermost reaches of the cave they stood in.

It narrowed down to small tunnel at the back, barely three feet in diameter, and too dark for the torchlight to penetrate.

'Not what happened, but what lived here, rather,' Severus remarked 'None of the bones have flesh on them, so whatever it is, has abandoned this cave years ago.'

Lily took a few steps closer to the ominous dark maw of the narrow tunnel at the back. Severus joined her, crushing small bones underfoot. Despite Severus's words, Lily could feel the hairs at the nape of her neck stand on end as she knelt in front of the tunnel. There was a sense of foreboding lingering about this place somehow.

Severus took the torch from her and shone it inside the tunnel.

'Caved in,' he said 'That explains it!'

'Explains what? What animal d'you think it is?'

'Well, only a Basilisk would produce that kind of petrification of bones, but a Basilisk goes after larger prey than that. Besides, if a basilisk ever roamed the coasts of Cumberland, it would've been mentioned in our History books, to say the least. It's an awesome serpent!'

'So what could it be then?'

'Well, I'm thinking it could be a Cockatrice. Much more difficult to hatch, but smaller and easier to hide from Ministry officials. There was a famous one here in Cumberland that wreaked havoc among muggles. In Renwick, I think.'

Severus stood up, switched off the torchlight and handed her back the torch. Lily stood up too, blinking in the dim yellowish light from the mouth of the cave.

'What happened to it?' she asked.

'Chased away by a wizard called John Tallantire. Some say he chased it right to the coast and it flew off to Ireland, but that can't be true, for they're not good at flying long distances'

'So it made its liar in these caves, until part of it collapsed. How long ago was this?'

'Eighteenth century. Dunno if it's the same one, but only a cockatrice freezes its victims this way, with its poisonous breath, so it can feed on them at leisure.'

Lily gave an unconscious shiver, glancing around the rough walls of the cave, her eyes having adjusted once more to the dark.

'Some of its foul breath must still be lingering in the cave then, Sev, for I can – not smell it, but _feel_ it somehow. Can't you?'

She sought out his face in the dim light, but he was standing with his back to the mouth of the cave and his face was in shadow. There was a feeling of dread, a vague sense of foreboding, that permeated the rough reddish-grey walls of the cave.

She saw Severus glance towards mouth of the cave, his face momentarily bathed in the strange, yellow light from outside. Something about the tense lines of the muscles of his jaw told her that he felt something too. She moved closer to the cave mouth, trying to put more distance between her and the caved-in part of the tunnel.

'Magic leaves traces, you know.'

She turned to find Severus standing close beside her. He was not looking at the horizon now, but straight at her, scrutinizing her face, for she did not know what.

'The more powerful the magic,' he continued, his eyes never leaving her face, 'the stronger the traces it leaves behind. Some witches and wizards can actually tell where magic has been used.'

'Even though it's an animal we're talking about?' she tore her eyes away from his, focussing on the thick yellow-grey clouds outside the cave mouth.

It was no good of-course, for she knew his dark eyes were still boring into her, and it was making her steadily more uncomfortable.

'A magical animal, Lily. A dark creature that is very powerful, magically speaking.'

'It's only an animal, Sev. It's denounced as a 'Dark creature' because of the uses dark wizards put it to.'

Despite her words, she gave a slight shiver and drew unconsciously closer to her friend.

'Ever the animal-lover,' Severus said, with a note of amusement in his voice, 'But I think both you and I know that a cockatrice can create enough mischief, with or without a wizard to control it.'

He paused, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of the keening wind in the cave, and then he said quietly: 'But that is not the kind of magic I wanted to talk about.'

Something in his voice made her turn round to look at him. She had forgotten how close to him she had been standing, so when she turned round, she found herself looking up into a pair a dark eyes, inches away from hers. And heaven help her, there was that _look_ again! But this time, he did not glance away. His eyes bored into her, the dark fire deep within them, the _hunger_ she could see there, arousing a sweet agony of longing in her – longing for she barely knew what, but something unstoppable, and frightening in its power.

This time it was she broke the stare. She turned her head towards the distant horizon and the fast-approaching storm. She realised she had been holding her breath, and her heart was thudding so loudly in her chest, she was afraid Severus would hear it above the noise of the wind as it whistled past the mouth of the cave in increasing fury.

'Wh- what magic, then?' she managed to stammer, crossing her arms and bending her head slightly to allow her hair to fall across her face, covering it.

'A special wandless magic. I'd like to try it out. Here. Now.'

'What? The tide's coming in, the path we took may be underwater now, the one ahead looks collapsed, we're likely to be hit by a storm, we're standing in a cockatrice-infested cave, and you speak about wandless, underage magic?' she cried indignantly, for it was easier to ignore her feelings when indignant, 'You'll get caught by the Improper Use of Magic Office!'

She risked a glance at him, but he seemed unperturbed at their predicament.

'No I won't. Not with _this_ kind of magic.'

His eyes shone with the fervour and spellbound concentration she had seen earlier on in the beach. She didn't know what magic he was talking about, but she knew now, that it was something he had long thought about and planned, even. She found herself staring into his eyes again, and this time she could not look away.

'Lily, you know how... strangely... magic works between us,' he started.

Lily could not trust herself to say anything, so she nodded, her mouth dry, and her heart beating in her throat. _He was going to say something! Oh Merlin, she knew he was going to say something! _

She didn't know whether to throw herself out of the cave and down the cliff face, or throw herself in his arms! Severus seemed to notice her face becoming pale, for he faltered for the first time.

'I – I wanted to tell you something earlier, Lily,' he stammered, swallowing as if his mouth was dry, and his eyes flickering momentarily away from hers, 'but I thought instead, it would be better if I show you.'

She did not answer anything, but met his gaze unwaveringly as his eyes focussed once more on hers. The plaintive cries of the storm-blown sea-birds were the only sounds that broke the silence between them, but Lily hoped her eyes would speak the words she seemed powerless to utter: _Tell me, Severus. Anything. _ Whether it was what she both dreaded and hoped to hear, or whether it was not, she knew now that she would listen to what he had to say.

'Remember last summer, after I had got into a fight with that muggle, Thomson, and we had gone to our spot by the river?'

'Yes,' she answered wryly, 'You had taken on the whole gang, if I recall correctly.'

He brushed this impatiently away. 'But d'you remember what happened then, by the river?'

She frowned for an instant, wondering where this was leading to.

'You fell asleep,' she said, and then she remembered: 'oh, _that!_'

'Exactly. When I woke up it was like we had shared dreams or something.'

'You denied it at the time. You said it was unsubstantial wandless something or other, I forgot'

'Well, at the time I was afraid it was Legilimency, but I've learnt more since then.'

'And what is it Severus?' she whispered.

She wanted to ask him where he had 'learnt more' for she was sure this was part of the many things Severus Snape kept from her, but the eagerness in his voice, that air of vulnerability beneath the determination in his eyes, made her bite her tongue.

'It is a mystery,' he said solemnly after a while, 'Many aspects of magic are, but in this case it is also rare.'

'Like when we share wands? And magic is somehow enhanced?'

'Exactly. But in this case it is not wands we share.'

'We share our minds. Wait no – not minds, for that would be Legilimency, as you said. We share dreams? No, neither, you had just woken up when it happened.'

Severus was looking down at her, waiting for her to come to the right conclusion, as he knew she would. His dark eyes were fixed on hers, searching for signs of recognition, his thin lips slightly parted as though he were holding his breath.

'We shared emotions that day, didn't we?' she said, her voice barely rising above the keening wind.

'A Legilimency of feelings, rather than the mind,' he confirmed, 'Almost unheard of, so nothing much is known except that it is undetectable, even by the Trace, and it is magic that does not require a wand.'

'Does it also need two souls that are bonded, as our shared magic does?' she asked her voice trembling slightly, for she knew the answer already.

Severus's fathomless dark eyes searched her own piercingly, as he nodded slowly, his face starkly white against the backdrop of lowering dark clouds. Rain had started to fall, and the roar of the breakers below drowned out even the howling wind, but the storm went unnoticed as Lily took a deep breath and said with a small smile:

'Then it seems to me we two are best placed to expand knowledge on this branch of magic, Sev. Tell me:What do I have to do?'

She saw something shift behind his eyes: they were not fathomless any longer; a brief look of relief was quickly followed by an eager fierceness, a wild look rendered more so by the long, dark hair whipping about his face, and the stark whiteness of his skin.

'Having never done it, I'm not really sure. Some of it is the opposite of Legilimency. You close your eyes and relax, but you should also–'

'Sev –' she interrupted him gently, laying her hand on his chest. His heart was beating very fast, 'what is it you wanted to tell me this morning?'

'You will see,' he replied, gently taking her hand from his chest. He did not let go of it, 'Now - close your eyes!'

Her heart beating every bit as fast as his, Lily did so.


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter 106: Cursed Skies.**

The next second she was knocked off her feet. Literally. She opened her eyes and fought to regain her balance as a shock wave of pure energy slammed into her body, and the cave walls, and the very air around them reverberated with its force.

For a confused moment, she thought Severus had unleashed something he hadn't expected, but he had rushed to the mouth of the cave, and a low expletive confirmed he was just as surprised as she was. He had his wand in his hand already, and was looking at something in the distance.

'What – what is it, Sev?' she asked anxiously, joining him at the cave entrance.

It had started to rain and the rustling, hissing sound of the raindrops could somehow be heard even above the roar of the breaking waves below, and the howling wind. The storm was upon them, and the sky had turned an even darker yellowish grey, though there was no rumbling of thunder.

She stole a look at her friend, for her heart was still pounding from what had just happened- or not happened - a moment before, but his gaze was fixed upon the heaving seas and dark clouds on the horizon. Something about the taut lines of his face told her something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

'Get back inside! Now!' he shouted suddenly, pushing her back and then swore loudly as a sudden gust of wind blew a flurry of raindrops into the cave and over him.

She realised why the next instant, as the few raindrops that landed on her face burned and stung her skin.

'What the hell's happening?' she cried, gazing in horror at the yellow storm outside.

'It's Cursed Rain!'

'Cursed what?'

'Cursed Rain - a Poisoned Storm! The clouds that form it are Cursed Clouds!' Severus's face was white, despite the stinging raindrops that he had been showered in, his thin lips bloodless. Lily had never seen such an expression on his face before: and if something could shock Severus to that extent, then it was bad news, really bad news. Her apprehension grew accordingly.

'I – I didn't think so at first, but now there's no doubt-' he continued, and Lily heard a note of awe in his voice that she didn't like.

'You mean you _suspected_? You suspected this was cursed weather, and yet let us come up here?' she asked, in a brittle voice.

'I never saw a storm at sea before, remember?' he snapped back, 'I thought the odd colour and cloud formations must be normal at the coast. I was thrown off-track, and didn't recognise the signs!'

'And what does it do?' Her face was still stinging from the few drops that landed there.

'The rain destroys crops, livestock, and poisons rivers if it falls in enough quantities.'

'And what happens to people?' she whispered, dreading the answer.

'Burns your skin. Prolonged exposure, however, is worse ...' he did not elaborate.

'Worse in what way?' Lily insisted, alarm bells ringing in her head. Her parents were back in the hotel. If they were caught up in this...!

'Look, I don't know Lily! Very few wizards even know the curse exists!'

'_You_ knew!'

'That's because I don't stick to school text books! You won't find this in your DADA book, you know!'

'No, you'd probably find it in a tome on Dark Magic! And though I hate to admit it, I'm actually glad you read about it, Sev. Perhaps you know a way to stop it!'

The look of exasperated incredulity he gave her, was a familiar one. He reserved it for the occasions when she proposed something wildly non-conforming to the unwritten subtleties of wizarding etiquette, or demonstrated her lack of background knowledge of the magical community.

'How many magical storms like this have you ever heard of, Lily? And I'm not talking about simple weather charms,' he asked, indicating the howling monstrosity outside the cave mouth.

She glanced at the churning clouds outside, the hissing rain lashing against the cave mouth, and the sickly-yellow darkness that stretched as far as the eye could see, and shook her head slowly.

'No-one in living memory has cast a Cursed Rain spell, Lily! No wizard or witch is powerful enough,' Severus confirmed, moving to the mouth of the cave again, 'This curse is the stuff of legend – only Salazar Slytherin and, later, Paracelsus Gaunt were said to have cast this curse on their enemies, and they were the most powerful dark wizards of their times!'

The alarm bells exploded in Lily's head, drowning her thought processes in a rush of adrenaline! She understood, now, why Severus looked so shocked. It wasn't so much at the storm itself, but at who had cast the spell that had engendered it!

'He-Who-Must -Not-Be-Named is here, isn't he?' she choked out, a cold fear clutching at her heart, 'he's the most powerful Dark wizard of our time! _That_ is what you're thinking!'

Severus glanced briefly at her then turned back to the distant horizon, focussing on the gigantic waves the storm had whipped up. The horizon itself seemed jagged with the heaving sea, but Lily's eyes were trained on Severus. His silence confirmed her suspicions.

A strange buzzing filled her ears, drowning out even the storm in a panic-stricken rush of anguish, and her throat constricted, so she felt unable to breath. Her Mum and Dad were at the Hotel, and alone. The storm was moving inland now, and presumably, so was the wizard who cast the curse! Voldemort's hatred for muggles was notorious: and her parents and very few others were the only muggles for miles around, unless you counted the small hamlet of Asby-St Cuthbert's further inland! If they hadn't been stung to death by the poisonous rain, they would be sitting ducks for whatever Voldemort's insane hatred would devise. She remembered the rumours running around among the students in Hogwarts about his atrocities, the ones many said were played down by the _Daily Prophet_, and a blind panic overtook her.

She couldn't leave them there alone to face a wizard whose twisted powers they could barely even imagine in their worst nightmares. She had to do something!

She rushed past Severus and out of the mouth of the cave, scrambling and sliding down the rocks beneath the mouth of the cave to the path below. The savage wind lashed viscous raindrops against her skin, and it felt like a hundred bee stings against her arms and face. She ducked her head and ran ahead, slipping and sliding on the narrow path, for the poisonous rain was thick and oily, and together with the abundant bird-droppings, rendered the bare rock of the path, which was already damaged, slick and treacherous.

She heard Severus call her, his voice distant, whipped away by the wind. Half-blinded, she pushed on, her breath coming in ragged gasps, barely audible even in her own ears over the roaring fury of the waves below, which seemed determined to pound the very rocks into submission.

And the rocks themselves seemed to be retreating before the fury of the oncoming waves, for they were moving, pushed slowly inwards!

Lily stopped and squinted through half-closed, stinging eyes at the heaving sea 100 feet below her path. Giant grey-brown boulders that dotted the foaming sea, some distance ahead, were slowly making their way towards the reddish strata of the rocky, sandstone cliff. One of them, the furthest away, rose out of the sea and stretched half-way up the cliff, grasping the bare rock with massive hands.

Lily stumbled backwards in horror, feeling every last drop of blood drain from her face. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as her mind struggled to believe what her eyes were telling her.

Giants! Loads of them!

Their greyish-brown boulder-like heads were emerging far out at sea, moving steadily inshore, even as the wind-swept waves broke right over them! It just couldn't _be_! Despite four years of magical education, in Lily's mind, giants were still subconsciously relegated to the realm of fairy-tales! What other horrors were coming this way? This was Voldemort's doing! It couldn't be anyone else!

And her parents, and the small Hamlet of Asby-St-Cuthbert's were lying right in their path! Almost crying with dismay, she took off along the path again which was now climbing steeply upwards. The exposed skin of her face and hands were beyond painful, for the stinging sensation had now evolved into a feeling of numbness, and even her hair was slick with the viscous, yellow rain.

Just as she was about to follow the path up a particularly sharp bend, a whooshing sound made her look up, forgetting to shield her eyes. It was a something huge, fast, white, and it was flying seaward, torpedo-like, through the yellow rain, but the next second her eyes burned as the rain fell directly into them. She was blinded almost instantly, and stumbled forward with a cry of pain.

The next instant she lost her footing, for the path had disappeared. With a scream, she threw herself sideways and clutched frantically at the rough rock with her benumbed hands, but she slid heavily downwards a few feet more before she found a precarious footing on a narrow outcrop of rock.

She was sobbing now, her tears clearing her sight enough to see that the path she had been on had collapsed, and what she was standing on was the broken rubble of the path itself, piled precariously on a ledge below. It wasn't a sheer drop into the sea from where she was standing- there were plenty of rocks jutting out from the cliff and further down, at sea-level, on which her body would be mangled and broken on its way down.

She had been so stupid, stupid _stupid!_ Rushing off blindly without even having a plan! Without even having a _wand_, for Merlin's sake! Now she was stuck between earth and sky and completely helpless! Anguished sobs shook her body as she clung desperately to the slick rock face and started shivering with cold and pain, for now the cursed rain had penetrated even her clothing. A screaming wind buffeted her, threatening to blow her right off the ledge, and the very fabric of the rock seemed to be shaking in fear.

It _was_ shaking! She could feel the vibrations deep within the solid rock pass through her body! One of the giants must have landed right below, and was climbing up the cliff face, massive limbs sending tremors right up to where she stood!

The vibrations were the last straw for the pile of broken stones she was standing on. They gave way beneath her feet, and her shriek rent the viscid air as she plunged downward, flinging her arms out wildly searching for something – anything – to hold on to.

Time stood still, but even as the realisation hit her that she would meet her doom on the rocky bottom of the sea bed, her hand came into contact with something alive and warm and she clutched at it desperately. A long-fingered hand closed about her forearm in a vice-like grip.

'Hang on, I've got you! Try and find a foothold!'

She blinked up through the blinding rain. It was Severus!

'Don't let go! Don't let go, Sev!' she was half-sobbing, almost hysterical now.

'I'll never let go, Lily! Now, if you don't mind, I want to get out of here. Just a few inches to your right, there's a small ledge'

Though his face was stark white beneath the tunnel of slick dark hair as he looked down at her from above, he spoke calmly, as though discussing the weather.

She didn't know whether to swear at him or scream hysterically. In the end, she just followed his instructions and felt a small ledge with her toe. Slowly, she shifted until she managed to place her weight on it, but his hand around her arm did not relax, even though she felt her circulation was being cut off.

'Now, on the count of three, I want you to push off as hard as you can,' he said.

He was a few feet above her, having somehow wedged himself between two rocky outcrops to one side of where she had fallen. She nodded, and second later felt herself being pulled upwards until she could finally put her knee on the outcrop of rock Severus was standing on.

She stood up shakily by his side.

'We've got to get out of here!' Severus shouted urgently over the storm, 'Can you climb?'

She nodded again and only then did Severus let her arm go. She realised they were only a couple of yards below and to the side of the path which had given way beneath her feet. She scrambled up the rock after Severus onto the unbroken part of the path and then followed him across it up once more across the rocky cliff-face, which was less sheer at that point. She could hardly see for the storm seemed to have reached a crescendo, and it was so dark that it was difficult to believe this was a summer afternoon.

It did not take long before Severus was bending down and stretching a hand towards her from a ledge above. She took it gratefully and he pulled her up and into a cave similar to the one they had left. It was only about 30 to 40 yards deep, but much higher than the other one.

At least they were out of that horrifying rain, and even the sound of the storm, despite the cave's huge mouth, was slightly dulled. Her senses suddenly caught up with her:

'Severus! Down by the sea, there are –!'

'Giants. I know,' he answered grimly, taking his wand out of his jeans and turning to face the cave mouth.

Just then the whooshing sound she had heard earlier came from above their heads and looking up she saw two, three – four of the large torpedo-birds whizzing past through the yellow storm. This time, she could see better however, and she realised that they were really wizards on broomsticks surrounded by some sort of bubble charm to keep off the poisonous rain. They were all heading out to sea.

'What-?' she started, but her words were interrupted by a flash of light that flooded the cave. It was followed by another and another, green and red lightning bolts that criss-crossed each other in the distance, smouldering their way across the yellow-grey backdrop of cursed clouds. A wizard battle was being fought, and the spells illuminated the unnatural sky in blinding flashes of light.

Suddenly, a horrifying death-scream rent the air as one of the flying figures plunged downwards. From its high pitch, the broomstick rider was a witch, the last to arrive, and Lily watched in horror, unable even to close her eyes as the unknown witch crashed into the cliff face to their right, the broomstick shattering and her body rebounding disjointedly, like a macabre puppet, down the rocky cliff face until it disappeared among the rocks beneath.

Lily did not know how long she remained frozen to the spot, eyes fixed on the spot where the witch disappeared, but suddenly she realised Severus was looking at her, eyebrows raised.

'We don't have much time –' he started.

His voice roused her. 'No. No, we don't!' she agreed, feeling the adrenaline pounding through her veins once more, 'We've got to get out of here, somehow! We've got to warn people...!'

'I hope you're not thinking of running off again, Lily!' Severus shouted, taking a menacing step towards her, 'because this time, I swear, I'll put a bloody Body-bind Curse on you!'

She was taken aback at the vehemence in his voice. Something even darker than usual in his eyes told her he actually meant it.

'You wouldn't dare!'

'Try me!'

His voice was deadly soft and determined, but Lily's blood was up. She had started to shiver with cold and dread, and she couldn't stand around doing nothing! Besides – no-one told her what to do – _no-one!_

'I'm damned if I'm going to sit here while my parents are being poisoned by this cursed rain, Severus!'

'Your parents said they'd be in their room, resting! They'll be out of this! But our only chance is to lie low and hope nobody sees us! There is something out there, Lily, -' he jabbed a finger at mouth of the cave where flying spells where still lighting up the distant skyline like a bizarre fireworks display, 'that is powerful beyond what you can conceive! You don't even have a wand, and we don't stand a chance!'

'All there is out there, Severus, is nothing but a twisted, evil, wizard!' she cried, incensed beyond reason at the tone of awe in his voice, 'And though I don't know who those wizards on broomsticks are, I know that a wizard battle, with You-Know-Who probably in the thick of it, is heading straight towards my parents, as well as all the people Asby-St Cuthbert's. Unless the _giants_ get there first, of course! So I'm bloody well going to try and warn them! You can stay here if you want to. Unlike you, I care about what happens to my parents!'

The words were out of her mouth before she realised. She bit her lip, but it was too late. Severus did not answer her, but his face became even paler, and his dark eyes fathomless.

Damn, damn _damn!_ He had just saved her life, and was trying to prevent her from doing something stupid again! Why was she being such a twat? She started shivering again, and gazed miserably down at her sodden feet, avoiding his eyes. Long, wet strands of dark red hair swung down the sides of her face, dripping fat, oily drops on her toes.

'There's another reason why you shouldn't go out there again,' Severus broke the silence, his voice low, but not as angry as he had every right to be, 'You're soaked to the skin, and you've been exposed to that rain for at least 10 minutes: it could affect you permanently if you get drenched again!'

She looked up at him then. He was just as wet with the poisoned rain as she was, and it was all because of her! He had risked his life and followed her into that maelstrom, and now... she blinked rapidly as she felt tears come to her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Sev,' she choked through her tears, 'I shouldn't have said that, I don't know what's come over me –'

'Did you swallow any?'

'What?'

'Poisoned rain. Did you swallow any?'

'Oh. No, I didn't .Some got into my eyes, but I'm okay now,'

It was true. Her eyes weren't stinging and for the most part, her face and hands were regaining the feeling in them. But Severus was looking at her intently, his brow slightly creased.

'What?' she didn't like the look on his face.

'Poisoned rain is more dangerous in the eyes and mouth, than on your skin.'

'Then we need to do something about it. I get worried about everyone's safety, Sev - I can't help it! If you can remember anything about this Cursed Rain... anything at all that could help us escape or something...'

He started to shake his head slowly. Lily knew he stood too much in awe of ancient magic. He had to realise that it was only magic after all, and he was a wizard. A very capable one. She should be trying to think rationally about it herself, but though her skin was feeling normal again, she was shivering uncontrollably – whether from shock or cold or the effect of the poisoned rain she did not know, however, it was effectively stopping her from thinking straight.

'Please, Sev. You know more about this kind of magic than anyone else I know.'

Severus was looking at her with a strange look on his face. She blinked back the tears, unwilling to beg any further. She felt so incredibly weak, standing bedraggled and tearful before him. Perhaps he didn't want to interfere with what he clearly considered a wonderfully complex piece of magic. Perhaps he was already on Voldemort's side!

She couldn't bear that thought and she scrutinised his face, trying to read what was written there. He was very pale and still, his bloodless lips forming a thin line, and long dark hair, slick and wet with the viscid rain, half-covered his eyes, but beneath that, his eyes were suddenly alive with a dark fire.

She knew that look of intense concentration: it was the one he wore when trying complex new spells or discovered some new potion, and it usually preceded some decisive action.

Lily wondered what had wrought about this change, for the strange thing was, that he was looking at _her_. And there was something else too, something that kept her eyes riveted on his, unable to move, although her shivering became tremulous. Severus took a step towards her, so that he was standing close, so very close, and then she caught the movement of his wand from the corner of her eyes, as he uttered an incantation in a low voice.

So low, that he could have meant only her to hear them. The words of the beautiful ancient language fell softly between them:

'_Drýlic windes __álæde þás rún __galdorword __æt sé__ awyrgda,__ yfelcund scéo ofer and clænse sé __ætren regn_.'

And she could hear his low, velvety voice above the noise of the storm, for the lilting sound of the incantation drowned out the harsh screaming of the wind outside with a magical silence of its own.

There were no dramatic bangs or flashes in response to the soft words – just a warm, dry wind that rose softly around them in obedience to the magic, whirling around them with increasing speed.

Lily could feel it penetrate her clothing, her hair, reaching her skin and enveloping her whole body like a soothing balm, so that she stopped shivering. Strong gusts of the magical wind buffeted them gently, whipping Lily's hair about her face and drying her tear-stained face, even as it forced her to close her eyes. She could feel the slickness of the oily rain dissipate from her hair and clothes, and the oppressive weakness of moments before lifted, leaving her feeling buoyed up with a hopeful eagerness.

She opened her eyes and looked in awe and gratitude at Severus, whose eyes had never left hers, their dark fire burning even brighter. Then he leaned down towards her and for one terrifying, heart-stopping moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but then she felt his wand-free hand curl around hers and he brought her hand up and placed it on his wand.

'I need your help,' he said softly, 'you know what to do.'

Her heart hammering wildly in her chest, she realised what he meant. He wanted their magic to unite, and though he was much more proficient in old English than she was, right now, she knew what to say:

'_Drýlic windes __álæde þás rún __galdorword __æt sé__ awyrgda,__ yfelcund scéo ofer and clænse sé __ætren regn',_ they chanted softly in unison.

Lily could feel the tingling shiver of magic running down her arm, their joined hands, and the ebony wand, its strength emanating in invisible, but potent waves from its tip.

The whirling magical wind softly carried their words around the cave, so that their whispering voices echoed round and round the small space.

'_Magical winds carry these whispered words, this secret incantation, to the malignant, cursed clouds above, and purify the poisonous rain' _it said.

The wind whispered softly around them at first, but then it grew faster and stronger, blowing the ancient words, like fallen leaves, around the small space, and they grew louder and louder, until the whole cave rang again and again with the incantation.

They stood face to face, black wand between them, and just like she knew the ancient language, Lily now knew what they had to do next. Still clutching the wand, she took a step towards the cave's mouth, her eyes never leaving those of Severus. And he understood, as she knew he would.

They both took a few steps forward to the mouth of the cave, and raised the ebony wand high, pointing straight at the unnatural dark clouds in the sky above. The strong magic wind they had unleashed blew past them, almost knocking them off their feet, and it carried their whispered words to the storm above. The yellow-grey clouds heard its coming, and contorted and thrashed desperately as the whispering wind expanded and swirled above and beyond the cliff, so that the cursed clouds became pale and silvery before its onslaught. It made the heavy, poisoned rain swirl downwards in tight spirals, whispering the ancient words to it, until the rain itself became lighter, whiter, and lost its poison.

Lily stood at the mouth of the cave, her right hand clutching that of Severus's over the black wand they still held aloft, both of them watching the now harmless rain washing down the bare rocks of the cliff face. Lily felt exultant, almost in awe of what they had unleashed. A quick glance back at Severus told her he too, was amazed.

However, her joy was short-lived for the ground beneath their feet started shaking, and a second later, a large, boulder-like head emerged from beneath the ledge that led to their cave, mere yards away from them. Muddy-brown eyes scanned the bare rocks above its head until they focussed on the open cave mouth where she and Severus were standing.

The giant's thick lips stretched in an evil grin as it saw them, and with a quick, sudden movement that belied its large size, it heaved itself up the last few yards that separated their cave from the ledge below and came towards them.

Lily didn't even have time to think or speak to Severus, but somehow, she knew exactly what Severus wanted to do, what spell he wanted to cast: in unison they pointed the wand they were still holding at the giant's face, and cried:

'_Stupify_!'

A fierce, burning magic went through her wand-hand this time, caught and magnified a thousand fold by their clutched hands, and into the ebony wand. A blindingly fierce yellowish-red light, like an exploding star, emanated from the tip, searing their eyes in its intensity, and blanketing out everything around them, so that the sky, the sea, the cliff and the giant all disappeared in the blinding light. A menacing, reverberating noise accompanied the flash of light, but over it Lily could hear a harsh, guttural cry that faded to a dull thump in the distance below.

It seemed like a whole lifetime later, but was probably only a few seconds, that Lily realised all the noise was gone, except for patter of a gentle rain, and the sky had lost its sickly yellow hue and turned the pale, silvery grey that usually accompanies a summer rain shower.


	107. Chapter 107

**Chapter 107:The Darkness Within the Storm**

He flew high above the stormy sea, dark and insubstantial as the night air, but powerful and inexorable as the wind. The storm-tossed waves raised foamy white hands in salute, and the thick grey clouds parted before his coming, as though they too were afraid of him.

But something had gone wrong.

He, Lord Voldemort, could smell the tang of old magic in the air.

It had started with the Aurors. They had known of his coming. They had known of his plan to land the army of giants in this lonely stretch of the north-eastern coast, rather than further south where the crossing of the sea would have been easier and closer to the European coast, but where the Ministry was keeping a close watch to prevent exactly that from happening.

Somebody had betrayed him. Somebody had told the Aurors, who were now duelling his Death Eaters further inland and deflecting them from their task of guiding the giants to safety.

Somebody would die for their betrayal.

He would make them pay. How dare anyone defy him this way? His thin nostrils flared in anger. The betrayal was recent – it couldn't otherwise have passed unnoticed, for he, Lord Voldemort, could smell the stench of fear even before he dragged the guilty thoughts from his victim's minds. No-one lied to him. _No-one_. Lord Voldemort always knew.

He loved to think of himself in the third person.

Lord Voldemort.

A name that commanded respect. A name on which he had, several years ago, placed a selective taboo: his name uttered with disrespect by any of his followers would cause that so-called follower to bleed profusely at the mouth. Rumours of the taboo had spread fast, and his name had been uttered with respect, or not at all, by all and sundry. His pale lips twisted into a smile as he espied the distant cliffs. Perhaps it would be worth extending the taboo to comprise everyone in the wizarding world.

Flashes of red and green light high above the cliffs announced the thickest of the fighting, and it was abundantly clear that Rodolphus and Selwyn were outnumbered, and were being driven further out to sea.

A cold fury swept through him as he flew landwards like a dark wind. It had been relatively easy to persuade the giants to join him – he had always been good at persuasion – but it had been a complex task to weave the necessary enchantments on the giants to allow them to breathe underwater and get them this far. He would not be thwarted by mere Aurors. He needed to place the army of giants in strategic positions all across the country, where they could best carry out his orders - he couldn't have them stalled at this point. After all, water was not the giants' natural element and they were at great disadvantage here.

The _only_ disadvantage, however, for he had persisted in this long journey with the brutes, because they possessed a thick hide that very few spells could penetrate, and thus, were a valuable asset to his war.

But the presence of Aurors was not the only thing that had gone wrong: there was something in the air that was not as it should be. There was ancient magic vibrating in the very particles of cloud and rain, and even as he flew silently forward, untouched by the raging elements around him, he realised the cursed clouds had changed their colour from yellow grey to silver, and the rain was not made of the heavy, oily, drops of the Poison Storm Curse.

A curse only he, as Salazar's heir, could cast, and he done so - had sent the Poison Storm ahead of his invading army of giants, - to ensure a clear pathway for them. The few Muggles in this forsaken place would stay inside, out of the unnatural rain, and not go hysterical at their sight, prematurely sounding the alarm. Another reason was that the huge brutes had lived in isolation in mountainous regions devoid of human habitation and would probably go on the rampage if they saw any Muggles before he had time to assemble them into any form of marching order.

The fact that the curse had been mysteriously lifted, intrigued him as much as it annoyed him. Powerful magic always did. Few knew about the existence of Cursed Rain even among Aurors and other Ministry imbeciles, and fewer still would know how to stop the cursed clouds. Who could possibly have knowledge of such ancient magic, and, more to the point: who possessed magic powerful enough to do interfere with the curse?

He overtook the duelling wizards and approached the rocky cliff like a dark avenging wind, determined to take care of his valuable army himself, for some had already reached the shore and were climbing slowly up the cliff face.

It was then that he saw it.

A blindingly fierce light, yellowish-red, like an exploding star, emanating from somewhere half way up the cliff. He did not need to feel the powerful shock-waves shaking the very air he was flying through, to realise that it was very powerful magic! He could _feel_ it.

He slowed down, flying like a barely-there breeze and approached the cliff-face cautiously.

What he saw next caused him to howl with rage. One of the larger giants was falling down the cliff face, his large body limp and unmoving even as it bounced with loud, dull thuds, against the jutting rocks and irregular ledges of the cliff.

First the cursed cloud and now this! He knew without shade of doubt that whoever was behind the blinding magic, emanating from what looked like a small cave, was responsible for both mishaps. But who could possibly unleash magic that penetrated a Giant's thick hide? Dumbledore?

For the first time, he felt a prickle of unease. If that old fool interfered, it would seriously hamper his operation. He slowed down to hover, invisible, closer to the cave mouth. Even if it was Dumbledore, he would not see him, for he was practically invisible, though he could perhaps, sense his presence. It would be a mistake to underestimate his old teacher's capabilities.

He circled the cave mouth silently and insubstantially, like a dark breath of air, and waited intently for the light to be extinguished. The spell had already fulfilled its purpose, so why was the castor of the spell prolonging it, thus giving away his precarious position?

It smelt of inexperience or overconfidence.

As if he'd heard him, the mysterious wizard behind the blinding light finally allowed it to fade.

He circled closer, invisible, his Yew wand at the ready. When the light finally faded enough to allow him clear vision and a clear shot, he was astounded to see that two people were standing at the cave mouth, and both were holding one wand aloft.

_Teenagers?_

It was the last thing he expected! A young red-headed witch stood in front of a tall, thin wizard, their wand arms raised together to clutch a black ebony wand.

A black ebony wand.

He flew closer. Like the wand, there was something vaguely familiar about the boy. Long dark hair framed a thin, high-cheekboned face, and mistrustful dark eyes that were already darting about him – at the seas, at the sky and sideways at the cliffs, as though he expected the worst. The witch had let go of the wand to peer over the ledge of the cliff, so the black ebony wand must belong to the young wizard.

The likeness was too striking! And he, Lord Voldemort, prided himself on never forgetting a face. This young wizard looked like a younger version of his old Grandmaster, Severus Prince! Even his wand looked the same. The witch's next words almost convinced him that he really _did_ have a version of Severus Prince in front of him.

'D'you think he's dead, Severus? It was only a stunning spell,' she asked anxiously from the ledge.

'You should stand away from there –we might've given away our position now,' the dark-haired young wizard answered curtly, scanning the rain swept horizon before them.

But Severus Prince was dead. He, Lord Voldemort was almost sure of it. And then he remembered something the two captured Karkaroffs had confirmed amidst the strangulated confessions he had wrung out of them a few months ago.

He had killed the Karkaroffs, of course. They should never, ever, have dared let their ambition vie with his. Only he, the most powerful Dark wizard of this age, dared seek immortality, and he would allow no-one else to compete with him, or seek immortality as revealed in the book that Severus Prince had written. After all, it was he who had discovered where Severus Prince hid the book. He had read it, used it and then, in his youthful overzealousness, he had left it at Hogwarts. That had been a mistake.

He had not realised then that it might attract others eager to become conquerors of death, whereas he knew, as Slytherin's heir, that only he was meant for such glory, and certainly not the Karkaroffs.

He had sent even sent his Death Eaters after a Gringott's goblin, acting on a vague tip-off from Mulciber's nephew, Seth. It wasn't much of a tip-off - just that the goblin was offering a reward in return for knowledge of the book's whereabouts.

That was enough, however. How dare a mere goblin barter for that knowledge? Unfortunately, the Goblin had denied everything, acting with the mule-headedness of his race until he expired, but the Karkaroffs had been more ... voluble. The elder Karkaroff, death breathing down his scraggy neck, had been the chief instigator for acquiring immortality. They had mentioned Madeira's name. She had engaged the goblin to seek it on their behalf.

Madeira. He sneered invisibly as he remembered how he had pieced together the story. Madeira was a clever witch and had her uses – many of them, but her skill in the mind arts, and her incurable propensity for intrigue made her too dangerous, and he needed to act soon on the impulse he had long been toying with. Madeira had outlived her usefulness.

But the Karkaroffs had mentioned another name.

Severus Snape, the half-blood great-grandson of the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Walpurgis, Severus Prince.

And unless he was mistaken, the dark-haired young wizard who was now urging his companion to get further back in the cave was that very same Severus Snape.

He flew lower, swirling around the mouth of the cave itself, to observe the youth within. His thin young face, pale white and shining with rain was set in grim lines, his wand held in the duelling position as he peered round the edge of the cave.

Severus Snape. It was a name he had learnt more about from Lucius Malfoy on the night the Karkaroffs were captured. And Lucius had told him much more than he realised. Severus Snape, he said, had a book. A book the Karkaroffs were after, thinking it was the 'Secrets of the Darkest Arts'. And when Lucius Malfoy mentioned that the book Snape actually had was the Diary of Tom Riddle, everything fell into place.

The boy was, after all, Severus Prince's heir, and he had somehow managed to find where, in Hogwarts, his great-grandfather had hidden the book. He had found instead, a diary. Not any diary. It was _his _diary and much, much more than that!

Somewhere along the way however, Snape must have been indiscreet and given away what he was seeking, for the Karkaroffs had targeted him, not knowing that what he truly possessed was his Diary.

Lucius had said that the boy, Snape, refused to give up the diary. Severus Snape, he had said, would hand over the diary to the Dark Lord himself.

But neither this Snape, nor Lucius, realised the importance of the diary. He had been inclined to be angry at the audacity of the young wizard, but Lucius had stepped in, saying he knew the boy and he was sympathetic to their cause, excusing his impertinence as over-eagerness to be introduced to into his presence.

Even then, Severus Snape had intrigued him.

He had refrained from seeking him out directly last spring, because his diary was, after all, designed to do his bidding. It was designed, as a Diary, to invite confidences from its user, and to reciprocate in kind, revealing some of the secrets he, young Riddle, had uncovered at Hogwarts such as The Chamber of Secrets. He had wanted to show Severus Prince that he was Slytherin's heir, and that he had used his Book Secrets of the Darkest Arts, to conquer death, and was therefore the better wizard.

He had expected Severus Prince to find it, not his Great-grandson. However, he knew the diary would start to work its magic on Severus Snape. It would invite him to disclose what lay in his heart and would reveal, in return secrets of its own: the Chamber and Slytherin's Serpent within.

When weeks passed, and there was no rumour of unusual activity at Hogwarts, he had been forced to assume that his old Grandmaster's great-grandson had either resisted its influence, or had not opened it at all.

He had known then, that Severus Snape was indeed the Prince's heir, and there was more to him than his youth and unremarkable appearance warranted.

But he had hardly expected to encounter this intriguing young wizard in a cave half-way up the deserted cliffs of the Cumberland coast. Was it just coincidence, or something else?

After all, he had just witnessed the unleashing of a spell so powerful, so unusual, that he could not remember ever having had the pleasure of observing. And Lord Voldemort appreciated magic in all its forms, but particularly the unusual and powerful. The witch had said it was just a stunning spell.

No normal stunning spell could affect a giant. He would not even feel it!

But it was cast by both of them, through one wand. He had heard of combined or shared magic. Very old and rare magic, but not one he had studied or delved into, for he did not like it. He, Lord Voldemort, always worked alone and would never dream of sharing his wand with anyone.

In this case, however, he may have been mistaken in ignoring it, for certainly, such powerful magic on his side of the war would definitely be advantageous. From what Lucius said, Severus Snape was very interested in their cause. As for the witch...

He turned his attention to the redhead, hovering like a dark transparent cloud at the cave entrance. She was standing behind Snape, wandless, and her arms were clutched around herself tightly. Her eyes were darting from the flashes of light of the battle outside, to her silent companion, who was still scouring the skies to see if their position had been noted, unaware that the Warlord of this battle himself was hovering inches away from where they stood.

Or perhaps they _did _sense his presence, for they were silent, the young wizard's face set in hard lines, the muscles beneath his thin shirt knotted tensely as though for action, and there was fear beneath the anxiety, on the redhead's face.

He did not recognise her. She was not the daughter of any of his Death Eaters (he made a point of getting to know their families well, for many reasons) but he would find out who the young witch was. Her magic had been strong, incredibly so, and from the little he knew of combined or shared magic, it was a rare and powerful gift bestowed, for some mysterious reason, on very few witches and wizards.

He toyed with the idea of revealing his presence to them here and now. He could capture them of course, force them to decide, force them to reveal whatever he wanted, but after decades of experience in the art of persuasion, he knew it was preferable to have convinced, loyal and dedicated followers rather than imperiused or half-hearted ones.

Besides, they were still very young - neither of them looked of age, which made them even more valuable to have on his side, for their magic would surely grow as they got older. He would bide his time and get to know them better before he made a move. The witch's next words confirmed his suspicions:

'They're getting closer, Sev,' the redhead whispered in her companion's ear, 'We should get out of here, now we've lifted the curse of the poisoned rain!'

Flashes of light from flying spells turned the grey clouds red and orange, like mad, unnatural lightening shooting back and forth across the stormy waves. It was accompanied by distant crackling sounds, reverberating all along the cliff face.

'Yes, we should,' her companion agreed 'while they're too busy duelling to come investigate this cave!'

'We'll retrace our steps back to the beach, even though the tide's in. The giants seem to be making for the cliffs over there, instead. We need to hurry, or we'll be too late! '

There was something about the underlying urgency in her voice that told Lord Voldemort she was anxious for another's sake and not her own. That was good to know. She had moved past Snape towards the cave mouth, but hesitated as she saw her companion hadn't moved. He seemed frozen to the spot, squinting out into the grey, rain swept landscape outside.

'What?' she asked.

'There's something ... not quite right,' he answered.

Lord Voldemort actually smiled as his invisible eyes bored into the dark, unseeing ones of Severus Snape, noting the tense lines of the young face inches away from his. Good. The boy sensed his presence. And so he should, for he was in the presence of the most powerful Dark wizard –

A scream of terror rent the air, louder than the sound of the sea and crackling spells. It was deep voice, a man's voice, and the sound was ragged, as though torn forcibly from his throat. Lord Voldemort knew that sound.

It was wrenched out of the living by the knowledge of approaching death.

He whirled round his transparent body weightless, and flew silently out of the cave. A cloaked figure was hurtling relentlessly downwards, falling like a stone towards the sea-pounded rocks below.

Selwyn! The fool had been unseated – he could see the riderless broomstick spiralling wildly in the distance. Probably lost his wand too! Lord Voldemort felt the cold anger rising up in him as he flew swiftly towards the battle.

Was he surrounded by _fools_? Could he not even leave them alone for a few minutes? They were outnumbered, true, but these Death Eaters had been hand-picked for their skill, as well as their loyalty! He waved his wand, and Selwyn's body slowed to a complete stop mere feet before it crashed onto the rocks. Setting him up on a rock above the crashing waves he saw the pale, masked face search the sky for his invisible saviour. But the next instant the Death Eater almost fell into the heaving sea as a flash of green light hit the rock he stood on, narrowly missing him.

Furiously, Lord Voldemort whirled around to see who had cast the Killing Curse at Selwyn.

Aurors, two of them! And they had realised the cursed cloud had lost its power, for the protective bubble spell over their broomsticks was no longer there! One of them flew ahead of the other, pointing his wand, while the Auror on his tail shouted something. They were trying to kill Selwyn as he stood exposed on the rock below!

A roar of fury escaped his lips and he flew after them like an avenging wind.

'_Avada Kedavra_!' he shouted into the turbulent air, but just then, for some unknown reason, the Auror at the back fired a deflecting spell at his companion, so that he swerved to the right and the Killing Curse missed.

Forgetting their quarry, both Aurors veered round swiftly to see who was on their tails.

And see they shall!

He, Lord Voldemort would show them exactly who they were facing! He flew forward, hissing the incantation that would reveal his tall dark form to the impudent fools, so that they cower before him. And impressed they were, for the younger one, foolhardy and battle-eager, who had been pointing death at Selwyn, blanched, almost falling off his broom, but the older one, who Lord Voldemort recognised as Scrimgeour, was more self-possessed. He veered off sharply to his right, wisely putting in more distance between them, though he did fire a few stunning spells over his back as he fled.

_Stunning_ spells! Ridiculous!

Suddenly, other Aurors on broomsticks approached and joined in the fray as they realised who their companions were facing.

With a lazy flick of his wand he sent a blasting spell towards them that sent three of them spiralling out of control to meet their doom below, and the others scattering like wind-blown leaves before its force.

He saw Rodolphus, taking advantage of the momentary confusion among the Aurors, zoom down on his broom like a black-cloaked blur to rescue Selwyn from the rocks below.

It was when he heard what sounded like echoes of his blasting spell that he realised what the other contingent of Aurors was doing. They were flying around his giants, most of their spells unable to penetrate their thick hides, but they were aiming instead at the rocks of the cliff face, blasting them apart as the giants attempted to climb.

Even as he looked, two of the huge brutes came tumbling down, the rock they hung on to blasted from beneath their grasping hands, so that they fell heavily down the cliff face and into the raging sea, where, their breathing spell having worn off, they would drown!

With a roar of anger, Lord Voldemort soared high into the air. He would not be stopped by miserable Aurors! He was the greatest wizard since Slytherin himself! He could command the earth and sky! He had done so and he would again!

His weightless body, light as a mere breath, yet possessed of a deep, powerful magic that even now he could feel burgeoning within him, would call forth the fury of the ocean, the wild swirling madness of the wind, and no wizard would dare stand before him. He had wasted enough time already.

He lifted his yew wand high above his head, whirling it in a circular motion at the darkening sky and spoke the ancient words, releasing the surge of magic within him. The clouds from their great height, followed the circular motion of his wand, churning and twisting around. Then he pointed his wand downwards, and the heaving seas rose in a spiralling waterspout about him.

The wind screamed and howled in glee as it followed the spiralling water, and whipped the waves into a white frenzy, goading them upwards and round and round the careening spout. The dark clouds soared down lower from the sky, and were caught into the turbulent, contorting monstrosity that reared its head even higher than the cliffs, whirling its way inwards, gathering speed and size. Lightening crackled across the sky as the cloud particles were jarred together in the whirling mass.

Lord Voldemort rode the fury of the swirling storm, his nostrils wide with the scent of victory and his eyes observing with malignant glee how the Aurors scattered like dead leaves before him.

This would teach the Muggle-loving fools from the Ministry exactly what Dark magic could do, and why the right order of magic should prevail in the wizarding world. With a last glance at the scattered remnants of the Aurors, he guided the storm inland, providing the best cover for the army of giants as they finally reached the top of the cliffs and marched slowly inlands.

XXX

Severus stared open-mouthed at the dark sky outside, forgetting that, moments before, he had been poised on escaping quietly from the cave.

The _Dark Lord_! That was Lord Voldemort himself!

He had seen the tall, dark-robed figure appear from nowhere high above the raging sea, as though born of the very storm that lashed the air around him. He had seen him fly like a dark wind, wand held aloft as he commanded the waves and clouds to do his bidding!

It was magic such as Severus had never seen! He could feel the Dark Lords' power, how he willed the very earth and sky to contort themselves into a storm, and how the very air around him seemed to be straining to do his bidding. It was awe-inspiring, and, Severus knew, very dark magic! The Aurors had scattered before him like flies, and he had watched, clutching the bare rock of the cave mouth so as not to lose his footing as the storm howled over them, and the remaining giants headed inland, borne ahead by the fury of the storm.

'What – what was _that_?'

A voice at his side brought him back to reality. Lily was standing there, her eyes wide and her face pale and drawn.

'That, Lily, was the Dark Lord himself,' he said in awe.

Surely even she could see now what unearthly power a Dark wizard could command? He himself had sometimes doubted the tales Rabastan, Mulciber and Rosier had recounted during their clandestine meetings. He thought they might have been embellished somewhat by the other schoolboys, but now he knew. Now he had seen – _felt_, even – the raw energy that that wizard could command. What he had been led to expect of Lord Voldemort fell far below what that amazing wizard could actually do!

'We need to get out of here!' Lily was saying, moving towards the cave mouth.

'Wait! Don't just go barging out! You have no wand!'

'Sev, there's an army of giants, and the most dangerous wizard in the world heading towards my parents!'

'Well, hang on then, let's see if the coast is clear first!' Severus knew that he couldn't ignore the note of panic in her voice. She would run brashly off again, even though she had just acknowledged the Dark lord as the most dangerous wizard in the world.

They moved cautiously outside and peered down. The rainclouds had almost cleared, the darkness of the storm passing inland. By the light of the clearing sky, they saw two of the giants, difficult to miss because of their size, face down in the sea below, the dying waves washing up their massive backs. They appeared dead. Drowned, probably. The sun was low in the sky now and they could see that further along the coast, the cliff face was scarred and blackened where the wizards he had taken to be Aurors had blasted it. Several broomsticks lay broken and splintered on the rocks below.

Just then, two wizards on broomsticks flew past, only a few yards below them, so close that they could see their faces as they slowed to a hover and stopped to survey the scene of devastation below.

'Bloody fucking _demons!_ They even got Melisand!' the younger of the two exclaimed suddenly, his voice shaking with a barely controlled rage.

Severus thought he recognised the Auror who had cornered a Death Eater on a rock below. He was pointing at a broken broomstick with a red handle laying broken and splintered on a ledge half-way down the cliff face.

'She was never one for this mission,' the older wizard grunted 'Hated the water, she did. Couldn't have been easy for her, just out of Auror training!' He had a scraggy face and a couple of rather fresh scars down his face.

'But she insisted, Alastor! She wanted to get these fucking bastards just as much as I do!'

'You, Solomon, are too bloody over-eager! Scrimgeour told me what happened! You've got to change your attitude, or I'll have to report you!'

'You do that, Alastor!' the younger man hissed, 'See what good it'll do you! Crouch knows what he's doing! There's only one way to deal with this kind of rabble! Didn't you see what they did? And they got away!'

He had a rather thin but angular face, set in haughty, cruel lines. He couldn't be more than in his early twenties, but there was an air of assurance about him, an unspoken confidence, that Severus was very familiar with. He encountered it often enough in Slytherin common-room. This young wizard was a pureblood, and accustomed to the dignity and command it brought with it.

'Sev! Sev – they're Aurors!' Lily whispered in his ear, 'I think it's safe to let them know we're here!'

'Shhh! No! Don't move! I think I know who that is! He's dangerous, Lily!'

But before she could protest, a harsh voice rapped out reprimanding words:

'It's a War, Fenwick! Not a personal vendetta! And you are under _my _orders!'

A third wizard had approached them on a broomstick. He was younger than the one called 'Mad-eye' but more impressively built, with broad shoulders and a huge shaggy mane of tawny hair.

Sol Fenwick did not answer for a moment but then he moved his broomstick up, so that he was hovering at a higher position than the two older men his head almost level with their cave.

'I may be under your orders Scrimgeour,' he answered haughtily, 'But that won't stop me from going after those bastards. I'll tear their bloody hearts out for this!'

And he kicked off in a vertical dive downwards, his wand slashing at the unoffending rocks as he flew past, sending them crashing, splintered, into the sea.

The older wizard called Alastor, made as if to follow him, but Scrimgeour laid a restraining hand on his arm.

'Let him be, Alastor. He's just sore about Melisand. I think the two had a thing going'

'He has a thing going with every available witch in the Ministry! And beyond, for that matter. He's out of line Rufus! Him and some of the other young ones that have gone through the fast-track Auror training. If we don't restrain them now, they'll do more damage to the Department than you-know-who himself!'

'I'll speak to Crouch. See what we can do,' the other man sighed 'Thing is, Alastor, we're outnumbered 20 to 1. We can't afford to lose any more Aurors.'

'True. Unfortunately we'd be better off with fewer, but more experienced witches and wizards instead of these hot-blooded young fools! Even today, though we had information enough to foil You-know-Who's plan and for a change, outnumbered them – yet they got away!'

'You-know-who was with them, Alastor. Only Dumbledore could've withstood him and he was in a pretty nasty mood! He's been planning to get giants over for months! '

'Dumbledore hasn't been idle, Rufus.'

'Really? Well, I would have appreciated his help today,' Scrimgeour's voice sounded slightly peeved.

'He was unaware of the situation. Crouch kept the information to himself, remember? Said it was a Ministry matter'

Scrimgeour said nothing and Alastor continued.

'Well, anyway, I sent him word of what happened-'

'That wasn't authorised, Alastor!'

'You said yourself you'd have appreciated his help, Rufus! Even Crouch has to admit that now there are giants wandering around Britain and he, as well as the Ministry, will need all the help they can get.'

'I know more about Dumbledore's efforts than you think. He's recruiting his own personal army, isn't he?'

'So rumours have it,' Alastor answered guardedly, 'Right now, however, I'm more concerned with trying to round up as many of those giants as we can. That hurricane he unleashed will make it difficult, but it doesn't mean we can't track them down.'

'And we need to clear up this mess. I've already sent O'Flaherty back to alert the Obliviator team. You round up the survivors on your Auror team and scour the region. You know what to look out for Alastor, though no doubt, he'll separate the giants now, to make them more difficult to follow.

'Right.'

'I'll see you after we've finished from here. If you manage to find any of them, you'll need the Obliviators probably'

And with that, the two wizards pulled the handle of their broomstick round and flew in opposite directions.

'Wait! _Wait!_'

A shout behind him almost made Severus fall over the ledge at the cave mouth. Lily rushed past him, waving desperately at the disappearing figures on broomsticks.

'Dammit, Lily, _No_!'

He grabbed her arm, forcing it down, and she turned on him, eyes ablaze.

'They're _Aurors_, Severus!' she repeated.

'I don't trust them!'

'They know _Dumbledore_!' she insisted, angry red spots on her cheeks magnified to a brilliant vermilion by the setting sun, 'I need to tell them about the poison cloud, about my parents! They won't hurt us!'

She glanced at the distant figures of the Aurors. They hadn't heard her shout and one was flying low over the calming sea, where he was joined by two others and the other one had stopped near the drowned giants.

'Yes they will, Lily! I heard about Solomon Fenwick! Him and his brother Benjy and his mates were the ones that ran amok in that raid in Hampshire! Even that Alastor said so!

'He was upset at the death of his companions! Besides, I wasn't going to speak to _him!_'

'At best, they'll wipe our memories clean if they find us here, and at worst... well, they're authorised to use Unforgiveables, and that Sol Fenwick appears the type to act first and ask questions later.'

'We've performed underage magic, Sev! The Ministry'll know about us!'

'Given there were spells flying all around us in a full-blown wizard's battle, I don't think so!'

'Let go of my hand, Severus,' Lily said, quietly.

'If you call them here, Lily, you'll force me to duel them. I'm not allowing those Aurors anywhere near us! I'll curse them if I have to!'

He lifted his wand threateningly, and his voice sounded harsh even to his own ears, but he was biting back even harder words. Looking down at her upturned face, he noted that the angry flush in her cheeks was disappearing now, though her eyes still flashed with green fire and the setting sun had turned her hair a blazing red.

Well, he was the only one with a wand and this time, they would bloody well do as he said! If she was mad about it, well, he was even angrier! How could she be so trusting of complete strangers, just because they were Aurors and had mentioned Dumbledore? If she was incapable of any malevolent thinking, then she needed to let him do it for her!

Even as he glared at her, he saw something shift behind the emerald green eyes. Something that reminded him how they had pleaded with him, earlier, to do something to lift the curse of the poisoned rain. It was her typical mule-headed Gryffindor insistence to save everyone and everything, at the risk of becoming a liability herself, of course, but she had been shaking with the effect of the poisoned rain at the time, and he had been at his wit's end trying to think of a way out of their predicament, not knowing to what extent the poison had affected her, and without letting her know how worried he was.

Finally, it was her confidence in him, as well as her vulnerability, that moved him. _Please, Sev. You know more about this kind of magic than anyone else I know_ she had said, acknowledging the greatness of ancient magic.

He had known then what he must do: ancient magic had to be countered by ancient magic, in the spoken tongue of its creator, and he could see the runes forming the ancient words of the counter spell just as though he had a book before him. It had worked, and moreover, her eyes shining with gratitude, she had eagerly anticipated what they had to do when he decided to join their magic to deactivate the storm cloud for good.

There was the same pleading look in her eyes now, but it was overshadowed by something else: pain.

'Please let go of my arm, Severus,' she repeated, in a low whisper, 'You're hurting me!'

Severus glanced down and saw that he was still clutching Lily's forearm. His long fingers were clenched so tightly around her arm they appeared buried in her white flesh. He let go immediately, looking horrified at her pale skin as angry red marks appeared where his fingers had dug in.

Sickening images raced through his mind of his mother's pleading voice, stifled gasps of pain. He opened his mouth to say sorry, but nothing came out, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the reddening marks on Lily's skin.

She seemed unaware of it though, and he realised she was searching his face for he did not know what. Her expression was uncharacteristically unreadable, and the silence between them spiralled alarmingly.

'I want to go home,' she said finally, in a deadpan voice.

He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything, and with a final glance to see that the wizards were busily occupied trying to transfigure the dead giants into something innocuous, he led the way out of the cave.

Lily followed, walking silently behind him. The tide was in and the water high, but the old pathway was safely out of reach of the waves. The wind had died down, leaving only the clean smell of the purified rain, and the only signs of the storm was a gently rolling swell that thundered peacefully against the rocks below.

The warm glow of the setting sun on the horizon of the Irish Sea bathed everything in rosy colours that effectively camouflaged them, as well as he could hope, against the reddish sandstone cliffs. It was an achingly beautiful scene, such as he had only seen in books or picture postcards, but it's very beauty mocked Severus, for he felt a leaden weight had settled somewhere in the middle of his chest.

He had held such high hopes that morning. Lily had seemed so pleased, so happy to be with him, despite having been to Spinner's End and seen with her own eyes the turbulent and sad hovel he called home, that he had been sorely tempted to tell her that she meant more to him than just a friend.

He loved her – he knew that now, but he found he couldn't tell her _that._ He was only fifteen for Merlin's sake! So what could he tell her? '_I really like you'_ or _'I really fancy you'_ which, according to some of the boys in Slytherin, was what girls expected to hear when asked on a date, seemed trite and pathetic to what he felt about Lily, and he couldn't imagine himself uttering them.

In the end, he had tried to show her. A Legilimency of feelings. Madeira had said there was no such thing, but he knew better. He was sure it would work, for their minds, so unlike each other, were connected in unfathomable ways.

It had gone all horribly wrong of course. Severus felt a twinge of resentment against the Dark Lord. In all the thousands of miles of coast line, why in Merlin's name had he picked the one he and Lily were on, to land his army of giants?

Though Lily had been suitably impressed with the Dark Lord's magic, she still seemed determined to put her faith in the Ministry, especially since Dumbledore was mentioned. Worse still, he had been chilled by the strangeness of her expression when he had forcibly held her back from giving their position away. Probably she thought him a brute.

Perhaps she was right.

With a sigh, he watched her slender figure as she climbed down the slippery seaweed-covered steps that led to the beach. She had overtaken him in her eagerness to return to her parents and he let her run on ahead, watching the skies above and the cliffs they had just left for signs of the Aurors or the Obliviator team. A lot of the grass further inland, he noted, was yellowed and sickly looking, as though somebody had thrown weed killer indiscriminately about. The effect of the poison rain had, indeed, been widespread

Lily practically ran all the way from the beach to St Cuthbert's B&B, her face pale and drawn as she too noticed the diseased grass, and he could barely keep up with her. She flew inside the old farmhouse, where she found Mr and Mrs Evans sitting with a small huddle of other tourists near the large open fireplace. They stood up hurriedly and embraced her tightly with cries of relief.

'Lily! We were so worried about you!' her mother started. 'There was this really strange storm, Mr Jakobson, who was caught in it, said it stung his skin, and-'

'Did you get wet, Lily?' her father interjected.

'Mr Evans, we have no time to explain now,' Severus interrupted urgently, 'but I think we should pack and leave. Obliviators may be coming at any moment, and they may alter your memories together with everyone else's in this place, if they think it necessary'

The Evans looked from him to Lily, but to his relief, she nodded in agreement, so, a short time later, they had packed their few belongings and were speeding away down the highway towards Castleforth.

Lily answered her parents anxious questions as truthfully as she dared, playing down the danger they were in, but leaving them in no doubt that what had happened was no laughing matter. Every so often, they turned to him to corroborate their daughter's story. As Muggles, the existence of giants for them belonged to the realm of fairy tales.

After a while, they all lapsed into silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Severus stole a look at Lily. She was looking out of the window at the rolling hills of the Lake District, and he couldn't see her face, but she had her arms wrapped tightly about herself again and was sitting stiffly, her back poker–straight and tense. He wished he could use Legilimency to see what she was thinking.

There was plenty of food for thought. He could hardly believe he had witnessed the Dark Lord in action – it had been terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time; he had seen Slytherin's ancient magic spread destruction on the land; he had used counter-magic together with Lily to neutralise the cursed clouds and she had admired his knowledge of the ancient arts. They had even stunned a giant.

But somehow of all that had happened, he just couldn't forget the look in Lily's eyes when he had forcibly restrained her from running out of the cave. And she had said nothing about it, which was even more unusual. He glanced guiltily at her arm, but it was clutched close to her body, whether consciously or not, he could not know. He had hurt her. The heavy feeling that had settled on him since their return from the cave grew heavier still as the green hills and lakes disappeared, and a series of small Muggle towns went by, each more drab and dirty than the last, and he knew they were getting closer to home.

Severus was half-expecting her not to want to see him again, but to his surprise, when they finally arrived close enough to the river Aire to see the distant Mill chimney, she spoke to him.

'Coming over tomorrow, Sev?' she asked.

'T-tomorrow?'

He had been lost in observing with distaste the distant Mill chimney, and so convinced that she was angry with him, that he thought he had not heard well.

'Yes. I still have to return your broomstick, and perhaps we could see if there's anything on the news about what happened'

'I'll get the _Prophet._'

He looked at her closely, but she was smiling at him. True, it looked somewhat strained, but he tried to think it was because of the knowledge of an army of giants now roaming the land, rather than because of him.

So when the Evans dropped him off near the playground where he and Lily had first spoken, it was with a slightly more buoyant feeling that he got out of the car and headed for home.


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter 108: Last Days of Summer.**

There was nothing in the Muggle news of course. Well, almost nothing. The Giants had passed unnoticed, the Obliviators having done a good job, but there was a small article in the _Yorkshire Post_ about the cursed rain.

_Storm surge and the salt-laden rain_, the Muggle newspaper said, _burnt the grass for miles along the Cumbrian coast. It was, admittedly, a rather unusually belligerent storm for midsummer, but just a storm, nonetheless. The owner of a local B&B by the name of Morrison, however, insisted that it was acid rain from the Soviet Union, but he was in the minority. Scientists from Carlisle University could find no traces of toxicity. _

Severus had snorted in derision. That is because they do not know what to look for. He had gone to Lily's house the very next day, taking with him a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ which he exchanged for the _Yorkshire Post_.

There was more in the _Prophet_ of course. To his surprise, it had not downplayed the incident, and its front page screamed '_Army of Giants land in Cumberland!_' The rest of the pages were rife with (mostly useless) advice on the best defensive spells against giants and assurances that the Ministry was doing its utmost to round them up and deport them. Dumbledore as head of the Wizengamot was even given credit for his unheeded warnings. Lily would like that.

He had watched Lily as she read the _Prophet,_ a frown on her face. He had spent that morning trying to persuade her not to say anything about what they had seen.

'You can't tell them anything they don't already know,' he had argued 'They were there - they saw everything!'

'Not everything,' she had answered quietly.

He knew what she meant of course. They had used their rare gift of combined magic to stun a giant and to purify the cursed rain. The Ministry didn't know about _that._ Severus hoped she wasn't going to suggest they place their rare gift at the disposal of the Aurors because he would categorically refuse. Besides, the Dark Lord was no fool. He'd have dispersed the giants – a clever strategy that would disseminate those spell-proof beasts where they could be more effective and to stop them from destroying each other in pointless bickering.

'They haven't sent even sent us an acknowledgement that we've used underage magic,' he said finally, 'so let's leave it that way.'

She hadn't protested.

That was almost 2 weeks ago now.

Severus sighed and peered out through the dark material of the curtains of his window. He had drawn them in an attempt to shut out the sun, throwing his book-laden table into a welcome shade, but it somehow made the room stuffier.

Nothing moved outside. The bright sunlight glaringly illuminated each cobblestone, each discarded wrapper, each hollow-eyed housewife and other sundry rubbish that decorated Spinner's End in magnificent ugliness.

Severus sighed and went back to his desk. It was mid-August and the two weeks left till September stretched interminably before him, for Lily had left Castleforth to go stay with Mary MacDonald in the Scottish Highlands. Her brother had died in a freak accident, and she had gone up for the funeral, as had many of MacDonald's Hogwarts friends.

Severus glanced down at Lily's letter on the desk before him. She had owled him that morning saying that MacDonald was so upset at her brother's untimely death that she would be staying there for the rest of August to help her get over it.

_Really sorry about this, Sev, _she wrote, _but Mary asked me to stay. You have no idea how upset they all are, Malcolm MacDonald was only 22, he and Mary were close, so she really needs a shoulder to cry on. Anyway, I'll be seeing you in Hogwarts in two weeks time – we'll be flooing there (a first, for me!) for McGonagall made special arrangements for Mary and me. _

_Two weeks will pass soon enough, I suppose. _

_I'm glad I returned your broomstick last week, - I hope you manage to find time to go for a ride (actually, I want you to promise me you will, Sev!). Think of me when you do, for I'll be __really missing__ the fun we had that day. We should've gone flying at least one more time instead of diving right into our schoolwork!_

_No use crying over spilt potion I guess. _

_See you soon,_

_Lots of love,_

_Lily_

_PS: If you could send an owl sometimes, just to let me know you're ok..._

Severus passed one long finger over the parchment pausing at the underlined words, half-hoping that it was not only the flying she missed, and then his finger traced out Lily's love: a long flowing 'l', followed by a strong, round 'o' an untidy, hesitant 'v' and a firm 'e'. Her handwriting had faltered somewhat. Well, she had never sent him her love in a letter before. She had actually never sent him a letter – just little notes. There had never been any need to send any, for they were always together.

He found himself wondering why her hand had seemed to shake when writing that little word. Embarrassment? Doubt? He wished it had been underlined too.

He pushed Lily's letter out of sight beneath his potions book. It was hard to concentrate now, but he would cudgel his brains to it, if necessary. After all, neither of them had done any of their holiday homework until they came back from St Cuthbert's, and unfortunately, it had been his idea to catch up on that work. Thus they had spent the previous two weeks mostly in Lily's room (with the door open) trying to get their homework done and consciously avoiding the subject of the Dark Lord's appearance.

He should have taken her flying instead! Or down to the privacy of their spot by the river.

But somehow something had subtly changed since their return to Castleforth.

Too much had happened. Severus could hardly ignore the fact that he had just met the most powerful wizard of their times: it was something the boys in Slytherin, especially those connected to the Death Eater brotherhood, spoke of with awe, and he could understand why now.

What he witnessed instilled in him a greater respect for the Dark wizard's magical abilities, but it also worried him.

What if his and Lily's presence there on the cliff face had been seen by one of the masked Death Eaters? Lily was a muggleborn, and if what Rabastan and the others had said was true, than she would be a _persona non grata_ in the Dark Lord's eyes. And he now knew that no-one – not he, Severus, nor anyone else, would be able to stop that wizard! He was powerful beyond reason.

That is why he needed her to remain as quiet as possible about their presence there. More so because they had unwittingly stunned one of his giants and neutralised the effect the cursed rain: if the Dark Lord sought retribution for whoever had unwittingly upsetting his plan, he knew nothing and no-one would stop him!

Granted, both Aurors and Death Eaters were rather busy trying to kill each other at the time, but their combined stunning spell at least, had been quite blindingly strong – it could've drawn attention. And the Ministry could tell, from the Trace, that they had been present at the battle (though they could not prove they had cast any spells), and yet both Ministry and the Death Eaters were being ominously silent about it.

That worried Severus too.

So although they discussed what had happened often enough while doing their homework, they skirted uncomfortably around the subject of the Dark Lord and the Giants, unwilling to quarrel again over politics.

But there was something else Severus never mentioned again since their return. He never again asked Lily to try the wandless magic, the magical sharing of their emotions. It was somehow an opportunity missed, something that would not be forced to come back and be recreated on demand, and besides, too much had happened since.

He felt the subtle change, and though Lily soon returned to her usual smiling and cheerful self, he knew she had felt it too. He could tell by the strained look in her eyes sometimes, and by the awkward silences that often fell between them. It was partly why he had so insisted on their diving straight into their schoolwork – it was neutral, familiar ground, and it would keep him focussed on something other than Lily.

He pushed his Potions book away from him in frustration, his mind teeming with a thousand questions and twice the number of possible answers. His eyes fell on Reg's letters. The boy had written three times to him and he hadn't even bothered to answer him.

The young seeker almost hero-worshipped him ever since he had taught him a few curses to keep up his sleeve during Quidditch matches. He also thought that despite being a half-blood he, Severus, had inside information from influential friends about Death Eaters. Reg was becoming quite fanatical.

A faint tinkle of shattering glass drifted through his open door. He got up and hurried downstairs to the kitchen at the back.

He found his mother on her hands and knees scrubbing at a potion stain on the worn linoleum.

'Dropped the armadillo bile,' she explained, looking up briefly as he came in.

'Want any help?'

She shook her head mutely.

He had stopped wondering why she didn't use magic any more to clean up a mess. He would often find her in this position, brush in hand, scouring and scrubbing uselessly, Muggle-fashion, at real or imaginary stains, as though to punish herself.

On other occasions, he would find her sitting at the small table in their kitchen, clutching a cold mug of tea in her hands and staring blankly at nothing. She could spend hours like this.

The only time he saw a flicker of enthusiasm, a purposeful look in her eyes, was when she was brewing potions for Tobias. She had always been good at Potions – even Slughorn had said so – and nowadays, it was the only magic she could apply to. It seemed he had inherited her talent, for Potions had been his special interest before he had become engrossed in his Great-Grandfather's book on Dark Arts.

The return of Tobias seemed to have restored her to her senses. She was still asleep when he had returned home that night with his delirious father. He had given Tobias some of the potions his mother kept stored for him, and that had stopped the worst of the symptoms. Still in pain, and cold and sweaty, however, Tobias had been sober enough to ask him where his mother was.

Severus had dispassionately explained what happened, wondering if his father would burst into tears again, but instead Tobias had got laboriously to his feet, and, with several grunts of pain, stumbled upstairs to their bedroom.

Severus crouched in the staircase, waiting and listening, but there was absolute silence. It was several hours later that he heard a mumble of voices and Eileen had come out, demanded her wand back and that he help her brew some Skele-Gro, for his father had several broken ribs.

She had not mentioned the Dreamless Sleep potion, or the fact that Lily Evans had been in their house that night. She concentrated with renewed energy on brewing countless different potions for her husband, and he accepted each without protest, recovering enough throughout the next day to be able to go to work and present his excuses for his prolonged absence. Eileen even persuaded him to go to the Police station, so that they drop their investigation into the night of the attack.

Tobias acquiesced meekly for a while. And though, with his face healed, clean-shaven and washed, he looked a different man, there was still a haunted look in his eyes that Severus did not like. His gruffness remained – it was a life-long habit now, and his temper was shorter than ever, but he made a correspondingly bigger effort to control it. It was the look resignation and guilt in his blue eyes that worried Severus. Like his wife, Tobias did not mention what happened that night, or what Lily Evans (if he remembered her at all, that is) had told him.

As usual, both his parents had swept everything under the carpet, and pretended nothing had happened, though when he had announced he was going on holiday with the Evans, neither of them had protested.

Eileen had finished scrubbing the floor and returned to her mortar and pestle, grinding up beetle-eyes with a smooth circular motion. There was a glimmer of the old fire in her eyes as she purposefully waved her wand once in an anticlockwise direction over the cauldron.

For no reason at all, he suddenly remembered that her Patronus had been a buck, such as the one on the Snape coat-of-arms.

'What're you looking at? Don't you have to study, Severus?' his mother snapped sourly, looking up.

'I'm going,' he snapped back, and hurried off back to his bedroom.

The uneasy truce between his parents had lasted only until Tobias's next pay day.

He had come home drunk, clutching a brown-paper wrapped bottle. Eileen's rage had spilled over then, and an almighty row had ensued. When his mother had finally stormed off to bed, leaving Tobias with his bottle on the armchair, he had grabbed the broomstick and flown out of the open window, not caring if he was seen or not. He couldn't stand to hear his mother's despairing sobs through the thin walls of his house.

There had been several other occasions after that when he had been forced to take his broomstick and fly off into the night sky, just to clear his head from the screaming rows at home. That, and the state of Occlumency, into which he could now slip in and out easily, helped. He had never gone to Lily's house at night again, though sorely tempted to do so. She would welcome him, of course, but he couldn't stand the kind, pitying look in her eyes. He had to show more backbone than that. If his mother was intent on destroying herself in the futile effort to save her husband, and his father was resigned to the downward spiralling of his life, then he, Severus could do nothing about it.

The thought made him squirm with a guilty frustration, but he had pushed it out of his mind, for the holiday with the Evans' was approaching, and he had planned that _that_ at least should be special.

It was, but not exactly in the way he wanted.

Severus sat down heavily at his desk again. His eyes fell on some old leather-bound manuscript books. He had seen them in the Black's library during his stay there last summer, and had asked Reg whether he could burrow them. Reg had eagerly complied and sent them over. He looked at the runic inscription: _Warlock's Wars _and_ Battle Curses_.

Old Magic.

There was plenty of material for study, he realised. After all, he had witnessed firsthand how old and forgotten spells could unleash awesomely powerful magic. In Lily's absence he would use the two weeks till school began to learn more about the old wizarding wars and the various curses used by warlocks on their enemies during wizardkind's bloodiest battles. They were in the middle of such a war right now and he had just seen proof of the usefulness of such knowledge.

He would also be going to Diagon Alley without her. There were several shops in Knockturn Alley he had wanted to visit which he knew Lily would never consent to put a foot in. Now was his opportunity. Perhaps he could get his own stock of Floo powder (his mother had rationed the one at Spinner's End) to be able to visit more often.

He pulled the old manuscripts towards him. Later he would write to Rosier and Rabastan, who had both owled him the previous week, saying they wished they could have seen one of the Dark Lord's giants in action.

If only they knew...

XXXX

Lily looked out of the small cottage window at the wind-swept hill outside. It sloped steeply downwards, covered with heather and grasses, and some distant trees were already turning to autumn gold even though it was still late August.

She glanced at the girl sitting on the bed beside her. Mary MacDonald was still in pyjamas – large blue ones that flopped several inches below her hands, covering them completely. They belonged to her dead brother, Lily realised suddenly, and her heart wrenched painfully. Mary's thick, wavy blonde hair resembled a tangled bird's nest and her eyes were red-rimmed behind her thick glasses.

It was almost a week since the funeral of her brother Malcolm, yet Mary still seemed inconsolable. This morning she hadn't even appeared for breakfast, so Lily had knocked on her bedroom door, but getting no response, she had gone right in.

She had found Mary in this position, and she hadn't moved since. It was always worse in the morning, somehow.

'Let me do your hair, Mary. Where's your brush?'

The blonde girl glanced briefly in her direction, but then nodded towards a small chest of drawers.

'Top drawer,' she mumbled in a thick voice.

Lily brought the brush over and started to gently untangle the thick hair, and then started brushing the golden locks with firm but gentle strokes. She remembered as a child, her mother used to brush her hair that way and it used to sooth her. She hoped it could offer a minimal comfort to Mary, for truly, she knew that no words could make her hurt less.

It was so strange to see this aspect of Mary MacDonald – usually she was so irrepressibly funny and bubbly, so full of fun, that this sober, morose girl seemed like somebody else. On occasion, glimpses of her old character showed through – she would smile, or pass some witty remark, but then almost immediately, she would clamp her mouth guiltily shut and say nothing else for the next half-hour.

Lily noticed that under the steady, gentle rhythm of brushing, the hunched tenseness of her shoulders had relaxed somewhat and her hair now looked shiny and sleek.

'Thanks, Lily,' she murmured.

'How about you get into some clothes, and get some breakfast?'

'I'm not hungry.'

But she got off the bed and slipped out of the large pyjamas and into a flowery dress. Then she flumped down on the bed besides Lily and looked out at the beautiful highland slopes outside her window. The MacDonalds cottage was situated half-way up the mountainside and it had breathtaking views of the valley below, but its beauty seemed lost on the girls.

Lily was worried for her. She knew she'd perk up later during the day, but they would be leaving for Diagon Alley tomorrow to get their things, and for Hogwarts in a few days' time, and she didn't know how Mary would react to that. Perhaps it would do her good to be distracted by lessons and the general hustle and bustle at Hogwarts, but for her parents it was a different matter. They were having trouble enough accepting the death of their only son, and with their daughter gone too...

Lily felt a shiver pass involuntarily through her. The small cottage in its idyllic setting was bursting with echoing memories of a happy childhood. Mary seemed unable to stop herself from lovingly recounting them in detail: that is where my brother learnt to fly a broomstick; that is where he took my father's wand and hexed the feathers off the bad-tempered rooster that attacked him; this is the Flutterby bush he got me from France; this is the tree he made me jump down from before my magic showed...

It went on and on, relentlessly, as though the intensity of these memories could bring her brother back. It always ended in tears of course. Lily knew memories did not bring your loved ones back. It made you miss them all the more.

'It wasn't a freak accident, you know.'

Mary had spoken so quietly, she thought she had imagined the words. She was still looking out of the deep cottage window.

'What?'

Mary turned round and looked at her for the first time.

'Malcolm was murdered.'

'Mary – _what_ –?'

'He was working undercover. Mum and Dad don't want me to say anything, but I know.'

'Working undercover? For whom?'

'I don't know. I don't think it was for the Ministry. Some kind of resistance movement. He got into it when the war started and he returned from France. He wouldn't tell me much about it but I knew him well enough to know he was worried.'

'I thought it was a flying accident.'

'My brother's an excellent flyer!' Mary snapped suddenly. 'It's an insult to his memory saying that he practically just fell off a broom!'

'What – what happened then?'

'It was a Giant. He wasn't so foolish as to take it on single-handedly - very few spells are effective against giants, but the brute was looking for him and him alone! It had been _sent_ after him!'

'Mary – are you sure of this? I mean, Giants tend to go after anything that moves, if they're on the rampage.'

She had seen the blood-lust in the Giant's eyes herself when on the lonely sea cliff with Severus.

'It was one of the biggest of You-Know-Who's army. It wouldn't stop pursuing him. My brother managed to get close enough to blind it in one eye with a Conjunctivitis Spell, but the Giant hit back with a long club, and hit Malcolm's broomstick, hurling him off. While he was unconscious, the Giant...'

Mary's voice wavered and she choked back the tears. Lily was horrified because from what she had seen of the Giants, she could supply the words Mary left unsaid.

'And this morning I received another owl,' Mary said, and her blue eyes flashed with a sudden fire, 'with another sympathy card.'

Her voice hardened and she walked to a small desk near the window. From inside the desk drawer she took out a crumpled parchment. Wondering at her friend's change in tone, Lily took the yellow parchment in her hands.

And almost let it go again with a gasp of surprise.

Words in black ink were quilled onto its surface, but they were not static. The letters moved around the crumpled page, coming together to form a message that read: _Our thoughts are with you during your mourning, four-eyes! And they're happy thoughts!_ The letters shifted around fluidly on the page and then coalesced together to form a dark shape of a skull with a serpent issuing from its mouth. Then they all separated out again to re-form individual letters that wrote the cruel message again on the crumpled parchment.

'It came before dawn,' Mary said, two angry red spots appearing in her cheeks.

'Let's show it to your Dad, he'll know what to do! He'll find out who sent this!'

'I doubt the message will reveal it s author, but I know who wrote it.'

'Who?'

'Mulciber and that bitch, Cassiopeia!'

Lily said nothing, but put the parchment back on the desk, disgusted. She remembered that Mary had quarrelled with the Slytherins before the summer holidays, but this was really callous and uncalled for.

'And they are responsible for my brother's death! They set the Giant on him!'

_'What?_ Mary, that's ridiculous! They're schoolchildren, for Merlin's sake! And I have a feeling that You-Know-Who is too powerful a wizard, with a more deadly agenda than fulfilling somebody's schoolyard grudges!'

Mary looked at her mutinously. Clearly she wanted to find a scapegoat for her brother's death, but she could hardly believe that Mulciber and Blackwater, despite their threat, had any influence on the most dangerous wizard alive!

She couldn't tell her that she had actually seen this very wizard in the middle of a storm-tossed sea, and she had to admit his power was every bit as overwhelming as Severus had always maintained. Severus had seemed pleased when she finally admitted it.

At that moment, there was a rushing sound and they noticed that the parchment that Lily had placed on the desk was smouldering, as a beam of morning sunlight moved across the desk to touch its tip. Before they could do more that squeal in alarm and grab at it, the whole parchment exploded in a small flame that consumed it within seconds.

'Damn! It must have had some light-sensing charm on it! I'm sorry, Mary!'

'I guess that's why they sent it just before dawn. Enough time for me to read it but not keep it as evidence. Well, anyhow, I don't _need_ evidence! I know who did it!'

Mary brushed the grey ashes off her desk and then opened the deep window of her room and threw them outside. Lily hoped Mary wouldn't do something stupid, when they returned to Hogwarts. Accusing Mulciber of writing that callous letter was one thing, but if she insisted on seeing them as the murderers of her brother – that was going a bit too far.

'I have seen him you know, Mary,' she dropped her voice to a whisper, 'Him – _Voldemort!'_

She stopped because the effect on her friend was alarming. She grew pale and sank down on the bed.

'Severus told me not to say anything' she continued, 'but –'

'I knew it!' Mary interrupted in a harsh voice unlike her own, 'I knew it'd end up this way! What has he _done_ to you, Lily?'

'He hasn't done anything, Mary!' Lily retorted indignantly, 'Don't go jumping to conclusions!'

'But he got you into detention, he's dabbled in the Dark Arts, and rumours about him are plenty!'

'Well, yeah. Severus encourages them, unfortunately. It gets people to leave him alone, I think. But listen, Mary it's nothing like that! Actually, it was my idea that he come with us on holiday, and we happened to choose the wrong place at the wrong time.'

She explained in brief how they had gone for a walk, how a strange storm blew up and how they witnessed the landing of the Giant army, with Voldemort at its head. Mary listened, spell-bound, her eyes wide like saucers. Lily didn't go into all the details of what happened though. She didn't tell her about the magic they had shared through Severus's wand and how they had reversed effect of the poisoned rain and even stunned a Giant. Their special magic was something private, something she had spoken about to nobody, at first at Severus' insistence, but later they had both tacitly agreed that it was their secret.

'So you see Mary, a man as powerful as that is not one to be influenced by his followers, rather, he will be the one to influence others. Mulciber and Blackwater are schoolchildren and as such mean nothing to him. Given his terrorising ways, no-one does, I guess.'

For a moment Mary stared at her in silence, then she said in a choked whisper:

'Lily Evans, do you know just how l_ucky _you are to be alive?'

'Very much aware of it, yes.'

'And you said it was Snape who suggested the walk to the beach?'

Lily rolled her eyes exasperatedly. 'Yes, he did. But I was the one to insist on the pathway along the cliff. Enough with the conspiracy theories, Mary! It was my fault we got caught in a cave between the Giants and the storm!'

Mary still looked at her suspiciously, but at least, Lily noticed she had been jogged out of her depressed mood.

'Bet he was hero-worshipping You-Know-Who, though!'

Lily squirmed uncomfortably, 'Well, truthfully, Mary, the magic he unleashed was very powerful-'

'Not you too, Lily! Has Severus brain-washed you? Those Giants killed my brother!'

'I'm – I'm sorry, Mary! I didn't mean it that way! I just meant You-Know-Who is a formidable adversary! I don't _admire_ him!'

'Your friend does! He's in with the Death Eater crowd! He's dangerous!'

'He also saved my life, Mary.'

Mary closed her mouth. 'He what?'

'I foolishly ran out of the cave when he warned me not to, and the path gave way. I would've fallen down the cliff if he hadn't followed me through the cursed rain and caught me.'

Severus had done more than that: it was his knowledge of the Dark Arts that had shown him the way of saving them both, ultimately. No need to let Mary know that though. She didn't know herself how she should feel about that.

Mary said nothing for a while, but continued to look at her suspiciously.

'Well, he _does_ sort of act differently around you,' she conceded finally.

'He's my best friend. We've known each other since we were children, and I suppose I'm used to his ways, and he to mine, that's all.'

To her dismay, Lily felt herself blush. She wished Mary would look away, for her friend was regarding her intently, but the more she tried to compose herself, the more she felt flustered. Mary's next question made her heart skip a beat.

'Did something happen between you two at that seaside place?'

When had Mary become so perceptive? Not that anyone could miss the fact that her face must be as red as her hair, now.

'Wh – What d'you mean?'

'You know what I mean. And I know that you like him, so don't try and deny it again, like you did last June, Lily Evans. It's written all over your face!'

'It's just that me and Severus have been through thick and thin together, and –'

'I'll say you have!' Mary said with a grimace, 'Wandering around the Forbidden Forest with Death Eaters prowling after you; facing You-know-who himself whilst in the middle of a Cursed Storm and an army of those wretched Giants practically jumping over you to get ashore!'

'That's not what I meant Mary, we come from the same town, and I know he's been through a lot–'

'Did he ask you out?' Mary interrupted with abrupt directness, and a small smile that indicated a brief return of her old spirit.

Lily stared at her. Then she blinked and felt herself growing pale again. No, he hadn't. He hadn't spoken about what happened. At least, not about _that_. And she never asked him again what he had wanted to say that day, or what he was going to reveal with the shared magic he had proposed to try out on that occasion. She hadn't even asked him what spell it was, if, indeed, it was a spell, for he had said it was undetected even by the Trace. It was definitely something that was designed to lead to a magical sharing of emotions, a sort of Legilimency of feelings – at least that was what she had understood at the time. She had experienced it very briefly and very unexpectedly a couple of years ago, and it had frightened her in its intensity even then.

Was it his feelings for her that he had intended to share? Would it have worked in reverse, too? She would never know now, for he had determinedly skirted around the issue ever since they returned from the sea. It made her feel incredibly relieved and incredibly disappointed. Mary was still looking at her, and the look in her eyes was no longer so hard and judgemental. They were softly compassionate now. Lily shook her head slowly.

'Did you want him to?' Mary's blue eyes were very serious, but sympathetic. Lily remembered that Mary had developed quite a crush on Sirius Black, who, however, barely seemed to notice her.

'I – I don't even know, I –'

'You don't _know_?'

'Truth is, I'm scared, Mary'

_'Scared?_ It's only a date, Lily. It's supposed to be _fun_!'

Lily looked at her friend and sighed. How was she going to explain something she barely comprehended herself?

'It feels like it supposed to be more than fun,' she said finally, 'And besides, what if it goes wrong? What happens then?'

'Find someone else, I suppose,' Mary shrugged.

'But then I'll lose his friendship. At least, I don't think it can ever be the same again, and – and I couldn't – I don't want to risk that.'

Mary was looking at her with a troubled look in her eyes.

'It seems to me it's already heading in that direction, Lily. Are you sure nothing happened between you two?'

'I – I think he was going to say something that day, in the cave, but then...'

'You were rudely interrupted by catastrophic events.'

Lily nodded.

'And he never mentioned anything else in the days before you came here?'

Lily shook her head. 'He seemed very preoccupied and well, I didn't mention anything either, I suppose. Perhaps I should've insisted.'

'Yes. You're not exactly a shrinking violet, are you?'

'Neither are you, Mary - far from it - yet I don't see you walking up to Sirius Black and asking him out on a date!'

It was Mary's turn to blush and look away, muttering something about Sirius's sense of humour being rather intimidating, but after a minute she turned back to her, took in a sharp breath and declared:

'Well, perhaps it's all for the best, Lily'

'What d'you mean?'

'Seems to me Snape has other things on his mind, right now. No doubt seeing You-Know-Who in action might've something to do with it, However,' she held up her hand as Lily started to protest '... that is besides the point. What I mean is that you should look at some other boys besides Severus. It can't be healthy to spend so much time with such a dungeon-bat, Lily! If only a tenth of the rumours about him are true-'

'You shouldn't listen to rumours!' Lily said, flushing angrily.

'Are they all rumours, though?' Mary asked quietly, 'Even in first year he was casting curses that had the staff shaking their head in disbelief. I don't know where he could've learnt such spells!'

Lily looked away, her cheeks burning.

'And he's changed over the years,' Mary continued, ' I suppose that he's learnt more Dark magic, but he's much better at hiding stuff now, so he doesn't get caught out. But that's not what worries me, Lily – it's the look he gets in his eyes sometimes. It's malicious and downright dangerous! Jenny isn't exaggerating when she says she's scared of him. It's a look that says that if you're about to be cursed by Severus Snape, it'll be something that you won't forget in a hurry!'

Lily's head snapped back indignantly towards her friend. Who on earth was she describing? What dangerous look? But then suddenly she knew: she had glimpsed it fleetingly in the cave when he had grabbed her arm and forcibly kept her from revealing their presence to the Aurors. It had shocked her at first, but she had seen immediate contrition – horror even – in his face, and then there had been more pressing things to attend to, so she had put it from her mind. It was only the next day, when livid bruises showed up on the pale skin of arm, that she remembered.

She also remembered that some of the bruises on her arm were there because he had held on to her so tightly to prevent her falling down the steep cliff face to her doom that day.

'He – he isn't all that bad, Mary!' she stammered, 'He – he just gets very bitter and angry sometimes, and – Look, Severus never had an easy life, Mary. Things are really tough for him right now, okay?'

'That's not the first time you've told us that, Lily.'

'Well, it's true! His home life is becoming more... complicated. He's doesn't want to say anything about it, but it really effects him, whatever he may pretend to the contrary.'

Mary said nothing, but regarded her friend in silence.

'Just - just don't say I told you, okay?'

'That I can understand, Lily, and after all, it is really his business, but why did he tell you to keep your mouth shut about seeing You-Know-Who at that seaside place?'

'I don't know. But he said the Aurors had seen everything anyway.'

Mary was frowning at her.

'Somehow I don't think that's the only reason, Lily. I wish you'd be careful around Snape.'

'I trust him, Mary. With my life.'

'Well, I don't. If he's on speaking terms with that bullying bastard Mulciber, or the rest of the Death Eater crowd, he's heading down the wrong path in my opinion. But I can see why you might think differently...' she added a little less harshly.

Lily, who could not find any excuse for what her friend had said about the 'Death Eater crowd' as they becoming known at Hogwarts, clutched at straws:

'Why?'

'I already told you. He's different with you. Me and Thalia actually observed him _smile_ when he's with you. Not a sneer, or the cynical smirk he reserves for everyone else – but a genuine smile. You see that side of him that we can't. He even looks at you differently. Perhaps because you know each other so well. Or perhaps because of something else,' Mary smiled. 'Whatever, it is Lily Evans, you can only be a good influence on him, so there's hope yet. If you can persuade him to stay clear of those Slytherins...'

'I'll try, Mary. But a lot of boys in Slytherin are among the Death Eater crowd or support the Death Eater principles. It doesn't leave anyone else.'

'Then he should stick with you!'

'He does.'

'As much as when you're both at home?'

Lily hesitated.

'I thought so. You're cut off in the Muggle world, but at Hogwarts it's different. Lots of Death Eaters have children at school, especially in Slytherin, and it's becoming increasingly divided. You know that, Lily! I'm not expecting Snape to support Gryffindor against Slytherin in a Quidditch match, Lily, but I think soon it'll seem to his mates that that is what he'll be doing if he continues to talk to you, let alone...'

'He's still my best friend in spite of all that, Mary!' she interrupted 'Just as I am his in spite of all the rumours about the Dark magic...'

Mary did not answer her for a minute, and then she said softly:

'Yes, exactly. That is what I am afraid of.'

Just at that moment, her mother's voice came through the door, urging Mary to come for breakfast. Mary shook herself and got up.

'Anyway, we'll think about that when we get to Hogwarts in three days time. Nice of McGonagall to arrange Floo travel for us. I don't think I can face the long train ride for now. At least I'll be diving into lessons right away. And tomorrow, Diagon Alley. It's your first time by Floo, isn't it?'

Lily nodded, glad for the change of subject, though her mind teeming with confused thoughts. 'It was my first Portkey too. Nice of Thalia's family to meet me in Edinburgh station and arrange the Portkey here for Malcolm's funeral.'

Lily bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to mention her brother again, but Mary only blinked and said:

'Perhaps you could help me a bit with the summer charms essay we had to write. I never really found time – well, never felt like doing anything, recently.'

'Of course. I'd be glad to help. I've finished mine so I'll guide you through it,' Lily was glad she could do something to help finally. In recent days she had felt so helpless at consoling Mary: all she had done was listen sympathetically as Mary poured out her grief.

Mary got off the bed and went to the door. 'You know, Thalia is my best friend and all, and I'm sorry she absolutely couldn't stay after the funeral, but I'm really glad you stayed, Lily. I think we have more in common.'

Lily looked questioningly at her friend.

'Well, we both have NOT been asked out by the boys we fancy, we both doubt that we ever will, and should both possibly thank our lucky stars for it!' Mary answered with a wry smile and a return of the old spirits.


	109. Chapter 109: Fifth Year

**Chapter 109: Fifth Year **

Severus could feel the eyes of the younger boy on him as he re-read the parchment. He shifted it slightly so Regulus would not be able to see, and continued reading, the gentle motion and soporific clattering of the Hogwarts Express at odds with the seething thoughts going through his head at the moment.

It was a very short letter, and it had been delivered by a handsome Eagle owl very early that morning before he left Spinner's End for King's Cross in London.

_Dear Severus,_

_ I hope you have enjoyed your holidays. I thought I'd send you this before you arrived at Hogwarts, for Zeus is easily recognised as my owl._

_I would like to invite you to Malfoy Manor. It is something I had thought about doing anyway. But now Narcissa is insisting, and one does not gainsay his future wife._

_Besides, there is another purpose to the invitation. _

_As I'm sure you'll remember well, when we last met you had said you wanted to give a certain diary to someone in person._

_Well, you will be given this opportunity._

_I will communicate the date and time at a later date. I know you will find the time and means to come to Malfoy Manor. I - we - absolutely INSIST that you do._

_ Yours sincerely,_

_ Lucius._

Severus rolled up the parchment and glanced out of the window of the train. The muggle towns had given way to rugged countryside now, and he could see the high hills in the distance, covered with the golden-green, windswept grasses of autumn, interspersed here and there with darker clumps of heather.

'That's from Lucius, isn't it?' Regulus asked.

Severus scowled at the boy in front of him, and looked hastily around the compartment.

'Don't worry, he's asleep,' Regulus said, nodding towards the huge form of Wilkes who was slumped against the side of the seat, eyes closed and drooling.

Wilkes had got so big over the holidays that he seemed to fill two seats, his disproportionately large arms folded on his chest. Regulus told him he'd be applying for Beater with the Slytherin Quidditch team this year, which was why he had probably insisted on staying in this compartment with Reg, instead of joining Rosier and Pavo in chatting up Nyneve and some other Slytherin girls in the next compartment. He wanted Reg to put in a good word for him. As Beater, no Bludger stood a chance with Marcus Wilkes' long arms, but he was rather slow on the uptake and even slower on a broom. His huge form slumped further down, and he gave a contented snore.

Severus rolled up the parchment and stuffed it in his bag.

'I recognised the Malfoy Crest, it showed through the parchment,' Reg persisted, seeing that he got no answer.

'And you want to know what he wrote to me about,' Severus retorted, acerbically.

'Well, if it's an invitation, I'm sure it's not about what dress robes we should wear at his wedding!'

'What makes you think it's an invitation?'

'That's all my cousin Narcissa can speak of! Her fiancé meets the Dark Lord on a regular basis; he's being sent all over the country on Merlin knows what dangerous missions; and all she can speak about is silk ruffles, diamond tiaras, and such-like rubbish! After all, their wedding isn't till two years' time! I wish she'd let me come to Malfoy Manor when _He's_ there!'

Regulus lapsed into sulky silence as he looked out of the window at the magnificent landscape outside, and Severus watched him suspiciously. He knew something, that was certain. Just then, Wilkes gave a prolonged snore and his head fell forward onto the seat. His eyes opened momentarily, but after mumbling something unintelligible, he went back to sleep again.

Regulus, whose attention had been on Wilkes for a second, turned to him once more.

'Where's Evans? She sits with you usually, right?'

'Not always,' Severus answered guardedly, 'She's flooing directly to Hogwarts from MacDonald's house. Special arrangements.'

'Ah yes. I heard about that. MacDonald's brother was mixed up with something. Trod on too many toes, I guess. Well, good. I didn't want someone like _her_ around when I gave you this.'

He held up a piece of parchment folded into small square and sealed with a green wax.

'What d'you mean by that?' Severus bit out.

'Ah, sorry, I forgot how touchy you are where Evans is concerned! Narcissa said you were supposed to spy on her or something, though I'm not quite sure I believe that. With her looks, I can't blame you for wanting to do something else with her other than –'

He stopped for Severus had sat up in his seat and the look in his eyes made the young Seeker hesitate.

'Anyway' he continued, twirling the little squared parchment between his fingers, 'I hope you're not falling for her, Severus, or I won't give you this. She's just a –!'

'I'm not 'falling' for anyone, you blithering idiot! That'd be bloody inconvenient for what I had to do, wouldn't it?' Severus sneered 'Ah – but you don't _know_ what I have to do, do you? And since you're a third year and not an Agony Aunt, please leave off all this 'falling for anyone' stuff, okay?'

'I'm in fourth year now!'

'And the only female of the human species you have ever got intimately acquainted with, are those in the grotty, Playwitch magazines I know Wilkes has tried to bribe you with!'

However, to his surprise, Regulus smiled and shrugged, 'As you said, I'm barely out of third year, but by inference, you, Severus Snape, must have therefore been intimately acquainted with... uh... 'females of this species,'' Regulus smirked.

Severus just glowered darkly at him, but did not rise to the bait.

'Judging by the way my cousin kissed you at her farewell party, you must have hidden talents, Severus. I can't understand it - I'm far handsomer than you are!'

'Now you sound like your brother!' Severus snapped and Regulus immediately sobered up at the mention of Sirius.

'Now,' Severus continued, 'are you going to tell me what that parchment is all about, instead of making me out to be some grotesque gigolo in a cruddy romance novel?'

Regulus grinned and passed on the small paper, 'It's from Narcissa,' he said 'For your eyes only. She wanted me to give it to you later, but I thought, better now.'

Just then Rosier and Pavo Parkinson came in. The latter was laughing raucously at something Rosier had said. Wilkes got up slowly, disturbed by the sudden ruckus. Severus slipped the small square parchment in his robe pocket and saw Regulus' eyes following it greedily. But there were too many people around. Rosier and Pavo brought back the news that Bertram Aubrey and Nyneve had been made prefects.

Severus had entirely forgotten about that. Well, both Aubrey and Nyneve were well-connected, and if Slughorn had any say in the matter... He wondered vaguely if Lily had been made prefect. Unlike him, she certainly fitted the role. Though she had not shown any interest in becoming a prefect, he hoped he had not ruined her chances because of their detention before the end of last term. That had been his fault, indirectly.

As the noise level in the compartment grew to a deafening chorus of guffaws and rude jokes, Severus' mind wandered back to the parchment he had stowed away in his bag. Clearly, something was being planned at Malfoy Manor. He kept going over in his mind the last time he met Lucius. It was in the Forbidden Forest, when he and Lily had been attacked by the Karkaroffs.

When the Hogwarts Express finally drew up at the station, the Thestral-drawn coaches were crowded and he kept being pestered by Regulus and Pavo about the animals: they wanted to know if the skeletal horses really looked as scary as the people who saw them always insisted; who he had seen die, etc His description, instead of putting them off, seemed to increase their admiration of him as well as the strange beasts only he could see.

It was only during Dumbledore's speech, after the beginning of term feast, that he found the opportunity to sneak the small folded parchment out of his pocket. He had scanned the Gryffindor table as soon as he sat down, but both Lily and MacDonald were missing. Potter had seen him looking and made a rude gesture, which Severus returned with interest, but other than that, no-one at the Gryffindor table seemed to notice the girls were missing.

Feeling vaguely disappointed, Severus opened the small square of expensive, perfumed parchment, and read the short sentence:

_At midnight, on Saturday 13 th of September, where we last met. Follow Zeus._

_N._

He cursed Lucius mentally. How was he supposed to find exactly where they had been taken by the Karkaroffs before Lucius and Narcissa appeared? He only had a vague idea of its whereabouts in the Forbidden Forest. He'd have to follow the bloody owl, he supposed.

Or he could not go at all. He didn't like the veiled threat in Lucius' letter, but he knew perfectly well who he wanted him to meet: the Dark Lord himself!

Perhaps Lucius thought he was doing him a favour – after all, it was he who had insisted on giving Riddle's diary to the Dark Lord in person, should he ever require it.

At the time, he had not really expected that he would ask for it. But Lord Voldemort must have learnt about his Great-grandfather's book from the two Karkaroffs he captured, and sought to find a clue as to its whereabouts from Riddle's diary.

Well, he didn't fancy being the one to tell him 'Secrets of The Darkest Arts' was now in Dumbledore's office!

Of course, it could be that he wanted Riddle's Diary for the magical properties it possessed. He had told Narcissa and Lucius that it was no ordinary diary. Riddle had created a remarkable object that could communicate with you, somewhat like the portraits at Hogwarts did.

There was a sudden loud babble of noise as Dumbledore's speech ended, and everyone stood up, chattering animatedly. Only the first years remained seated, looking bewildered and lost.

Severus had only listened with half a mind to Dumbledore, but he had said something about extra security measures in Hogwarts grounds, and he wondered whether it would affect the boundary wall within the Forbidden forest, where somehow he had to make contact with Lucius.

He hurried out before the main mass of students and made his way to the door that led to the dungeons. The first thing he did every year on his return to Hogwarts, was to see if his dungeon hideout was still undiscovered.

Hurrying down the dark passageways of the dungeons he encountered no-one, not even a ghost, and everything appeared just as he remembered. Arriving at the dark, tunnel-like passage that led to the door of the hideout, he felt a familiar ice-cold sensation as he passed through the enchanted barrier he and Lily had created, and he knew that everything was alright.

A few more cobwebs had appeared around the low, blackened, vaulted ceiling, but other than that, nothing had disturbed it. He hurried over to the wall behind one of the store cupboards where he had concealed his Great-grandfather's remaining book, some of Lily's scribbled notes, and Tom Riddle's Diary. Waving his wand over the grey stones, he waited impatiently until it moved aside, revealing a small hollow he had carved out of the very bedrock of the castle foundations.

He took out Riddle's battered old Diary with care. The black, uninspiring muggle Diary Riddle had bought from Vauxhall Road in London, truly held more secrets than what might first appear to the naked eye. Riddle was quite a genius – he had managed discover Slytherin's room where his great grandfather had hidden his book, and according to his own words, much more besides, and all this while still a student! He had also been his Great-Grandfather's protégé, and one of the youngest Knights of the Walpurgis.

Severus turned the old Diary in his hands, wondering what it would tell him had he to communicate with it. Probably, all he needed to do was write in it, for he had seen how the words formed, how it had addressed Lily, and how the drop of blood from his own hand had been absorbed when it fell on the empty pages. It was clearly an object full of dark magic.

And he had never opened it again.

He had promised Lily.

He was itching to try out its powers, to explore what this Riddle had done, what he knew about his Great-grandfather, and now, if he was going to have to surrender it to the Dark Lord, he would never get the chance again.

Lord Voldemort.

He had been so foolishly eager when he had spoken to Lucius that fatal night in the Forbidden Forest. He had been jealous of Rabastan, Rosier and all the others who could claim to have glimpsed the Dark Lord on their family estates, because they _had t_he estates to receive someone so important. He had insisted on bringing the Diary personally to the Dark Lord, should he ask for it, so that he too, could finally lay claim to have met him; to have seen for himself...

He didn't want to, now.

And not just because he would lose the Diary. He had seen for himself just how unbelievably powerful Lord Voldemort was – he had seen his tall, dark form flying in the midst of a black tornado of his own creation; he had seen his pale, strange face, eyes burning red in fury as he gathered the might of the sea and storm to do his bidding – and he had known, then, that this wizard was truly somebody that you should be careful of crossing, and that the rumours about him barely even started to do him justice. If any wizard in all the long history of wizardkind, ever had the hope of overthrowing a corrupt but powerful Ministry, then this wizard, Lord Voldemort, was the one.

Severus flung the Diary back into the small hollow unopened, and waved his wand over the stone with a muttered incantation, so that it slid back into place.

He got to his feet and moved towards the door, with a grim look. Now that he finally had the chance of meeting the Dark Lord, he wasn't sure he wanted to, but what worried more, was that he did not have much choice now! The letter had been quite clear. If the Dark Lord wanted that Diary, he would find ways of getting it. It was bad enough he risked Lily's life when the Karkaroffs were after him, but Voldemort was infinitely more powerful and dangerous.

He could not risk that again – he had to go.

He hadn't really believed Voldemort would actually be that interested in Riddle's Diary, but that was before the captured Karkaroffs were brought before him for questioning..

And now he had less than two weeks to prepare to meet the world's most powerful Dark Wizard! He didn't know if their presence at St Cuthbert's cliffside had been noticed by the Death Eaters; his Great-grandfather's book was in Dumbledore's office, Merlin only knew what the Karkaroffs had revealed about him and Lily; and he would be facing the best Legilimens of their time, greater even than Madeira!

What if he found out about Lily? He had spent almost every waking moment in her presence, or in thinking about her, recently! She was a muggleborn, so probably beneath his notice, but she had been with him in all the wrong occasions. This worried him.

He had learnt enough Occlumency skills to resist Madeira's attempts at Legilimency. He had even learnt how to manipulate at will what he wanted her to see, and he had resisted Dumbledore's attempts, too. But the Dark Lord's?

With a worried frown, he passed through the magical barrier outside the door and hurried along the dark tunnel-like passageways.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was two days later that he finally got to speak to Lily. They had DADA together and held a whispered conversation at the back of the classroom. Grimstone had been recalled to duty, and their new DADA teacher, Eridamus Jacobs , turned out to be a bit like Artemesia Ironwood, and seemed to want to teach them everything out of a book. It wasn't so much that he wanted them to memorise regulations, but his teaching methods were archaic and bookish. Unlike other DADA teachers, he was not an ex-auror, so his experience in the Dark Arts was indirect and ineffective.

He was also very soft-spoken, and this, together with an unfortunate speech defect that made him role his 'r's, made him difficult to understand at times, so that the class' attention often wandered.

'Both Flitwick and McGonagall were on and on about it yesterday,' Lily whispered, leaning towards him, head bent low over her desk and the book they were supposed to be reading from, ''This is your OWL year', 'the results will be decisive', 'your careers depend on it'...I swear I'm getting panicky already, Sev!'

Severus said nothing. His eyes were closed, for Lily's closeness, the meadow-sweet smell of her was something he had not realised he had missed so much, until she was sitting right next to him.

She nudged him. 'Are you _asleep!_?' she whispered.

' 'Course not,' he replied, 'Wouldn't want to miss anything of this _riveting_ lesson!'

Lily glanced dubiously at Professor Eridamus Jacobs.

'He's a bit ... I don't know... too _soft_ for a DADA teacher. He doesn't look like he could fight something more dangerous than a forest Imp!' she muttered, 'However, he said we may be doing Boggarts and werewolves later this year. We should've done those in third year, only –'

'Only we've had practically a new DADA teacher every year, and the syllabus has been blown to pieces again!'

'Exactly. And I can't believe we've only been back two days. I've got three twelve-inch essays to do already! It feels like the OWLs are due tomorrow! Come to the Library with me later on and get them started?'

Severus hesitated.

'It's – it's alright if you can't,' Lily said hastily, lowering her eyes to her book, 'Mary said –'

'No it's okay. I'll meet you there. It's just that I'm tired of all this playing around and learning counter-curses and stuff from books, Lily. The practical side is more important! You saw that, at St Cuthbert's!'

'You bet I did! I dream of those giants sometimes, Sev. Or that I'm falling off a ledge! Thank goodness you were there. I haven't forgotten that!'

She smiled warmly as she said this, and Severus forgot what he had to say for a moment.

'Well, it's just that we were lucky to come out alive out of that one, and yet we don't know how to get rid of a common household pest like the Boggart, Lily! I keep thinking that we may be overlooking some things here!'

'Certainly. Fighting dark creatures is something that you can't only learn out of a book. Remember the cave with the Renwick Cockatrice? Perhaps I could speak to Hagrid...'

'Him? Hagrid and that crazy Kettleburn would probably only teach you how to feed it or something!'

'Shh!

Severus glanced around and saw Alice walker scowling at them angrily. She had been made Gryffindor prefect, with Remus Lupin, and was, of course, overzealous in her policing other students. Potter, who was sitting next to her, was scowling twice as angrily at him. What the bloody hell was it to Potter, if they were bored of this lesson? He wasn't doing much either, he had filled the parchment in front of him with line doodles that looked like a map, and definitely had nothing to do with the lesson.

Making sure Alice's eyes were focussed once more on the teacher, he and Lily started listing down the DADA subjects they thought had been neglected, and which could not be simply learnt out of a book. A lot of stuff involved Dark Creatures of varying importance. Severus didn't know what they could do about it really, but he was worried about Lucius's upcoming invitation, and his meeting with the Dark Lord.

He knew he was clutching at straws though, for Voldemort's powers ranged far beyond what he could learn in a classroom, even if their teacher had been someone with more experience in the field than soft-spoken Professor Jacobs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The eagle owl, Zeus, waited for him in a Sycamore tree beyond the Gamekeepers hut. He hadn't seen the bird at first, because it was so well-camouflaged, but the owl had seen him.

Despite his Disillusionment charm, the large amber eyes were following him, the handsome, tufted head twisting impossibly round on its neck to look at him.

'Well? Are you going to lead the way or not?' he asked, slightly annoyed that the bird had seen through what he considered quite a good Disillusionment Charm. For all he knew, he could be walking right into a trap, but he had to trust Lucius' letter.

The large owl gazed unblinkingly at him and then opened its large wings and took off, flying silently through the trees. Severus tore off after it, barely able to see the grey shadow flying ahead. Zeus had to back-track often, to allow him to see where he was. Another problem was that he couldn't see anything in the dark, and kept tripping on the tree roots and uneven forest floor, so he reluctantly lighted his wand.

He had been walking for what seemed like a whole hour when finally they came upon a small clearing and Zeus circled once around it, then settled on a branch of a tree whose upper branches were charred and blackened. Severus recognised the clearing as the one Lucius and Narcissa had saved them from the Karkaroffs and set the trees on fire.

'Well, greetings, Severus. What took you so long?'

Severus whirled round, turning off the light of his wand, but not before he had seen a black-cloaked figure detach itself from behind a tree trunk behind him.

'Lucius?'

Severus strained to see the dark figure in the light of a half-moon that shone through the trees of the clearing. He had recognised his voice, and as the tall wizard drew nearer, the confident stride. He could see that beneath a deep hood, half his face was covered by a pale mask beneath which Lucius' lips were stretched in a welcoming smile.

'Of course, who else did you expect?' the tall wizard said, 'I assume Reg gave you Narcissa's note, then?'

'Yes, Immediately.'

'Immediately?'

'I think he thought there was no need to wait to see if I wanted to go or not. He thought I was convinced enough.'

Lucius said nothing for a minute, his face unreadable beneath its mask.

'And are you, really, Severus?' he said finally.

'Why are you asking? Haven't I asked for this myself?'

'Yes you have, but I don't know if you realise just what you have asked for. The Dark Lord does not usually have the time for anyone underage. Only the elite of his forces are allowed in his presence nowadays.'

'So it was He who asked for me, then.' Severus had been hoping that perhaps, just perhaps, it had been Lucius just doing him a favour. Apparently not. Just as he had suspected, Voldemort wanted Riddle's book.

Lucius was nodding slowly. 'Yes , he has asked for you specifically. Which is rather strange, for if it is that book he is after, well... the Dark Lord has often taken by force that which is denied him. But perhaps it is information he seeks.'

Despite his mask Severus was sure Lucius was frowning.

'Severus, before we go, I'd like to give you a word of warning: whatever he asks you, answer truthfully - do not lie to Him! We're both Slytherins at heart, but you've got to believe me when I tell you that he will always know if you are lying! He's an amazing wizard, Severus, such as the magical world hasn't seen in centuries, but you do not want to cross him! He does not forgive easily.'

'I have absolutely no problem in believing that he is a powerful wizard!' Severus answered, with conviction, 'Now where do we go from here?'

He hoped he was giving a good enough impression of determined eagerness to meet the Dark Lord. He had decided that would be the best approach, and he had carefully hidden all his doubts and fears deep within his mind, where he hoped his Occlumency skills could hide them. He would give him the book and hopefully get away as soon as he could. The important thing was not to let him see any memory with Lily in it – or any of the wrong memories, at any rate.

'Follow me,' Lucius was saying 'We have to reach the boundaries of Hogwarts grounds, otherwise we cannot disapparate.'

'I can't do that yet.'

'Don't worry. Side-along apparition will do.'

And, half an hour later, beyond a crumbling wall that marked the end of Hogwarts grounds, Lucius told Severus to hold on tight to his right arm and the next instant, he had his breath squeezed out of him by a vast pressure that seemed to implode his body. He had heard how side-along apparition had this unpleasant effect, much worse than straightforward apparition, but had never experienced it.

Just as he thought he would pass out from lack of oxygen, the pressure was relieved and he found himself in a country lane before a pair of huge wrought-iron gates, the metal elaborately carved in tight, sinuous patterns that resembled serpents. Beyond the gates was a long gravel drive lined with hedgerows that gleamed pale in the moonlight.

There were no handles, but Lucius placed his hands on the cold metal and the tall gates swung silently open, recognising the presence of a Malfoy.

Malfoy Manor was not as large as the sprawling architectural oddity he had seen on the Rosier estates, but it was much more impressive in a way, for it was obviously very well kept. The gardens were neatly manicured and the Mansion itself had no damaged parts or partial ruins such as the Rosier ancestral home.

He followed Lucius up the hedgerow-lined drive and up some wide stairs towards massive front doors. These, too, opened magically at his approach, and they entered a cavernous hallway, the walls dark with a galleried series of portraits of pale-faced Malfoy ancestors.

Lucius flung off his cloak and mask, which were caught by a tiny creature that had appeared suddenly out of the shadows of the large darkened hallway. Severus recognised a small house elf dressed in a dirty pillow case.

'Go and call Narcissa!' Lucius ordered, and the House elf bowed and turned to obey, but he needn't have bothered, for with a faint rustle of silk, a pale blonde girl ran up to Lucius and spoke urgently:

'Lucius! He is here already! He came with Bellatrix and – and – they've captured the traitor! It's Prewitt! Your father is with them.'

Now that she drew near, Severus could see there was something strained in the expression of her face. She hadn't seen him immediately, for he had been standing behind Lucius. Her eyes widened slightly as she did, and she bit her lip.

'Severus! So Lucius found you after all! '

'Good evening, Narcissa'

'Prewitt? Are you sure, Narcissa?' Lucius interrupted, his brow creased.

'I saw his face as they led him down, Lucius!'

Lucius glanced round towards Severus, as though remembering he had a guest.

'Percival Prewitt is a new addition to our brotherhood, Severus,' he explained 'A pureblood and a very zealous wizard. He was vouched for by older members and stood a good chance of becoming a Death Eater. I knew him myself, and I would never have imagined ...'

He was interrupted by loud voices coming from the shadowy corners of the far end of the Hallway. Three men emerged, two of them wore dark, hooded cloaks and had masked faces.

'Prewitt's betrayal almost cost Selwynn his life, Rodolphus! The Dark Lord saved him! There were hordes of Aurors just waiting for us!' He stopped as soon as he saw Severus standing there.

'What in Merlin's name is this boy doing here, Lucius?' growled the other masked Death Eater who had been addressed as Rodolphus.

'He is here at the Dark Lord's request!' Lucius said coldly.

'Why don't you lead him to the drawing room, then?' said the third man impatiently. He was unmasked, and had long white hair and a pale, aged face set in haughty lines.

'Yes , Father. Narcissa -?' And Lucius opened a door to one side of the Hallway and ushered them inside.

It was a magnificent dining hall with a high ceiling from which a hung a large crystal chandelier. Narcissa waved her wand and the chandelier lighted up, the pinpoints of light multiplied magnificently by the crystals, and reflected back by a large mirror over the marble fireplace.

Severus turned to Narcissa. She stood beneath the chandelier, the myriad crystals throwing their light on her fair hair and face so that she seemed to glow like a marble statue. She was pale and outwardly composed, but Severus could detect a slightly strained look about her eyes which was not there the last time he saw her.

Well, the last time he saw her she had had her arms round his neck and a knowing expression on her face as she embraced him, while the thrumming enchanted music of her Hogwarts farewell party pounded his senses to a pulp.

Perhaps she was remembering something along those lines too, for she lowered her eyes suddenly, as though she could not quite meet his.

'What happened?' he asked to cover the awkward moment.

'The Dark Lord's plan to bring the Giants over under cover was foiled,' she answered raising her eyes up to him once more, 'He was betrayed.'

'By Prewitt?'

She nodded, and when she spoke her voice was cold and hard. 'He wasn't a Death Eater yet, but he was trusted enough to be told certain things... Turns out he was a spy, Severus. Many of us could have lost their lives because of him!'

Severus remembered that when he and Lily overheard the two Aurors, one of them had mentioned something about having 'information enough' to stop Lord Voldemort . It must have been passed on by this spy, Prewitt. Lord Voldemort had triumphed over the Aurors anyway.

'How did the Dark Lord find out, Narcissa?'

It was then that he saw the strained look return, but, true to her nature, she hid it immediately.

'He is a Legilimens, Severus. The greatest of our times. I'm sure, one way or another, he got the truth out of him. If he was a spy he must have been good at Occlumency. Occlumency is the art of hiding one's thoughts.'

'I've heard of it.'

'But the Dark Lord has ways and means of finding out and getting what he wants...'

As if to underline her words, a long-drawn out wail came from somewhere beneath their feet. Narcissa paled even further and Severus felt the faint stirring of panic he had been carefully trying to hide by half-sinking into the Occlumency state. The feeble wail had managed to penetrate his carefully-built defences like nothing else he expected.

He pushed the thought of whatever lay beneath that floor angrily from his mind. He knew he could end up like the unknown Prewitt, but he had a purpose to being here. The Dark Lord had chosen to speak to _him_ and not any of the rich purebloods his age. He had to cling to that thought, or all was lost. Narcissa was looking at him and he realised he was scowling.

'You've got to be careful, Severus. The Dark Lord is not to be trifled with. He does not forgive easily.'

'Lucius warned me, Narcissa., but since I suspected the invitation here tonight was not just your fiancé talking, I thought refusing to come was not an option.'

She closed her mouth and looked down.

'Has he ever used Legilimency on you, Narcissa?'

He had to know. Narcissa knew or strongly suspected what he felt for Lily Evans, and the Dark Lord would find out by delving into her mind. He himself was not sure his Occlumency skills would hold up. He hoped the Dark Lord knew nothing about Lily, or at least, nothing that would interest him, and he was anxious to keep it that way.

Narcissa seemed to guess what he was driving at, for she gave a small smile.

'He has. And very skilfully, too. Sometimes I am aware of it, but at other times, I am not. However, he found nothing but wedding robes, satin slippers and charmed confetti my head. I think about my wedding a lot, you see,' she gave a nervous laugh, 'And Lucius. But he never delves too much into that part of my thoughts, thank Merlin. Either he respects my privacy, or our being in love does not interest him,' she frowned thoughtfully. 'More the latter, I think.'

Severus wondered at this piece of information. As he had found out from his experience with Madeira, and his own brief skirmishes with Legilimency, what lay uppermost in one's mind was often useful in misleading the Legilimens. Untruths could be hidden beneath a wealth of misleading truths, and possibly, Narcissa had unwittingly discovered how to do it.

Just then, the elaborately carved bronze door handle moved, the door swung open and Lucius Malfoy stepped back to allow a tall, dark-robed wizard to enter the dining room.

'This is Severus Snape, My Lord' Malfoy said.

11


	110. Chapter 110

**Chapter 110: The Dark Lord.**

The tall wizard passed silently into the room and Severus' heart missed a beat. His Occlumency barriers forgotten, he stared as the pale-skinned wizard came towards him.

He moved gracefully, almost sinuously, and now that he was up close, Severus could see that he had a most peculiar face: strong lines along the jaw and forehead, high cheekbones, but a strangely flattened nose, the nostrils flaring imperiously. His eyes – of all the signs of magical transformation Voldemort had clearly undergone, his eyes were the most frightening yet awe-inspiring, for they burned with a fire of their own.

There was immense knowledge there, and an inquiring, intelligent mind, but also immense power and an indomitable will. He felt an apprehension, bordering on fear, such as he had never felt, even when faced with his father's flying fists. The thought of his father was enough to rouse him out of his fug however, and he slammed his Occlumency barriers in place, the enforced calm clearing his mind. He would not allow any man or wizard to cow him. But Lord Voldemort's next words almost made him lose his defences again.

'And so, Severus _Snape_, you finally meet me face-to-face,' Voldemort spoke in a high, clear voice, with a smile and a slight emphasis on his surname that Severus did not like.

' I have summoned you here, Severus Snape, for two reasons,' Lord Voldemort continued, his smile fading, 'The first one is so that you may explain to me, why you and that red-headed witch were so intent on stunning my giants and reversing ancient spells I had cast to ensure their safe passage.'

His hopes that his and Lily's presence had gone unnoticed were shattered. Behind Lord Voldemort's back, Severus could see Narcissa and Lucius exchange bewildered glances. Apparently, _they_ were not aware of that he and Lily had witnessed what happened. It seemed the Dark Lord did not tell his followers everything.

Beneath the detached calm of his Occlumency barriers, he knew he should be writhing in anxiety, but he had prepared for the worst case scenario, too.

'Well, I was not aware of your plan, Sir, and I – we – were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I reacted instinctively when that Giant lunged at us. His intentions seemed ... unfriendly. But I sincerely regret my interference in the other spell, Sir.'

''_Sir_? ' repeated Lord Voldemort with a mocking smile, 'I am not your teacher, Severus.'

Severus flushed. _What had Lucius addressed him as_?

'I'm sorry – uh – My Lord.'

'Well, you are, after all, a student at Hogwarts, Severus. But I noticed that in your very brief explanation, you have almost omitted mentioning your red-headed friend.'

_Damn._

'Now, I wonder why,' Voldemort continued, his eyes boring into him, but as yet not attempting Legilimency. 'Are you protecting her from my wrath? For truth is, Severus, I was rather annoyed at your interference!'

And the look in his eyes told Severus that if _that_ expression was due to his being 'annoyed', then outright anger would be terrible to behold. He blinked rapidly, but before he could answer, Voldemort went on:

'Or are you just ignoring _her_ part in the whole thing, so that you can claim all the credit for that extraordinary bit of magic? You are a Slytherin after all, and you must know I would have recognised its greatness.'

Behind the dark wizard's back he could see Lucius' eyes widen in surprise and glance at Narcissa, who was pale and deathly still as she observed the interrogation. But Severus was calm, his detached Occlumency state clearing his mind and showing him the way forward in what was evidently, as he had feared, the worst case scenario. And although Voldemort was not attempting Legilimency, he knew he was baiting him.

He took a deep breath and said:

'The witch's name is Lily Evans, my Lord, and she is a Muggleborn in my year.'

He could see Narcissa's eyes widen behind the Dark Lord's back, and Lucius' expression turn sour. But he had not expected the Dark Lord's reaction.

'A _Muggleborn?_!' his raised voice, high and clear, echoed loudly in the large, elegant room, and he uttered the word as though it were something disgusting, 'Do you mean to tell me that that extraordinary magic – _combined_ magic - was partially the work of a Muggleborn?'

Voldemort spoke as though it was he who had actually observed them. Well, probably so, since Lucius appeared completely nonplussed at the news. And Voldemort had recognised combined magic.

'Yes, My Lord.'

Voldemort walked towards the empty fireplace, his hairless brows creased together in a scowl and then back again towards him, fixing him with his dark eyes, the fire in which glowed brighter.

'Well, it certainly explains why you wanted to take all the credit! Tell me – why were you there, and what were you doing in that cave?'

His tone had a ringing tone of authority that brooked no defiance. Severus answered immediately.

'We were on holiday. Close to Asby-St-Cuthbert's. I thought the caves worth exploring because I was curious about some cockatrice remains.'

The dark Lord said nothing at first and resumed his pacing about the grandiose dining room once more. The silence was deafening, but finally Voldemort stopped under the chandelier once more, and addressed him coldly:

'On holiday with _Muggles_, Severus?'

He scowled and flushed angrily, allowing himself to show what Voldemort expected: shame and bitterness. It was easy.

'I had no other means to ... go on holiday, and I wanted a change of scene last summer,' he muttered. There it was: the truth, and if he piled enough bitter truths, the lies would go undetected.

Voldemort took a step closer. The light from the chandelier above his head seemed to drain his pale, hairless head from any remaining colour, and Severus could see dark veins snaking their way beneath his skin, but the look in his eyes was no longer one of suppressed fury, instead, it looked calculating.

'Yes, indeed, I am aware of the unfortunate circumstances of the Prince line. It was a great name in the wizarding world, Severus _Snape_, and it is a pity to see where it has ended up. But I'm sure you will do your best to restore some of that dignity, and not continue to destroy it.' Voldemort spoke with a ringing snap to his words.

'I told him, My Lord,' Lucius said, speaking for the first time 'I told him not to associate with that Evans, no matter what the mudblood looks like-!'

Before Severus could answer, Voldemort interrupted him by actually laughing – a cold, mocking laugh:

'On the contrary, Lucius, I want him to associate with her: very much indeed! I want to explore the source of her magic! I have never seen that kind of magic in living witches or wizards, pureblood or otherwise, and I am not going to let this opportunity pass!'

Severus mental barriers wavered as he absorbed the shock of the Dark Lord's words. He had fully expected to cast Lily in shadow, prove her, as a Muggleborn, beneath the Dark Lord's interest. It was going horribly, horribly, wrong. He should have guessed that he Dark Lord would know about combined magic.

'What magic, my Lord?' Lucius asked, looking confused, and rather put down.

Voldemort smiled and glanced from Lucius to Severus.

'Why don't you explain, Severus? Let us see if your knowledge of ancient magic is as thorough as your reputation at Hogwarts would have it!'

Severus launched into an explanation of the Curse of the Poisoned rain. He was on familiar ground here: his voice grew stronger, enthusiastic even, as he explained its use in wizarding wars; the famous wizards who had used it; how he had deduced the counter curse from his knowledge of ancient runes and the forgotten languages, but when he came to the part when he and Lily shared magic, he faltered. He had not wanted anyone to know, but the Dark Lord had seen, and now Lucius and Narcissa were looking at him expectantly.

'As for the other magic, My Lord' he said, trying to skirt the issue, and resorting to what sounded most innocuous, 'We discovered it by accident doing Flitwick's _Resumptum duco _charm back in second year, for homework. I was having trouble, she helped, and – and things were sort of enhanced.'

'Enhanced?'

'Magic is magnified in a way I cannot understand, My Lord.'

'From what I have seen Severus, 'magnified' is an understatement. There is power in this magic you and Evans have, that I intend to unlock. What else have you found out!'

'Nothing much, my Lord. Apart from the day the Giants landed, we have not had the occasion to use it much, and there is nothing in the textbooks to explain.'

At that moment, the door opened with a resounding crash and a witch dressed in black, tight-fitting robes entered. She strode purposefully towards Voldemort.

'My Lord! My Lord, he is ready to confess!' she stated in a breathless, throaty voice, but stopped immediately when she realised Severus was standing there.

He observed her curiously, rather taken aback by sheer presence, for the witch had a dark kind of beauty that was difficult to ignore. She clutched a walnut wand in her hand, long black hair curled around her shoulders and down her back. The loose, luxuriant curls half-covered the pale, smooth skin that showed above her low-cut neckline. She had a rather square, determined face, which was flushed at the moment as if she had been running, and deep-set dark eyes and brows that were creased in a disdainful scowl as she looked at him.

It was her eyes that caught his attention. They gazed on him with the snobbish and brazen confidence of a pureblood – he'd recognised that anywhere, but there was also something wild and ungovernable in the witch's eyes that made him uneasy.

'Who is this, My Lord?' the witch asked; walking to Voldemorts' side boldly, while her eyes never left Severus.

He noted that there was a slight familiarity in the way she addressed Voldemort, in the way she stood close to his side, that was missing from Lucius or Narcissa' s attitudes. It was not disrespect of course, but more of an easiness such as a favourite might demonstrate.

'This, Bella, is Severus Snape,' Voldemort said 'I have asked him here to enlighten us about recent events.'

Recognition showed briefly in her eyes 'Ah yes, My Lord, Cissa explained about him.'

So this was Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix. The one who was almost expelled for trying to poison Muggleborns. Severus didn't know what Narcissa had explained, but Bella's expression didn't soften as she looked at him. Just then, an angry roar issued from beneath their feet. It was not wailing this time, and though he could not make out individual words, there was no mistaking the anger, mingled with desperation, in the voice.

'Bella, it seems that our other guest is putting up a fight,' Voldemort said, turning to the witch, 'And my hearing, which is keener than yours, is telling me that he has denied wanting to confess, and, amid various slights on your purity, that he will never betray his friends: his _true_ friends.'

Bella flushed angrily, but there was no mistaking the sharp reprimand in Lord Voldemort's next words:

'I suggest you finish what you started and show him exactly what his _other_ friends think of his betrayal! Use whatever means necessary: I have taught you how to break Memory Charms Bella, if that is what he is relying on!'

'Yes, My Lord!' she said hastily and turned to leave, closing the door behind her, thus slightly muffling the sound from below.

Voldemort gave his wand an irritated flick and the sound disappeared entirely.

'Percival Prewitt' Voldemort said, speaking calmly though his eyes glinted dangerously 'had been welcomed by my brave Death Eaters, little thinking he could cost them their lives and the Cause to falter. It turns out that he was leaking information to someone in the Auror Department. I smelt his guilt on him as soon as I saw him, and it took little persuasion on my part to make him admit the truth, but he has as yet to confess who he gave the information to. I will let Bellatrix extract that information. It is good training for your sister, Narcissa.'

'Yes. My Lord' Narcissa murmured, pale as alabaster but composed, 'But she tends to get carried away when traitors are involved.'

Voldemort smiled. but did not answer her. He turned to Severus,

'Well, Severus, tell me: what do you think I am accomplishing together with my band of Death Eaters? I have heard you are interested in our Cause.'

It was a loaded question.

'I am not really sure, My Lord.'

He heard sharp intake of breath and Narcissa was biting her lips and Lucius looked horrified.

'You do not know?'

The words that left Voldemort's lips were deceptively soft but there was no mistaking their deadliness. They were the calm before the storm but Severus felt he had said the truth, though his heart was beating in his throat, despite the Occlumency. Well, perhaps it was a good thing to let the Dark Lord see that he was feared. He was powerful enough to expect that respect.

'If you succeed in overthrowing the corrupt Ministry, who will be governing?' Severus elaborated, 'What will be the new rules, and who will enforce them and how? What will happen to all the Muggle artefacts, and more importantly – what will happen to ... to ...half-bloods?'

Severus expected to the Dark Lord to fly into a rage at his audacity, instead his lips twisted into a smile.

'Ah – I see where the problem lays, Severus. You are anxious to know what your position will be in the new wizarding order. Well, that will depend, largely, on you.' Voldemort paused, to let his words sink in, and then started pacing in front of the huge fireplace 'As for your other questions – I am not going to answer them. Not here. Not now. I do not have enough information about every wizarding family to know who is worthy of being a wand-bearer. Certainly that is something I have to remedy soon, but first things first, Severus:'

Voldemort stopped his pacing and fixed Severus with his intense gaze once more: 'There is a war to win first, and I need loyal and convinced followers, and if loyalty is backed by skill with a wand, then indeed, that witch or wizard will be marked as my own, and rewarded with something that neither gold, nor all the trappings of these glittering palaces-' Voldemort indicated the handsome room around him, ' – can buy. The reward will be the respect and awe of all witches and wizards in the magical world, and that is something that you, Severus, will understand.'

Severus' heart was beating faster, though not in fear this time. Whether purposefully or not, the Dark Lord had thrown him a lifeline: _if loyalty is backed by skill with a wand_ he said, and he could suddenly start to see a way forward.

'Yes, My Lord, I understand.'

'I am sure you do, Severus. You should understand what this Cause is about for you have been hiding from muggles for 15-odd years, and I'm sure you have seen enough of the mundanity of muggle life: rusty bedsprings, dripping faucets, worn linoleum, wallpaper peeling off the walls, and the sickly glare of bare yellow light bulbs...'

Lord Voldemort's bloodless lips set into a straight thin line of disgust. He spoke as though he had seen Spinner's End or somewhere like his home. Severus hoped not, but could not help feeling an angry flush suffusing his cheeks. He wished Narcissa and Lucius would stop staring at him. What the hell did _they_ know, with their pampered upbringing, about a Muggle 2-up 2-down house? What did they know about waking up to the sound of shouting? What did they know about hiding your wand for fear that it may be discovered by your drunken Muggle father? Or about the shame with which that same Muggle father spoke of you and your magic? Bitterness rose like gall within him and he nursed it further. This is what Lord Voldemort would want to see, after all.

'Yes, my Lord, I have seen enough of that, and I want to walk proud. I cannot see why the wizarding world would want to hide in shame from Muggles!'

'Severus, that's the scope of our rebellion,' Lucius interrupted fervently, 'That's what we are risking their lives for!'

'As Lucius said,' Lord Voldemort continued, his eyes flashing in self-righteous fire, 'we are fighting for the right to be who we are freely, and not be held up to ridicule in Muggle eyes! Our very existence is ignored, and serves for nothing except to play the villain's part in children's tales, or even considered as figments of overexcited imaginations! Our ancient knowledge and the dignity of our race have been brought to an all-time low!' His nostrils flared in indignation and Severus could not help but agree.

Just then, there was a timid knock on the door. Severus saw Lucius hesitate but finally it was Voldemort who flicked his wand impatiently at the door so that it opened, revealing a dark-robed young wizard in his early 20s.

'My Lord, Rodolphus, Bletchley, and I are leaving soon. Do you have further instructions?'

He stepped into the room, looking curiously at Severus. He had a rather weak chin, brown hair, a pale face, but cunning grey eyes. Severus thought he looked vaguely familiar, yet could not quite remember where he had seen him.

'Ah Igor, come in. I'd like you to meet someone before you leave,' Voldemort said with an intent look, 'This is Severus Snape. Severus, this is Igor Karkaroff!'The young wizard nodded curtly, and Voldemort continued: 'You have, I believe, much in common, though now is not the time to discuss it. You may go!'

The wizard murmured 'Yes, My Lord,' and turned to leave.

Severus suddenly remembered the small boy who had cried at being sent by his father to Durmstrang at such a young age to be 'toughened up'. Well, from what he had seen in the elder Karkaroff's memory at the Hog's Head Inn, he must have fulfilled that requirement, for the Dark Lord's followers had caught him and his mother fleeing 'across the Volga'. Igor junior looked very much alive and healthy, so he must have 'toughened up' somehow.

'Igor Karkaroff Junior is one of my Death Eaters now, Severus,' The Dark Lord was saying, 'I'm sure it's not quite the career option his father had in mind for him, but then you see, I found out his son wanted nothing to do with a father who had practically abandoned him ... a father who was ashamed of having a weakling son...' Voldemort paused, his clear high voice dripping with as much venom as Severus felt pounding through his own veins.

'The shame and rejection of one's own father is hard to bear.'

It was the Dark Lord's voice uttering those hate-tipped words, yet Severus felt as though they were his own. He tried to control the seething rage that he could feel beneath the false calm of his Occlumency barriers. He didn't mind showing Lord Voldemort his bitterness and rage, - it disguised deeper feelings – but too much of it, and he would lose control!

'You know the man who I am referring to Severus: Igor Karkaroff Senior. Lucius tells me you have encountered the Karkaroffs.'

'Yes, My Lord, in the Forbidden Forest.'

'That brings me to the second reason I have brought you here today, Severus. That night, the Karkaroffs were coercing you to give away the whereabouts of a book.'

'That – that book: I never had it, My Lord. It should belong to me, for it was a Prince who wrote it, but unfortunately, I found out it now lays in Dumbledore's office.'

Severus fully expected the Dark Lord to be furious at the information. After all, it was no secret that there was no love lost between him and Hogwarts Headmaster. But Lord Voldemort was smiling.

'Oh, but that is not the book I am after, Severus. Indeed I am glad that old fool Dumbledore is keeping it in his Office. I did not think so once, but now I would be distinctly annoyed with anyone seeking to use the secret spells that lie hidden in your Great-grandfather's book. The Karkaroffs regretted it.'

Severus tried not to reveal the surprise on his face. Apparently, he had gathered quite a bit of information from the Karkaroffs, but Severus was under the impression that it was 'Secrets of the Darkest Arts' that would have caught Voldemort's attention. And if not, then the only other book was Riddle's Diary. But if he did not need the diary to reveal clues as to where the Dark Arts book was, then what did he want it for?

'Lucius mentioned a Diary' Voldemort continued, 'A Diary belonging to a certain Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle. '

'Yes, My Lord.'

'I want that Diary. It is in your robe pocket.' And Voldemort held out a pale, long-fingered hand for it.

Swallowing hard, Severus put his hand in the inside pocket of his robes and fished out the small black diary. He watched Voldemort's fingers close around that mysterious piece of Muggle mundanity and handle it with a reverence he was sure Riddle, at least, would appreciate.

'Why did you not open this book?'

_Why had he asked that?_

'I did. But I immediately realised it was full of Dark magic. Magic so powerful I doubted whether I could control or use. At least until I learn more.'

'And how did you find this book?'

'I followed clues that led me to Slytherins door in the dungeons'

He saw Lucius and Narcissa exchange amazed glances, but their expression changed to a wary, nervous one at Lord Voldemort's next words, and in the split second that he turned his head back to Voldemort, Severus realised why. A yew wand was pointing straight at his head and the word '_Legilimens!'_ was hissed.

It was harsh. Images raced before his eyes in quick succession, each one merging into the next at a fast and furious pace, so that he himself barely recognised the scenes of memories he had lived. Childhood beatings merged with images of Eileen on hands and knees scrubbing maniacally at invisible stains on the worn linoleum; Slughorn's wide beaming face merged with that of that of the dead Muggle lying on in the forest floor, the sound of his own heart beat as he crept down deserted dungeon passageways; Potter's jeering comments about his vault at Gringott's...

He struggled to control the flow of images Voldemort was calling forth - the echoes of Potter's voice fuelled his determination, and he let Voldemort see exactly how he had found the magic key, and glimpses of Riddle's book lying on the bedrock of Slytherin's abode – he was alone when he found it – he was careful to hide all memories of Lily during that particular adventure, but Voldemort seemed satisfied with the brief glimpse of the Diary as he had found it: Slytherin's mysterious room did not seem to interest him, and Severus led him onwards with stronger memories that drowned out mundane ones – or those he wished to hide. One memory he grudgingly allowed the dark Lord to see was when Lily had placed her hand on his wand, back in second year, and the uninspiring _Resumpum Duco_ charm he had been practising had resulted in a spectacular transformation into real snowflakes that had melted on the desk in front of their wondering eyes.

He felt the Dark Lord pull out of his mind, and he staggered back against the highly polished dining table, his head pounding. Though harsh, he had been subjected to worse by Madeira.

Perhaps the Dark Lord did not know that he was skilled in the mind Arts. He was only schoolboy after all, and if so, that would work to his advantage.

Next minute, he realised why the Dark Lord had stopped and withdrawn from his mind. The door had burst open once more and two people had come in. Bella was there, even more flushed than before, her breast heaving beneath her low-cut robe, but the look on her face was wildly triumphant. Before her moved a middle-aged wizard with ripped and blood-stained robes. The unfortunate Prewitt moved inelegantly, jerkily.

'_Bella_!' shrieked Narcissa, her voice laced with fear and disgust, as the captured wizard passed in front of her and came to a halt near Severus and Voldemort. But her sister laughed: a wanton, throaty laugh together with an expression that set the hairs on the back of Severus' neck on end. Bella swept past him, tossing back her black tresses imperiously, a mad exhilaration in her eyes.

'I have carried out your will, My Lord' she said, moving to stand in front of him, 'It was a simple Memory Charm and he gave in, finally. I have brought him here before you, so you can see for yourself!'

And suddenly, the reason for Narcissa's disgust became evident to Severus. The unfortunate Prewitt was not under the Imperious Curse, as he had first supposed. He was _dead_!

The head lolled slightly to one side, and the wizards bloodshot blue eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing. He was unshaven and a small trickle of congealing blood ran from the slack mouth and down the unshaven chin. Apparently, he had been living rough for there were dark circles under the eyes and he had the general appearance of a tramp. Though too fresh for a corpse-smell, yet the unwashed tramp-smell was familiar to Severus. Images of his father raced through his mind, and he leaned back against the dining room table, his stomach churning and his skin crawling with fear and disgust.

But the Dark Lord's attention was on Bella.

'Bella, Bella: what would you have me do with a corpse? Its mind is unusable now! I hope for your sake, that you have the information!'

'I do, My Lord! He is related to Gideon and Fabian Prewitt! That is to whom he was passing the information!'

'Gideon and Fabian Prewitt.' Voldemort said thoughtfully, 'I thought so. An Auror and Auror-in-training who both have recently given up their respective positions for reasons unknown.'

'I believe they have joined the Order, My Lord' Lucius spoke for the first time, 'ever since they found out we were onto Percival.'

Voldemort nodded slowly but Severus could see that he was angry: very angry, for his eyes, as they fell upon the loosely standing form of Prewitt, were blazing red and his nostrils flared.

'Then this corpse has served its purpose, and we do not need any further reminders of his betrayal!' and with a flick of his wand he directed a jet of raw energy towards the corpse of Prewitt so that it burst into high flames.

Narcissa shrieked again, and Severus backed further against the table as the heat from the human torch singed him and the stench of burning flesh hit his nostrils. He was still reeling from Voldemort's invasion of his mind, and he struggled desperately to keep his face from showing the disgust and fear that he felt. It was one thing seeing and reading about curses from a book, and quite another to actually witness them in action.

But he had to show more backbone than that! He straightened up and forced himself to look on dispassionately as the dead flesh blackened.

However, a second later, with a lazy flick of his wand, Voldemort vanished the whole thing: corpse, flames, embers and smoke. Looking down at the richly carpeted floor, Severus was amazed to see not even the traces of any soot.

'Now, back to the question of the book,' Voldemort resumed as though nothing had happened. He held up the small black Muggle Diary 'This book, Severus, as you rightly said, contains many magical properties not immediately apparent to the beholder. I happen to have known its author very well, and I want to keep this Diary safe until such time when I consider it appropriate for the Diary to return to the its place of significance: Hogwarts. In the meantime Lucius,' he turned to face the silent young wizard who had been standing with Narcissa, 'I require a safe hiding place. In time I will explain to you its properties and my plan.'

'I will see to it that it is done, my Lord' and Lucius held out his hands for the Diary. Severus looked on greedily as Lord Voldemort held it out reverentially with both hands so that Lucius was forced to take it with open palms too.

Severus had badly wanted to explore its secrets and though he had promised Lily he wouldn't open it, if the Dark Lord chose to explain its magical contents, he would not be breaking that promise. However, he was not about to ask him. His retinas were still scorched by the human torch blazing before him a few seconds before. Dumbledore had told him that Voldemort, like Riddle, had been a Knight of the Walpurgis, and he had toyed with the idea of asking him how and what he knew of his Great-Grandfather, but not any longer.

He watched as Lucius went to the door, looking with some distaste at the Muggle diary he held like a precious object in his hands. Well, Lucius wasn't very perspicacious when it came to enchanted Muggle artefacts just because they _were_ Muggle artefacts, and thus merited no further notice.

'So, when are we meeting your little friend?'

Severus started. He hadn't realised the Dark Lord was addressing him.

'L- Little friend, My Lord?'

'The Evans girl, Severus. When are we going to meet her?'

Severus' shattered nerves came back with a vengeance. He took in a shaky breath, his Occlumency barriers wavering.

'Meet her, My Lord?'

'Yes. I told you I have to remedy the fact that we don't have enough knowledge about wizarding family trees, and Muggleborns are a good point to start. Especially when they have demonstrated that rare and unexplored branch of magic such as I have seen you perform.'

'I – I doubt I can just get a Muggleborn here, My Lord'

'I'm sure the Malfoys would not mind, if by doing so we could shed some light as to how Muggleborn witches and wizards receive their magic. I am fairly sure an examination of their family tree would reveal a lot. Are you sure this Evans is Muggleborn, Severus? There have been many unfortunate stories of clandestine relationships with Muggles that have subsequently been hushed up!'

'That may be the case, My Lord, I have no way of knowing, but the witch is of course convinced her parents are Muggles. She may also not be ... er ... very interested in wizarding politics, since her parents do not have the right background to give her the necessary knowledge.'

There was a snort of derision from the direction of Bellatrix who had gone to stand next to her sister. Narcissa shushed her.

'I think that it must then be up to you Severus Snape, to give her the right background. I would have thought you'd done so already, seeing that she's in your year and you're _friendly_ with her' Voldemort put a knowing emphasis on the word, but Severus ignored it.

'I will try and explain the Cause – _our_ Cause - to her, My Lord, but she's rather headstrong...'

'Well, _teach_ her respect, Snape!' Bella burst in suddenly as though she could not keep quiet any longer.

She strode towards him, tossing her long black hair back impatiently behind her back, her wand clutched tightly in her little black-gloved hand. She stopped besides him and then circled him, her dark, hooded eyes never leaving his face, and a small smile playing about her full, red lips. Up close Bellatrix was even more menacing. She smelt vaguely of some heavy, sultry, perfume, but it was laced with a musty smell that Severus associated with humid dungeons or prison cells. She was slightly shorter than her sister, but she was stalking him like a panther would circle her prey. He glared back at her, but this seemed to delight her, rather than provoke her.

'Why, My Lord,' she said turning to Lord Voldemort 'this is just a _boy!_ Both he and the mudblood girl are underage! They're too young to matter!'

'My dear Bella, they are, indeed, still too young, but that doesn't not mean children are unimportant. I hold Hogwarts to be a very important for our Cause, and believe it or not, I was once actually interested in taking up a teaching post there.'

Bellatrix regarded him incredulously, and Severus was hoping that the Dark Lord heeded her words. He wanted Lily out of this and completely ignored, but now it seemed highly unlikely that would happen. Voldemort's next words confirmed his fear.

'As for being too young to matter, Bella, I will determine what matters and what does not!' Voldemort resumed pacing the carpeted oak floor of the dining room, 'At the moment, we are concentrating our efforts to win the war, and have not given much thought to what we will do after we have won it. Of course, the question of what to do with Blood-traitors is straightforward, as is the issue of Muggles, but Muggleborns and Squibs present a more complex problem: and the Evans girl is young enough and unsullied enough, for now, to perhaps be able to shed some light on a mystery of Muggleborn witches and wizards. Besides, the strength and rarity of her magic, such as I had occasion to observe the day I arrived with the giants, is something that intrigues me.'

'Rare magic, My Lord?' there was contempt in Bella's voice.

'And strong, Bella' Voldemort replied 'I need to know more about it, and, more importantly, - I need to use it!'

Voldemort stopped pacing and turned to look at Severus. The last words pronounced in his high, clear voice rang out in the high-ceiled room. Narcissa looked bewildered and Bella disgusted. As Voldemort drew closer to him, Severus hung on desperately to his deadpan expression.

'I will set you, Severus Snape, two tasks' Voldemort said, softly, ' If you are, as you profess, interested in our Cause, then you will humour me by finding time to 'spread the word' as one would say. This is your first task, though admittedly, not a very onerous one for the time being. I need you to keep your ears open for my word, should you hear it, and I will keep an eye on you too. I believe you know Mulciber and Lestrange: they have been set similar tasks too. When you are of age, you will be able to prove your worth in different ways.'

'Yes, My Lord.'

'And what is the second task, My Lord?' said a soft voice. It was Narcissa who spoke for the first time.

'That, Narcissa,' Voldemort replied 'is something which you have already hinted to me that he is already doing: befriending the girl and giving her the 'background' she so sorely lacks. But I want you to redouble your efforts Severus: I want that girl on our side!'

'But, My Lord, she is only in fifth year, and-' Severus' voice almost betrayed him, for it shook slightly, but Voldemort must have interpreted it as fear, for he laughed.

'I'm not unreasonable, Severus – of course I do not intend her to join up now – nor you, for that matter! I do not need two teenagers who are too young to use a wand without being Traced! But I am interested in understanding this strange magic of yours, and how to harness it for our purpose! You have somewhat less than 3 years till you graduate from Hogwarts, Severus, by then, I'm sure you will have convinced her of the justice of our cause!'

'You'd better have your little mudblood pet well-trained, Snape!' Bellatrix spat, a sour look on her face, 'Or I won't let the likes of her enter in here!'

'This is Lucius's home, Bella!' Narcissa said, coldly.

Bellatrix snorted in disgust and stalked to the fireplace. 'I still think she'd serve her purpose better, if we use her to see where mudbloods get their magic from, Cissa!' she turned to severus once more, a smile twisting her lips 'I could dissect her for you, Snape – see exactly what colour her blood is, and where her so-called magic lies!' she accompanied this with a laugh.

'Silence, Bella!' Voldemort said, and the two sisters lapsed into silence 'Neither of you have witnessed what I have on a remote cliff face on the Cambrian coast! This particular Muggleborn may be the most useful of her kind, and ear-marked for special treatment. At least, I hope that you will insure that for us, Severus!'

'Yes, My Lord. I will do my best'

'I bet you will, Snape!' Bella interrupted again, with a lewd smile, 'He won't mind rubbing shoulders with a mudblood! He's just a half-blood himself!'

The Dark Lord rounded suddenly on Bellatrix and with a lashing movement of his wand, a dark coil of what looked like black light closed tightly around her neck and drew her to him. Narcissa stifled a gasp with her hands, eyes wide, but Bellatrix moaned softly as Voldemort towered over her.

'Do NOT ever underestimate half-bloods, Bella,' Voldemort bit out, his voice silkily low and deadly now, 'for you cannot know which half of that blood is the _stronger_!'

Bella did not answer, but her eyes slid shut, her breath fast and shallow. Not in fear – it was more like pleasure. Severus stared as after a minute's silence, Voldemort's long white fingers slid around her slender neck unloosening the black smoke chain. It dissipated at his touch, and when Bellatrix opened her eyes again, Severus saw a strange fire in them.

She seemed to have completely forgotten her reprimand about half-bloods, bur Severus hadn't: the Dark Lord seemed to harbour more respect for half-bloods (or at least _some_ half-bloods) than he had ever encountered in the Slytherin Common-room!

'None have magic as strong as yours, My Lord! Bella whispered breathlessly, her eyes mere dark slits and her bosom heaving with emotion. Voldemort's strange features changed into an indulgent smile.

'You have much to learn yet, Bella; you are young, with all the hot-headed fervour of youth! But you will learn, you will learn. Severus is younger still, but methinks he has a more level head, and he will need one for tasks I set him, though perhaps, the second task may have some welcome perks: the red-head is good-looking, and there is a time and place when teenage lust may come in useful. Surely you especially, Bella, can see my point here!' Voldemort smiled knowingly at Bellatrix and she looked up at him with parted lips and flushed cheeks. Severus understood now that the smile on her full red lips were meant especially and solely for her master.

He aped her leering smile and hoped that would be enough to convince the Dark Lord of his intentions, while his mind was already seething beneath the Occlumency at this unexpected turn of events. At that moment, Lucius came in and reported that he had hidden the Diary with protective enchantments.

'Good, Lucius. Now I want you to accompany young Snape back to Hogwarts. He has much to think about. I will see you in three years time Severus, or before, if I send word. I hope you will have good news for me by then' Voldemort accompanied his words with an intent look that left no room for misinterpretation. This was a wizard that expected results. Good results.

'I will, My Lord'

'And another thing, Severus...' The Dark Lord said softly. Severus looked at him expectantly, 'You will not breathe a word of what transpired here tonight.'

'No, My Lord.'

'If you are truly proud of the rich heritage your Great-Grandfather would have wanted to pass on to you, then do not disappoint me,' the Dark Lord continued 'for I knew Severus Prince well, and I know how dear the quest for Ancient Magic was to him. Your Great-Grandfather was a great wizard, Severus, and I am proud to have upheld the same beliefs once.'

Voldemort paused and Severus held his breath, unwilling to interrupt in case he stopped.

When he spoke again there was a strange little smile about his lips 'I am also proud, Severus, to have been the wizard to pick up the pieces of ancient knowledge from the ashes of the ruined Knighthood, when your Great-Grandfather died. I did not want all his work to be forgotten, so with a band of dedicated followers, whom I called Death Eaters, I rebuilt the quest for ancient knowledge and took it even further. The quest became a rebellion, and the rebellion is now a full-scale war, with the re-institution of Ancient Magic to its proper pride of place, as the prize, when the war is won. Unlike the Karkaroffs, who sought only their own gains, Severus, I see a much bigger picture, and I hope that one day I will achieve what your Great-grandfather started. The Karkaroffs were unworthy to be called Knights of the Walpurgis, but I fondly hope your Great-Grandfather would be proud of my work – and that of my brave Death Eaters - in restoring the respect Magic deserves.'

Voldemort paused, eyeing him intently. Lucius and Narcissa were looking at him with something close to awe, if not respect. Even Bella was sullenly quiet. He unconsciously drew himself up to stand taller.

'I also would like to think that one day, your actions will prove you worthy of the name that has been bestowed upon you, Severus. Blood magic works in mysterious ways, and there is certainly a strong connection between you and the wizard after whom you have been called. Make sure that he can be proud of you.'

'Yes, My Lord. I will.'

The Dark Lord spoke no more, and Severus knew that the conversation was over. Lucius stepped forward and opened the door. As he turned to follow Lucius out of the room he caught Narcissa's eyes.

'Good Luck, Severus' she whispered with an encouraging smile, and a look that was both glad and worried.

He said nothing and walked past Lucius into the dimly lit Hallway where the portraits of generations of pale-faced Malfoys followed him with their cold, scornful eyes till he passed through the grand front doors and into the cold night air outside.


	111. Chapter 111

**Chapter 111: At Loggerheads.**

Lily strode along the torch-lit upper passageways of the dungeons angrily, not caring if anyone from Slytherin saw her. She knew she was near their common-room, but if anyone dared insult her at this moment ... Angry sparks flew from the wand she clutched in her hand, and she was half-thinking of putting it away before she got tempted to use it on the first Slytherin who challenged her. She was seething with anger inside.

Why, why, _why _did Severus have to ruin it? She had been to the dungeon hideout, intending to ask him to go to Hogsmeade with her, for it was Saturday, but all he could do was talk about He-who-must-not-be-named! Idolising him, of course, as usual!

Scowling darkly in the dimly lit passageways, she was about to put her wand back into her pocket, when a bright flash of light lit up one of the side corridors ahead. The wildly ricocheting spell bounced off the wall of the corridor, forcing her to jump backwards in surprise, and she heard a scream and then loud guffaws intermingled with shrieking laughter. She thought she recognised both the screams and the laughter, and ran off towards the source of the commotion.

Skidding round the corner, wand at the ready, a strange sight met her eyes. Mary Macdonald was on her knees, head bowed and arms extended in supplication, in front of Sethlan Mulciber, who had a gloating look on his swarthy face, and Cassiopeia Blackwater, who was shrieking with laughter.

It took Lily only a few seconds to realise that Mary was not voluntarily bowing before Mulciber. Her shoulders were shaking with angry sobs, and when she lifted her face, Lily saw it was covered with large boils. Defiant blue eyes peered out from a swollen face wet with helpless, angry, tears.

'What did you –?' she started, but her momentary surprise had given the two Slytherins an advantage.

'_Furnunculus!_' shouted Cassiopeia whipping her wand round in Lily's direction.

Lily jumped nimbly to one side.

'_Expelliarmus_!' she retorted, and Cassiopeia's wand flew out of her hand arching over Lily's head to land with a clatter somewhere in the corridor beyond.

In the split second it took to cast her spell, Mulciber, who had been pointing his wand at Mary, turned round, his face twisted with anger and shouted:

'_Impono voluntas mea!'_

Lily deflected the spell easily with a wave of her wand, but Mulciber strode purposefully towards her, an ugly look on his face. Mary Macdonald, who had slumped forwards onto the floor the moment Mulciber's wand no longer pointed at her, grabbed the hem of his robes, so that he stumbled, and almost lost his balance.

Taking the opportunity, Lily sent another Disarming spell towards the burly sixth year, but Mulciber had recovered enough to cast a Shield charm over himself and his girlfriend.

Lily hurried over to Mary and helped her to her feet. Mary, free to move now, immediately clutched her face in pain. The Furnunculus Hex was very painful.

'What did you do to her, Mulciber!' she shouted, her wand trained on the two Slytherins.

Behind the Shield Charm, there was nothing much either of them could do to each other.

'_I_ rearranged her face for her, Mudblood!' Cassiopeia hissed venomously from behind the safety of the Shield charm. Having lost her wand herself, she was standing behind her boyfriend for added protection.

'I don't mean _that_, Blackwater! You forced her to her knees didn't you, Mulciber? That was the Imperius Curse, and it's an unforgiveable curse!'

'No, it's not Evans!' Seth Mulciber smirked, his dark eyes glinting evilly from beneath his overhanging brows, 'Let's just say it's a ... uh ... a mild variation of the Imperius that is not considered unforgiveable. MacDonald there was fully in possession of her senses all the time, and besides, I only made her bow to her superiors, nothing more!'

'You're not superior to her or anyone else, Mulciber! Your only claim to fame is that you, and other so-called purebloods, are the product of a family tree littered with quasi-incestuous relationships! So shut up about this superiority thing, for it doesn't impress me! And that curse, whatever it was, will earn you a detention, if not an expulsion!'

'And who is going to tell Dumbledore, Mudblood? You?' Cassiopeia spoke with a vicious sweetness that took Lily by surprise.

'Or MacDonald?' continued Mulciber, his eyes turning to look at Mary, their expression one of vindictive smugness. 'I suppose you think the four-eyed bloodtraitor should go running to the teachers. Well, you're right! Go on, MacDonald – off you go!'

There was something about the way he was smiling, distorted slightly by the shimmer of the Shield charm, that Lily didn't like. She turned to her friend, but Mary, who was standing behind her looking murderously in the Slytherins' direction, did not say anything.

'Mary?' she asked.

'Go on, MacDonald, I'm sure your Head of House will find the spell you tried to cast with your wand extremely interesting!''

'You deserve it!' Mary shouted suddenly, her swollen, boil-covered face twisted in fury, 'You deserve to be boiled in oil! You deserve to be burnt alive! You - deserve – to – be –bloody –_dead_!' she accompanied each word by pounding the invisible shield with her fist, her voice rising in pitch until she screamed the last word.

'Mary!' Lily shouted, aghast, 'What in Merlin's name have you done! Where's your wand?'

Ever since they returned to Hogwarts, Mary had spent no time in trying to get at Blackwater and Mulciber for the cruel letter they had sent on her brother's death. Hexes and jinxes had flown about in the corridors several times, but this time, it seemed much worse. Mary was unable to answer, for she had lapsed into tears again, to a chorus of gloating laughs from behind the Shield Charm.

Lily spotted Mary's wand lying uselessly beneath one of the dungeon torches. She picked it up carefully, her eyes never leaving the two Slytherins.

'Come on, I'll take you to the Hospital wing!' she grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her forcibly away from the two Slytherins.

'That's the most sensible thing you've said, Evans!' Mulciber shouted after them, 'And you'd better not let that four-eyed half-blood ever cross me, or my girlfriend, ever again! That goes for you too, Evans! I've learnt a lot since you and your other half-blood friend, Snape, tried to strangle me in Diagon Alley! I've learnt my curses from the _best_, if you know what I mean!'

Mary turned round to retort, but Lily dragged her round the corner, glad she still had her friends' wand in her hand, otherwise she'd try something else. She hurried her on, with frequent glances behind her back, until they reached the safety of the Entrance Hall

'What on earth happened down there, Mary?' she asked, finally.

A few students who had a late Saturday breakfast gazed curiously at Mary's bizarre appearance, but she was too angry to notice.

'I tried to catch Mulciber alone. I wanted him to confess that he'd had a part in having my brother killed, but he was with Cassiopeia, and they just taunted me. When they started saying how they'd've loved to see my face when I opened their sympathy card, I just lost it and cursed them!'

'Cursed them?'

'Yes, Lily cursed them! I tried the Cruciatus Curse on them, only it didn't work! There, satisfied?'

Lily stopped and stared in shocked silence at her friend. The only time she had seen the Cruciatus Curse used was when the Karkaroffs had unleashed it on Severus. She had almost died then, seeing her friend writhe in pain.

'Mary – how – how _could _you? It's not like you-'

'Like me? What d' you know about me? Hell – I don't even know about me, myself! Perhaps I'm tired of being the funny four-eyed class clown! All I know is that I wanted them to suffer like I did, and I was bloody mad when the curse didn't work!'

'Severus says you've got to mean it ...' the words were out of her mouth before she realised.

Mary glowered at her wrathfully, as the meaning of her words sunk in.

'Mean it? Well, Mulciber was certainly good at _meaning_ that curse he threw at me, whatever it was! It had me grovelling before him, even though I was fighting it all along! Perhaps I'm just not good enough at curses!'

'No, Mary, it means that you did not _mean_ to hurt them. It's – it's different!'

Mary snorted impatiently and turned to go back upstairs, but Lily caught hold of her hand.

'You mustn't ever do that again, Mary! Promise me!'

'Why? Because I'd get expelled? Or sent to Azkaban? Right now, Lily, I don't even care!'

'Your parents care what happens to you, and so do your friends!'

Mary blinked and her stubborn look diminished a little.

'Well, Mulciber and Blackwater won't tell on me – they've got their own spells to hide! So why should I worry?'

'Because the next time you go looking for them again, the Cruciatus Curse might actually _work_, Mary!'

Mary looked at her in silence, eyes narrowed.

'The Cruciatus Curse is something that should never, ever, be used on a fellow human being, Mary! Never! _Ever_!'

Mary said nothing for a while, then:

'Who did you see using the Cruciatus Lily? Severus?'

'He was at the receiving end of it, Mary!' she bit out, angry that once again her friend had jumped to conclusions.

'Oh.' Mary's eyes widened, 'I see. I just thought when Mulciber mentioned something about you and Severus strangling him in Diagon Alley...'

'That was an accident, and we weren't trying to strangle him!'

'Whatever, Lily – you should steer clear of Mulciber. You heard his threat! And I can guess who he's referring to, when he says he's learnt from the best: there are Death Eaters in his family, and he doesn't even bother to hide it anymore! They threatened me last June, over that stupid fight, and see where it has led to... '

Lily didn't think it had actually led to anything more than a very cruel, barbed letter, but Mary was going overboard in her desire for revenge.

'And you should stop trying to curse Mulciber or his girlfriend! You haven't promised me, Mary!'

'Okay, okay! I promise! No curses! No unforgiveable ones at least! But if they try out anything like that on me again, I'll hit them with everything else I can! And if I find the slightest bit of evidence they were involved in sending those giants –'

'Then you will tell Dumbledore! That's fair enough!'

'And you warn Severus what that Mulciber said! There doesn't seem to be too much love lost between those two, but they say they say they often stick together, even though that Mulciber is in sixth year. I don't know who to believe, anymore! Anyway, I'll just nip to the Hospital wing now, my face is on fire, damn that stupid Cassiopeia Blackwater!'

And Mary turned and climbed the last few stairs almost at a run. The Furnunculus jinx became itchier and more painful the longer left untreated.

Lily stood on the stairs and watched her turn to the corridor that led to the Hospital. Madam Pomfrey never asked too many questions about the usual jinxes. She hesitated. Should she go and warn Severus now? She had thought the little episode with Mulciber in Diagon Alley had blown over, but apparently, the swarthy sixth year had not forgotten, and it still rankled.

Just then, she saw Cassiopeia and Mulciber emerge from the door that led to the dungeons, and head towards the Great Hall for a late breakfast, a gloating expression on their faces. Well, at least they were out of the way for now. She would warn him about Mulciber's festering resentment later, though she had a feeling he already knew. Besides, she had just fought with Severus...

Feeling distinctly out of sorts, she turned back to the stairs and made her way heavily towards the Gryffindor common-room, deep in thought. It was several minutes later that she realised she was on the wrong floor. She had been so distracted, she hadn't realised the moving stairs had connected her up a wrong flight of steps. Retracing her steps, she took a short cut down a darkened corridor.

A few live bats from the Hollowe'en Feast the previous night were startled out of their new hiding place and flew about her head in erratic flight. Her thoughts flew back to Severus, wondering what was wrong with him.

For the past couple of weeks he seemed strangely reserved and quiet. She suspected he was worried about something, but as usual, she only got curt denials in response to her inquiries. She knew he had kept many secrets from her, and though she did not want to admit it, this hurt a bit. Moreover, what he usually kept from her usually had something to do with Dark Magic.

She had thought the story of his Great-Grandfather's book resolved one way or another, but she had also found out he had been in contact with that sinister witch, Madeira, for what reasons Merlin only knew! She had tried not to pry – clearly who he spoke to, was his business, but in the light of his recent behaviour, she was finding it increasingly difficult.

The only time he shook himself out of his strange reserve was when he uncharacteristically engaged in political discussions with her. Usually, she had been the one to instigate such conversations, but last summer, they had both silently agreed to avoid such topics.

Perhaps it was the renewed contact with his bunch of Slytherin friends here at Hogwarts, but for the past two weeks, Severus did not seem interested in talking about anything else but the importance of ancient Magic, as he called it, and how to preserve it at all costs.

She had listened carefully at first – after all, Severus was good at explaining things – he always had been, and when he spoke about Ancient Magic, his enthusiasm for it injected a fiery, controlled excitement into his words that she found hard to resist.

As he reasoned fervidly with her – explaining the need for wizards to walk proud and tall, to preserve all magic before it was completely destroyed by dwindling numbers of magical people combined with Ministry interference and Muggle ignorance, she almost found herself agreeing, and eager to do her bit to save the magical heritage before it disappeared off the face of the earth. It was when Severus started mentioning Voldmeort that she shook herself out of her entrancement. She could never condone, or even begin to understand, the reasoning behind the needless atrocities Voldemort and his Death Eater cronies carried out in the name of preserving Magical heritage.

She could understand Severus' need to walk tall, and not hide his true nature. She herself, who had never fitted well both in the muggle world and in the magic world, could see the attraction of standing proud and declaring that she is a witch, and be accepted by both worlds, but she knew it could never be. Not without war on muggles. And besides, despite Severus assurances to the contrary, she was sure that given the elitist ideas of Voldemort, walking tall and proud would be reserved for pureblood wizards only.

At this point, the argument always spiralled out of control, and she would usually be the one to leave in a huff. Severus would desist for a couple of days, and then return to the attack, providing more proof to back his arguments that the Ministry were incompetent or that Voldemort had every right to pick allies – even Giants – to help fight his war.

Though she conceded that the Ministry's tactics were just as harsh, and ultimately, even inadequate, she could not understand why he persisted in arguing with her, for she could never see that Voldemort the way he did.

She was confused and hurt by his attitude. Last summer, she thought that he might even ask her out, but now...

She had half-hoped that at Hogwarts they could continue where they had left off somehow, (though being in different houses meant they had less time together) but instead, she was now finding herself actively avoiding being alone with him: to avoid him picking another argument about the war, and to stop herself from thinking, (or perhaps, hoping) , that he would tell her what he had once stared to, on a stormy cliff by the sea.

She sighed as she approached the Gryffindor common-room. Perhaps his Death-eater friends had had something to do with _that,_ too.

XXX

Severus looked at the reflections of the last of the warm autumn sunlight on his bottle of butter beer. He leaned against the shabby wooden fence and glanced at the sinister-looking house beyond. It was haunted by particularly violent spirits they said at the village, and the name 'Shrieking Shack' had been coined for it.

Wilkes was creeping up the path, wand in his hand, towards the flimsy, boarded-up door, for Rosier had bet him a Galleon that he wouldn't do it, and Marcus Wilkes being rather unimaginative, accepted. Severus watched impassively as Wilkes reached the door and peered inside.

They had decided to have a look, and after buying some butterbeer and snacks from one of the small shops, they had set off towards the isolated building. They had been accosted several times by Aurors, who were on extra patrol duties when students filled the small village. It had taken some time to give them the slip, for they weren't too happy with students going too far away from the village centre.

'Can't see anything!' Wilkes grunted in a loud whisper.

'Bet's off, if you don't go in!' Rosier grinned.

Marcus, scowling, tried to rip off the flimsy-looking boards with his bare hands before remembering he had a wand. But Alahomora did not produce any result, and neither did some more pulling and banging at the wooden boards across the windows and doors.

Red in the face, Marcus turned back and proceeded to argue loudly with Rosier that he still deserved the galleon, for the Shrieking Shack was magically sealed. Severus ignored them and turned his attention to the distant Hogsmeade street. Though there were no shrieks or other evidence of ghostly activities from the morose old house, there was something about its forlorn abandonment, that gave Severus a sense of disquiet.

Snatches of distant laughter came from The Three Broomsticks and Severus wondered if Lily was in there with her friends. They had had another tiff that morning, when she had come down to the dungeon hideout to ask him if he wanted to go to Hogsmeade with her. He had ignored her, and had insisted on showing her the latest news about the Ministry's incompetence. Things had gone from bad to worse then.

He cursed himself mentally. If he hadn't been so crassly ignorant of what she wanted, he could be sitting with her there himself. Instead, she was probably listening to Potter holding court on his latest Quidditch match, for that pub was one of his favourite haunts.

He squatted down, resting his back against the fence, and took a swig out of his bottle, trying to ignore Wilkes's vociferous protestations and Rosier's snide retorts. He knew Lily was confused and bewildered about his sudden interest in indoctrination tactics.

She was an intelligent witch, and he had tried to appeal to her sense of logic, but he wasn't making much progress. She would only grudgingly admit to the Ministry's blundering ways and even more grudgingly admit that the Dark Lord was very powerful and intelligent, and yes, she would love to 'walk tall' as long as Muggleborns could do so as well as Purebloods and Muggles would remain unharmed. She was convinced that this could never happen ( and she was partly right) so she dismissed the whole idea as ridiculously impossible.

After their unpleasant argument earlier that morning, he knew he had to change tactics. Back off a little, perhaps. After all, he had three years in which to convince her. He had been too sudden, too eager, and since the Dark Lord had sworn him to secrecy, he could not even tell her why.

Not that he would have told her much, anyway - any mention that he had gone to meet Voldemort would have horrified Lily. She would not have understood – her solution to that problem would be to go running straight to Dumbledore, and he wasn't going to allow _that _to happen.

From now on, he would try and win her over to his way of thinking by more insidious means. He would not overwhelm her, but start slowly again. Perhaps rebuild her confidence in him, for it seemed shaken by his recent behaviour. Besides, she was incurably squeamish when it came to anyone getting hurt. This was a war, for Merlin's sake! What else could anyone expect?

Besides, she hadn't heard Voldemort speak. She couldn't see his vision; the things he was striving to do to redress the balance between muggles and wizards. Her upbringing among Muggles hadn't been traumatic, such as his was: she didn't see how one could become so mind-numbingly dead when buried by Muggles' mundane existence, she couldn't see, except briefly here at Hogwarts, how the whole muggle world would be transformed and beautified by magic.

He had rebelled at the idea at first, the night he had gone to Malfoy Manor, angry at the hand fate had dealt him. He had hoped Lily at least, would pass unnoticed - he had not bargained for her being singled out in that way, and feared for her, but in the end, the Dark Lord had surprised him by admiring her magic, willing to close an eye on her obvious muggle roots and even, one day, embrace her into his brotherhood. That would be such an honour.

He, Severus , had always known that Lily's magic was special, and the Dark Lord recognised it too. One day, when Lily came round to his way of thinking, he would tell her that the Dark Lord had singled her out for special treatment, and she would be grateful to him.

_He _certainly was.

The Dark Lord had known all along about their major interference in his plans, and yet he had spared them, even told them that they were special. Perhaps in respect of the memory of his Great-grandfather, whom he seemed to admire. Severus did not know, but the memory of that fateful meeting with Voldemort was still fresh in his mind. It had been so wildly unlike anything he had ever expected. Exhilarating, yet terrifying.

He had woken up in the middle of the night often enough, recently, covered in a cold sweat, the thin wailing voice of Prewitt echoing in his dreams, or the stench of burning flesh still in his nostrils. He had been shocked at the eager cruelty of Bellatrix, and at Voldemort's cold indifference that alternated so quickly with towering rage. But then, he reasoned, this Prewitt had betrayed them. Surely he deserved what he got?

The distant sound of giggling laughter reached his ears and he looked up as a two teenagers, Hogwarts students, tumbled out of the Three Broomsticks, arm-in-arm, and headed up the high street. The setting sun cast a warm glow over the happy couple and sent their long intertwined shadows up the street as they embraced.

Severus wondered who Lily had gone to Hogsmeade with. Probably that Mary MacDonald she was hanging around a lot with, recently.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw both Wilkes and Rosier making their way towards the Shrieking Shack having probably decided to sort out their disagreement by a closer look at the boarded-up door. Thank Merlin, they did not ask him to arbitrate in their quarrel. They had learnt not speak to him when he was in a dark mood.

He was usually with Lily on Hogsmeade weekends anyway, not with Rosier and Wilkes. If he wasn't careful, he'd be spending the next Hogsmeade weekend with these two. Lily had been so angry with him that morning. He should've just accepted her invitation and shut up! Though she had even been avoiding him these last few days, this morning she had come looking for him, eager to go to the wizarding village with him.

And he had ruined it all!

He cursed himself mentally once more. Things had been so promising last summer, and now they were so hopelessly complicated.

In September he had been too worried about the upcoming visit to Malfoy Manor, and after, he had been too intent to start working on the task Voldemort set him, not realising that Lily might still have been thinking about what had almost happened between them at St Cuthbert's, and thus be even more hurt and confused at his behaviour now.

He had been stupid to ignore it. She must have known he was about to say something – the very fact that she never mentioned it again, was proof enough. And now, the opportunity to ever speak his mind about what he felt for her, was even further away than ever, because of the edgy, snappish arguments every time they were alone together.

There were angry tears in her eyes this morning when she stormed out of the dungeon, and he knew she would not be speaking to him again in a hurry.

He sighed, drained the last of the butterbeer and stood up, wondering whether to go poke around the old house with his friends, when someone in the distance caught his eye. It was a Hogwarts student, a witch, and she stood at the beginning of the track that led to the Shrieking shack and she was looking in his direction. She wore a Hogwarts cloak, and a deep hood over her head, but there was something about her that was familiar.

Even at this distance, he thought he recognised the pale face beneath the hood. As though reading his thoughts, the witch lifted her hands to the hood and threw it back.

It was Lily! With a smile, she beckoned him, then turned round and lifted the hood back over her head.

He looked bewildered at her for a second, and then glanced over his shoulders at Rosier and Wilkes who were now both pulling, muggle-fashion, at one of the flimsy weathered boards. They hadn't noticed.

His heart starting to beat faster, Severus turned back to Lily, but she had already set off, walking swiftly towards the high street. Chucking his bottle of butterbeer aside, Severus took off after her, wondering what on earth had wrought such a change. He had not expected her to even want to speak to him, let alone smile at him!

Reaching the high street he struggled against crowds of students making their way back to the castle, and he did not see her immediately among the similarly-cloaked witches and wizards. When he glimpsed her at last, she was much further ahead.

'Lily! Wait up!'

But she just turned round and, with another smile, beckoned him onwards, disappearing down a narrow side street parallel to the one of the Hog's Head Inn. Feeling increasingly mystified, he broke into a run and arrived at the side street just in time to see her disappear through a small door at the end of the street.

The side street was rather narrow, and deserted, for there were no shops. His footsteps seemed unnaturally loud on the cobbles as he came to a stop before the half-open door of a small house sandwiched between two larger ones. What could Lily want with him there? Wild ideas of how perhaps she, too was sorry they had quarrelled, and wanted to make up, flitted across his mind, but before he could dismiss them as ridiculous, the door creaked open and there, in the middle of a darkened room, stood Lily, holding a lit wand.

She had removed her hood and the wandlight fell softly on her dark red hair. She was smiling broadly, but there was a strange expression on her face. He stepped inside.

'Lily, Wha -?'

But he didn't even have a chance to finish his sentence, for the next second, Lily pointed her wand at him and in a strange voice shouted:

'_Incarcerous_!'

Long cords shot out of her wand and wrapped themselves tightly around his body as the door behind him slammed shut, throwing them both into darkness.


	112. Chapter 112

**Chapter 112: Deception.**

He blundered forward in the dark, the ropes constricting his ribcage so that he could barely breathe.

'Lily? What the bloody hell d'you thing you are doing!'

At that moment a small window to one side flew open in a flurry of dust and cobwebs and a dim yellowish light flooded the room.

Severus blinked and found Lily standing barely a foot away from him, her wand pointed at his chest. Her brilliant green eyes were fixed on his, but they were narrowed vindictively and a small cruel smile played about her lips. It was then that Severus realised that something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

'Hello, Severus' she said.

It was her voice, and yet not her voice. Severus was shocked into silence, and he could only stare as Lily took a step closer. For a wild moment he thought she'd been imperious'd, but her eyes did not have that slight unfocussed look Grimstone had described- they were alight up with a cruel determination of their own.

Severus felt himself grow pale as the cold hand of fear clutched at his heart. Her closeness was making the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end with something between fear and revulsion, and he could not understand why. It was something to do with the expression on her face, and the faint sour smell about her that he could now detect. And yet – it was her face – every tiny freckle was in its right place, there was no mistaking that.

He glanced down at her Hogwarts robes. They seemed slightly too big for her, and then he noticed what he should have noticed much earlier, had he not been so distracted by her presence: the wand pointing at his chest was not Lily Evan's wand! Realisation struck him like a ton of bricks: how could he have been so stupid?

'Who are you?' he spat out.

'Ah – I was wondering how long it would take you to realise.' the false Lily said; 'Not too long, as I expected. That is why I decided to incarcerate you rather than continue to impersonate your friend. It would take too long to learn her mannerisms.'

'Who are you?' he repeated venomously, struggling futilely against his bonds, 'What've you done to her?'

'Polyjuice Potion.' the false Lily replied, a smug smile curling her lips in a way that made Severus want to avert his eyes, 'But don't worry about the girl. I haven't seen her in months, However, the last time I did, she was being rather difficult, and I had to restrain her. Later, I found a strand of dark red hair on my robes. I kept it. A skilled wizard knows the potential of one single strand of hair. You should know that, Severus Snape!'

Realisation dawned on Severus.

'Karkaroff!'

'The very same,' Karkaroff answered with Lily's voice, and nodding.

'What d'you want, Karkaroff? Is this about that damned book again?'

Karkaroff did not know that 'Secrets of the Darkest Art' was in Dumbledore's office. Could he have found out? Was it why he was disguising himself as a Hogwarts student – hoping to gain entry to Dumbledore's office?

'That book holds secrets that once appeared desirable, Snape,' Karkaroff said, a dark look shadowing the brilliant green eyes, such as Severus had never seen there before, 'But they no longer do. My father and brother are dead, or worse than dead, my own son, my flesh and blood, has repudiated me. Igor has joined the brotherhood that has destroyed my family! He is a Death Eater now, and no longer a son of mine. The secrets of immortality, Severus Snape, no longer interest me, for I have nothing left to live for.'

Of all the odd expressions and mannerisms apparent about the false Lily, the deadened look in her eyes caused Severus the most anguish. It also filled him with an unreasonable hatred. How dare Karkaroff take on his Lily's appearance? Lily's eyes were always so expressive, so full of _life,_ that seeing them this way was more than he could bear. Severus had held Igor Karkaroff at wand tip in the Hogs Head Inn, not so many months ago. Probably, being drunk at the time, Karkaroff did not even remember, but on that occasion, magic had tingled at his fingertips, and he had barely restrained himself from casting the spell that would have sent Karkaroff straight to the Death Eaters. He regretted that now.

'What d'you want with me then, Karkaroff?' he hissed.

The deadened look in the green eyes changed once more into something darker, and Severus saw a blind hatred there.

'I do not want you. I want Madeira!' said Lily's voice, low and hate-constricted, 'She sold us out to the Death Eaters. I always hated her after she –', Karkaroff broke off and changed track slightly, 'I had warned my father she was not to be trusted, but he was lured by the secrets spells of that old book. She insisted she knew where it was, and had a plan to get it. But it was all lies! The fact remains however, that only _she_ knew about our quest! Only she could have told the Death Eaters! They killed the Goblin, Gartak, in their own quest for the spells in that damned book! Everything spiralled out of control after that.'

'If it's Madeira you want, what am _I_ doing here?'

Karkaroff ignored him. 'She is on the run,' he continued, 'She has been for a long time now, for even the Death Eaters are after her. But I tracked her down, Severus.'

'What for?'

'For some strange reason, she thinks nobody will look for her again in Hogsmeade. She used to live in the hovel in front of the Hog's Head, and yes, of course, I've been there before, and so have You-know-who's followers, but the place was empty. That was almost a year ago now. Perhaps she thought I had given up on her. Perhaps she thought these stupid Aurors patrolling Hogsmeade streets will protect her, I don't know. All I know is that she has returned to her hovel.'

'Well, if it's _her_ you want, why don't you just go knock at her door?'

'She barricaded herself in. This house we stand in backs onto that hovel. Thankfully, the owner, an old witch called Eleanor Jenkins, is away for a month visiting relatives in Salem, Massachusetts. I broke into this house thinking I could just blast my way through into hers, but the place is under magical protection.'

Severus could just remember Madeira saying: _"This place is protected and disguised in a way that even Merlin himself would find irresolvable!" _Apparently, she had been right.

'However,' Karkaroff continued 'I am well-versed in Ancient Magic myself, and I know that the powerful enchantments she has cast over that place will also prevent her from Apparating out of it. No-one can get in, but neither can she get out!'

'You still haven't told yet me what I'm doing here!'

Lily's eyes turned to him once more, and their expression hardened. 'During one of the meetings with Madeira my father forced me into, she let slip that you came to see her via a hidden passageway that leads from her house to Hogwarts.'

Severus suddenly started to fit together the pieces of the puzzle, and realised in shocked horror what Karkaroff intended to do. His horror turned immediately to rage. Not only had Madeira betrayed the knowledge of the book to the Karkaroffs, she had also given away his great-grandfather's s secrets - Hogwarts secrets! And she had betrayed him, too. How could she have thought he'd be lured by cheap gold into giving up his Great-grandfathers book? In spite of all her teachings about reading other people's minds and souls, she had certainly mistaken those of her student! Or perhaps it was just her propensity for intrigue that got the better of her.

'She keeps the entrance closed – magically closed!' Severus said through clenched teeth.

'But she will not expect anyone coming through it from Hogwarts, will she? It will be the weak point in her magical defences.'

'I won't do it!'

'Yes, you will!' Karkaroff shouted in Lily's voice, and with a flick of his wand, he cause the black cords around Severus to tighten.

He felt the air being slowly squeezed out of his lungs, and he was powerless to halt it. He could feel the hard length of his own wand in the inside pocket of his robes dig into his ribs, but his arms were tightly bound to his body and he could not move. He thought of wandless magic, but the dim room was swimming before his eyes, and he stumbled, landing with a jerk on his knees. Looking up, he saw Lily's face gaze down at him, hate and cruelty distorting her beautiful features, and something inside of him snapped:

'I'm never taking you into Hogwarts, Karkaroff!' he gasped, his voice hoarse with pain and hatred. 'You betrayed my Great-grandfather and your own family, just as Madeira betrayed the both of us!'

His answer was a harsh scream of rage from the false Lily and Karkaroff's wand was pointing directly between his eyes.

'You will do as I say!' Karkaroff roared, his voice rising in pitch and cracking as he did not know how to control it. 'You will show me the secret entrance! You do not know who you are dealing with! Do you expect me to just hex you, if you do not obey me? You will feel the Cruciatus Curse again, Snape! I'm sure you remember it clearly from last time, when my father used it on you!'

Severus shook his head slowly, trying not to pass out. He did not know why he was being so stubbornly self-righteous about it! As a true Slytherin, his instincts for self-preservation should have kicked in, promising to take Karkaroff up to the castle and thus gain more time to think what to do. But something about the way Lily's image had been sullied by this wizard had his hackles up, and he was not going to make it easy for him. Perhaps the effect of the Polyjuice Potion would wear off, and his eyeballs would not continue to be seared by the bizarre image of Lily that was not Lily.

'_Cruci_-!' Lily's voice, high-pitched and hate-riddled, was interrupted by another shouted spell, accompanied by a resounding crash:

'_Reducto!_'

It was also Lily's voice: urgent, anxious and _hers._

He looked up and through the blackness that was threatening to obscure his vision, he saw Lily standing in the doorway. In the split second their eyes met he knew – knew without shade of doubt, that this was Lily – _his_ Lily, looking at him anxiously out of those green eyes. He had no time to wonder what she was doing here now, for lights seemed to be popping in the darkness enclosing him, and he knew the lack of oxygen was finally shutting down his brain.

'_Diffindo!_' came a shout and suddenly the black cords around his body fell away, and he drew in ragged lungfuls of air thankfully, trying to claw his way back to full consciousness as quickly as he could, to a background noise of loud bangs and crashes.

He got to his feet unsteadily, drawing out his wand with a shaking hand. And the sight that met his eyes made him think that the lack of oxygen had affected him more than he had thought. Two Lily Evans were duelling each other at the other end of the room, both heads of red hair ablaze in the light of the flying spells.

He blinked rapidly, aiming his wand in their general direction. One of them had taken refuge behind a large dusty cupboard, and the other was firing spells from a doorway at the back of the room. There was dust floating around and one of the curtains on the window had caught fire. In the smoke and confusion, Severus could not say who was who, and he felt his heart beating in his throat as the full impact of the surreal situation hit him: what if he hit the wrong witch? But if he didn't act soon, Karkaroff was a fully-qualified wizard with decades of experience...

'Sev!'

The Lily closest to him was looking at him and the tone of trustful expectancy convinced him, but in the split second Lily had taken to look at him, a green flash of light passed overhead, narrowly missing her and shattering the heavy oak furniture she was hiding behind as well as part of the wall. She disappeared in the smoke of the conflagration and falling furniture. Severus felt a deadly fury rise inside him. That was a Killing Curse!

He fired a curse in the general direction of the backdoor, concentrating all his pent-up hatred of Karkaroff into it. The spell flew right past the doorway, which was now empty, for Karkaroff was no longer there, and hit the wall of the small backroom, sending bits of brick and mortar flying. He saw a swift movement from the corner of his eyes and whirled round, trying to locate Karkaroff in the smoke filled room.

And he was there, barely a foot away from him, and his wand was pressed into the pale flesh of Lily's neck. Lily looked disoriented, covered in dust and soot, and she had lost her wand.

'I should've used the Imperius Curse on you to lead me to Hogwarts, and be done with it!' Karkaroff bit out, 'I didn't foresee this complication. Now hand me your wand or I will demonstrate the third and last of the Unforgiveable Curses, Snape! As you know, I have nothing to lose!'

'You'll lose your soul, Karkaroff!' Lily said. 'You know the Dementors will jump at the chance, if you use unforgivables!'

She had recovered a little and had lost her dazed look. Severus hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid, for Karkaroff held her by one arm and his wand pressed deeper into her skin.

'My soul is already lost, girl!' the false Lily shouted, her face twisted in bitter hatred 'Only one thing remains for me to do now, and I don't care who gets hurt along the way! Now, hand over your wand!'

Severus looked at the two faces of Lily Evans, feeling as though he was trapped in some bizarre nightmare. The two witches were alike down to the last freckle, but as different as night and day: one's features were twisted in a desperate hatred, the brilliant green eyes dead behind the veneer of hate, and the other Lily – _his_ Lily, was smoke-begrimed and pale, but she was slowly shaking her head, her eyes speaking volumes. He knew what she meant. Do not take this wizard to Hogwarts, her eyes beseeched him. Typical Gryffindor reckless bravery! Did she think Karkaroff would not carry out his threat?

Silently, he handed over his wand to the false Lily.

'Severus, no-!'

But with a flick of his wand Karkaroff bound Lily with the same cords he had used on him earlier. Severus thought of attacking him bare-handed, but Karkaroff's wand was still pointed at Lily. Then he noticed that though the cords were tight, they did not seem to be constricting Lily as they had done him. Summoning a chair, Karkaroff proceeded to bind Lily to it.

'Good, I see we are getting somewhere now,' Karkaroff said, 'My father had guessed right about you and this witch. Perhaps she will turn out to be useful after all.'

Severus threw him a burning look of hatred such as he had never imagined he would ever throw at anything that looked like Lily, but Karkaroff ignored him. Silently, he waved Severus' own wand at the curtain and old furniture that had caught fire, and a jet of water put them out.

'Now, he said, 'you will take me to Hogwarts and show me that secret passage-'

'Severus, don't do it! Tell Dumbledore! You won't get away with it, Karkaroff! Someone'll notice the difference!'

'Well, most students will have returned to Hogwarts now, for it is almost curfew, and hence, those moronic Aurors paid for the extra surveillance of Hogsmeade while you students are around, will have gone too! Besides, your boyfriend will make sure that no-one notices any difference in behaviour –'

'That's up to you, Karkaroff!' Severus hissed angrily 'You shouldn't've impersonated Lily if you don't know anything about her!'

'Then you will give me some pointers as we go along, for you see, if you want to see your friend alive again, you must return me here within three hours. Those ropes constrict slowly, imperceptibly at first, but at the end of three hours, unless I am here to lift that special curse off her, she will find herself rather short of breath, if you know what I mean!'

'Why, you - !' Severus, blinded by a wild rage, reached out for Karkaroff, but Karkaroff merely pointed his wand at him, a non-verbal spell hitting him in the middle of his chest, winding him. Lily screamed and tried to get up, almost toppling over, but Karkaroff pointed his wand at her once more and a white gag appeared around her mouth, silencing her.

'You have three hours, Snape!' the false Lily said with an evil smile, 'I suggest we leave soon. Your friend will be fine here. Given your stubborn behaviour earlier, I'm glad she dropped in, after all. She will ensure you do nothing stupid while we're up at the school. Now, Shall we?'

Severus glanced at Lily. Her head was bent forward, her dark her covering her face, but he could see tear tracks down her begrimed face. He cursed himself inwardly. It was because of him that she was in this mess! She had come to save him and now her own life was at stake! He shifted his look to Karkaroff, a cold deadly hatred rising within him. He did not want to focus on the face of Lily Evans but sought instead the wizard that was behind those green eyes.

'Let's go,' he said in expressionless voice.

He knew that the wizard probably had no intention of coming to lift the curse off Lily, but right now, he had no choice but to obey. He would watch him like a hawk, the old wizard was bound to make a mistake soon.: his mind was blinded by despair and no doubt, firewhisky... He just had to find the right moment.

He preceded Karkaroff out of house and watched as the old wizard placed a sealing charm on the doors and windows. As Karkaroff had said, the streets were dark now, and most students had already made their way to Hogwarts.

They set off at a fast pace, often breaking into a run. Karkaroff kept close to his side, his wand drawn. They saw no patrolling Aurors – probably they were all having a drink at The Three Broomsticks now. In the distance, they could see some of the last stragglers making their way past the Hogwarts gates.

A last burst of speed and they made past the school Gates just as the Gamekeeper, Hagrid, was coming down with a lamp and keys to lock the gates. With a cheery greeting that the false Lily did not return, Hagrid stomped past them towards the gate.

Only a few third-years lingered in the Entrance Hall, and they made their way up the main staircase without meeting anyone. The corridors were a bit more crowded however, and he felt Karkaroff slip his arm through his as they negotiated the third floor corridor, for all the world like they were a couple. He looked down at the false Lily by his side and she smiled at him in a way that made him look away again just as hastily.

Having Lily hanging onto his arm like this was something that he had so often fantasised about and yet now, the sight of her, and the warm weight at his side, made his stomach churn with both disgust and fear.

To underline the meaning of her smile, he felt the false Lily bring her other arm around his, leaning on him, and the hard tip of a wand pressed into his ribs, as her lips stretched into a wider smile.

Severus looked away and concentrated on reaching the fourth floor corridor, ignoring her. He had to concentrate on getting back. There were so many things that could go wrong! They could be waylaid by Lily's group of Gryffindor friends, or his friends, or even a teacher...

If they were found out, he knew Karkaroff was desperate enough to carry out his threat and refuse to lift the cursed ropes off Lily. He could be bluffing of course, and a simple severing charm would get rid of them, but there was no knowing. And besides, the burning point of the tip of Karkaroff's wand against his ribcage meant that he himself might not be alive to tell anyone about Lily's predicament, if a trigger-happy Karkaroff decided to end it.

Being almost curfew, most students were converging towards their common-rooms. A few stray Ravenclaws looked oddly at them as they went past, for they were going in the direction of the West tower, but luckily it wasn't anybody they knew.

'Are we there yet?' the false Lily asked with an irritated edge to her voice, and a sharp jab into his ribs with the wand.

Severus remembered what he had seen in Karkaroff's memories. He had connections with Durmstrang and had probably been educated there, so he had never set foot at Hogwarts.

'It's just up this last flight of steps, along the Fourth floor corridor,' he muttered.

The fourth floor corridor was thankfully deserted, and Severus started to hurry along its dimly-lighted length, his long strides forcing the false Lily to a trot. He didn't care. He had to get back to the real Lily. The walk down Rowena's secret passage was smooth, but long. Very long, and part of the three hours were already gone.

A flurry of movement caught his eyes.

'Oy, Prongs, look who it is...!' Came a disembodied whisper from somewhere up ahead.

Severus couldn't make out anybody however, nor make any sense of those hushed words. The false Lily had stopped, her eyes searching the corridor ahead. Some of the occupants of the portraits lining the wall, shifted slightly in their sleep, and there were more indistinguishable noises, like harsh whispering from the far end of the corridor. A suit of armour in a niche swayed slightly and rattled, as though somebody knocked against it.

'That's probably Peeves, the Poltergeist,' Severus explained.

'I don't care about stupid poltergeists! Let's get going! You said the secret passage was here!' the false Lily retorted.

Severus thought Peeves would surely retaliate to those words, but strangely enough, the poltergeist was quiet. Unless it wasn't a Poltergeist, of course. Severus peered sharply down the deserted corridor, but there wasn't even the slight tell-tale distortion of a Disillusionment charm.

He approached the large ornate floor-to-ceiling mirror and echoed Rowena Ravenclaw's incantation:

''_Thesaurii sapientia libertas est.'_

And watched as his reflection invited him and Lily's impersonator in.

'Light your wand' Severus instructed, as they were enveloped by the darkness of the passageway. Karkaroff let go of his arm and did so, holding Severus' lighted ebony wand aloft, while still pointing his own at Severus.

The intricate pattern of constellations, stars and planets on the passageway ceiling caught the wandlight and glowed softly in response, showing the way ahead.

'This way!'

Severus set off at a run, not caring if Karkaroff followed, for he knew time was running out. The passageway sloped sharply at first and this helped, then it levelled out and, nearly half-an-hour later, they arrived at the place where the old wooden trapdoor marked the entrance to Madeira's hovel. Karkaroff drew up, panting raggedly.

'Is this it?' he asked, looking at the old flimsy trapdoor above with an incredulous expression. 'How could such a passageway, steeped in what are clearly signs of advanced magical knowledge, lead to a broken down trapdoor like this?'

'Well, it's Madeira you want, isn't it?' Severus replied, sourly 'She doesn't usually hang fancy brass knockers and lanterns on the door where she lives!'

His eyes followed Karkaroff closely. If he did not intend to keep his word now was the time he would probably act, for he had got what he came for. But though the wizard masquerading as Lily still had his wand trained on him, he was clutching a stitch at his side, and his eyes were looking greedily at the door. Severus noticed that his hair was losing its dark red colour and turning a straggly grey, retreating back into his skull, and wrinkles were appearing on his skin. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off!

'It is usually magically sealed by Madeira from the inside' he offered.

'Well, we shall soon see if you have told me the truth, Snape!' Karkaroff replied, grimly, 'I know Madeira of old, and I have seen her cast Sealing spells on doors when she didn't want us to be disturbed! '

Severus remembered that as a youth Karkaroff had been one of her many lovers. Yes, he definitely would be familiar with her sealing spells. Standing beneath trapdoor in the low ceiling of the passageway, Karkaroff, who was growing taller as the effects of the polyjuice potion wore off, still had his wand trained on him, but with the other he was muttering incantations while pointing it at the trapdoor.

It took several minutes, and finally, it was a non-verbal spell that did it. The trapdoor shivered slightly and fine particles of dust fell from around its perimeter. Severus knew it had opened. Karkaroff pushed the wooden trapdoor carefully and peered through the crack. He evidently recognised what he saw for he lowered it gently back down and turned to Severus.

'It is the old bookshop beneath her place, yes.' Karkaroff said, his face having turned into the old wrinkled one Severus remembered. 'You have led me to the right place, but now I'm afraid we must part ways. I will obliviate you, and then your friend,-'

'You may not be alive to release Lily after Madeira!' Severus spat. He had known this would happen, 'You let me in, or –!'

'Or what? I had decided on finishing you off, you impertinent fool!' Karkaroff hissed, 'You should thank Merlin that -'

But he did not finish his sentence. Severus, quick as lightening, threw a handful of dust he had surreptitiously picked from beneath the trapdoor, at Karkaroff's eyes. Taken completely by surprise, the old wizard jumped backwards, forgot he was in the lowest part of the passageway, and hit his head against the low ceiling, swearing in both Russian and English, as he fired off a curse that missed Severus widely. Severus seized his opportunity and charged.

He knew Karkaroff was a pureblood wizard with no idea of the use of fists - or as he would call it, Muggle duelling. But Severus, who was intimately familiar with flying fists, and with struggling with an older man at close quarters, used this to his advantage. Karkaroff lost his balance at his onslaught, and his momentum slammed Karkaroff's body against the wall at the end of the tunnel. Severus had already lunged for his own wand which Karkaroff held in his left hand, while with the other he tried to pin the older wizard against the wall.

Despite his own abhorrence of Muggle fighting, he felt a rush of wild, vindictive elation as he saw Karkaroff's eyes widen in alarm, but then a red flash of light emanated from Karkaroff's wand, ricocheting down the passageway. It did not, however, do any damage to the wall, for the fabric of Rowena Ravenclaw's secret passage was protected by more than just mortar and bricks.

Just as Severus managed to wrest his wand from the older wizards' hand, Karkaroff broke free, and stumbled against the wall of the passageway, hampered by his now tight-fitting robes. Severus aimed a kick at the fallen wizard, concentrating all his hatred him in that one blow, but Karkaroff rolled away, bringing his wand around and firing a Killing Curse that narrowly missed him, though the bright green flash of light and rushing sound effectively blinded him for a second.

Muttering an oath, Severus backed off hurriedly. No more Muggle fighting! He was a wizard for Merlin's sake! He retaliated swiftly while Karkaroff was getting to his feet, knowing that in such a small space he would have nowhere to hide, and no other chance! His spell lit up the end of the tunnel blindingly, but Karkaroff was no longer there. For a stunned moment, Severus thought he had disappeared, but then he saw the edge of a black cloak disappearing through the open trapdoor above.

He ran forwards, but it had slammed shut, and a faint glow around the perimeter told him that Karkaroff had sealed it from the inside.

'Karkaroff!'

He beat the wooden trapdoor uselessly with his fists, wishing it was his face he was punching, but it did not open, and nor did Karkaroff answer. Probably he was on his was to duel Madeira, if that old witch really was there after all. Severus tried to unseal the door with his wand, but nothing worked. He swore loudly in his frustration, the long passageway sending his oaths echoing angrily up its vast length.

There was nothing for it! Karkaroff would leave Lily to die, especially if he was finished off by Madeira. Though very old, Madeira was a formidable witch, especially when cornered. He set off at a run, retracing his steps right back up to the castle. He would have to use the underground passage to sneak out of Hogwarts now, row across the underground lake and then take the long way round to Hogsmeade. He had less than two hours! If he was held up again...

He arrived at the Mirror completely out of breath having run all the way up. Pushing it open he stepped into the quiet deserted corridor outside, his heart thumping so loudly in the stillness that he was sure it could be heard. The mirror re-sealed itself behind him as usual, and he was about to set off at a run again, when somebody grabbed his shoulder from behind, and a familiar, hated voice said:

'What've you done with her, Snivillus?'

He whirled round, knocking Potter's hand off his shoulder. How in Merlin's name could he have materialised behind him? He was sure there had been no-one there before! Worse still, Severus saw that Potter was accompanied by his usual gang – Lupin, Black and Pettigrew: The Marauders, or some such silly name Lily said they were calling themselves these days.

'What are you blathering about Potter?'

He was in no mood for this. He had just tackled a fully-qualified wizard, and his wand arm was still tingling with uncast curses. If Potter tried anything stupid, he'd feel just how frustrated he was now.

'I should've followed you in there, Snivillus! I know the password now! What did you do with Lily Evans? Where d'you leave her?'

Potter's face was set in such a sour, angry expression, that it surprised Severus. But a swift glance at what Potter was holding over his arm explained a lot. His left hand seemed curiously detached from the rest of him and closer observation showed that he had a silky, shiny cloth draped over his arm that rendered his arm invisible where the material touched his flesh. An Invisibility cloak! Potter had somehow procured himself an invisibility cloak! Well he was rich enough! His lips twisted in a sneer:

'What's it to you, where we went, Potter?'

Potter's face flushed a deeper red, his features contorted in an unreasonable fury, and he reached for his wand, but Severus was ready for him. The black ebony wand flashed up, pointing between Potter's eyes, as Severus felt all his pent-up anger and desperation build up behind the glowing tip of his wand. He saw Pettigrew draw back nervously behind Black, though the chubby boy did not lose the eager smile he had on his face. Black drew his own wand, but Lupin stepped forward.

'Prongs, back off a little. You don't know he's done anything to her!' Remus Lupin laid a restraining hand on Potter's arm, but Potter's hate-riddled expression matched that of Severus' own.

An inkling of what might be bothering James Potter suddenly dawned on Severus. He had behaved the same way in the Forbidden Forest when they had been captured by the Karkaroffs: he had insisted he wanted to stay with Lily Evans, even though he, Severus, was clearly her best friend. The realisation that Potter liked Lily – _his_ Lily – hit him like a ton of bricks, and a seething rage boiled up in him, the hatred for that be-spectacled, handsome face spreading through his veins like a burning poison.

Something must have shown on his face, for Lupin actually stepped between them and said:

'No magic in the corridors Snape, or I'll have to dock points from Slytherin!'

'See if I care, Lupin!' he bit out in a strangulated voice.

'He could've touched her up, you know,' Pettigrew butted in, his watery eyes gleaming eagerly at Potter, 'No-one knows where that passage leads to, it's off the map-'

'Shut it, Wormy!' Black snapped suddenly, hitting him with a large parchment and quill he held in his hands. It looked like a map of some sort.

'Where is she, Snivellus?' Potter repeated.

'Why don't you ask her when she comes back, Potter? Though I doubt she'll tell _you_. It's none of your business after all. You never told us what _you _were doing out of bounds in the Forbidden Forest last year, did you? So butt out of our affairs, Potter – they concern me and Lily, only!' he noted with savage delight the scowl that spread over Potter face.

'I'm going after her!' he said, and made towards the mirror.

'You do that, Potter' Severus replied.

The passageway was sealed, and they would have to turn back. In the meantime, he had to get going. They had wasted enough of his precious time already. It was a pity that his secret passageway had been discovered by these idiots, hiding under an invisibility cloak, but right now, he couldn't stop to think about it. Lily's life was more important.

'If she doesn't come back soon, Snape, I'll have to tell McGonagall!' Lupin told him, frowning.

'No, Moony! Evans'll get into trouble!' Black remonstrated.

'Lily should be back within the hour. You'll see.' Severus declared.

At least someone would send help if he wasn't on time.

'Then if she doesn't, we'll tell McGonagall you abducted her, you greasy git!' was Black's obvious retort.

Severus did not answer but backed carefully out of the fourth floor corridor, leaving them crowded around the mirror.

Casting a hasty Disillusionment Charm over himself he tore down the stairs, through the Entrance Hall and down the steps that led to the Dungeons. He had never ran so fast through those familiar, yet uneven tunnels, and he stumbled and swore as he reached the deeper unlit passageways that led to the underground cavern beneath the castle. He hadn't used this way out of Hogwarts since last year, and he hoped the boats were still there.

Fortunately they all were, drawn up on the pebbly beach of the underground lake. Hastily pulling one over into the water, he jumped in and pushed off. Thank goodness the water of the lake was calm and he had discovered a way of making the boats float through the water without the use of oars, though he had to go in absolute darkness. He couldn't risk wandlight now.

He reached the other side of the lake relatively quickly but still had a long track through the edge of the Forbidden Forest to reach the wizarding village. When he finally reached the outskirts of Hogsmeade he could see, by the height of the crescent moon, that it was very late and he probably did not have much more than an hour to get to Lily.

What he was most afraid of at this point, though, was that Karkaroff would have wreaked his revenge on Madeira and would turn to Lily. At best, he would modify her memory, but at worst... he could not bear to think about that now. Karkaroff had seemed too desperate, too suicidal, to care what happened to him after he was through with Madeira, but what if he felt differently at the end of it?

Hurrying on in mad haste, he saw that the Three Broomsticks still appeared to have its usual Saturday night clientele, and he could hear snatches of laughter and song from that direction, but the streets were deserted, for the shops had long since closed.

Severus finally arrived at the small cobbled side street at the bottom of which was the small house that backed onto Madeira's. It was dark, and the windows and doors still closed. Karkaroff had sealed them shut when they left. He hastily murmured the counter spell that removed the effects of his Disillusionment Charm. He did not want to frighten Lily by appearing semi-invisible before her.

Actually, he did not know how Lily would react to his appearance at all. He would have hoped she'd be thankful he came to save her, but she had had curses thrown at her by Karkaroff; had had her own appearance used to introduce a dangerous wizard into Hogwarts; had been bound and gagged and left to sit in a dark abandoned house for well over an hour, all because of him.

Severus didn't think her temper would be much improved by whatever she had overheard of his and Karkaroff's argument, before she burst in to save him. They had been shouting and Madeira's name had been bandied around: his secret contact with that old witch had been a sore spot for Lily. He had kept it secret because she wouldn't have approved of her, but the fact that he had kept things hidden from her seemed just as bad, even though she hadn't insisted that he tell her anything more.

With some trepidation, he pointed his wand at the door and whispered '_Alahomora_!'

The door glowed briefly, but did not open. A feeling of panic washed over Severus. What if Karkaroff had sealed it like he did the trapdoor? So close, and yet he couldn't get in. He placed his hands on the wooden door, pushing hard. There was absolute silence from inside for Lily was bound and gagged, but she must have seen and heard his attempt at opening the door.

There was nothing for it – if this didn't work, nothing would. He pointed his wand at the door and cried:

'_Confringo!_'

The door shattered, the wood splintering down its middle with a noise like a firecracker, the hinges rattling violently, and the lock twisted out of the jamb.

Severus stepped hastily inside, lighting his wand.

'Lily?' he whispered.

He raised his wand so that the bright blue-white light fell over the broken furniture and rubble from the walls they had blasted earlier. It fell over an upturned chair. Black cords, severed down the middle, lay around the chair, but Lily herself was nowhere to be found.


	113. Chapter 113

**Chapter 113: Dark Mark.**

Lily crouched in the darkness beyond the door that led to the front room. It had been so ridiculously simple, she wondered why she had not thought of doing it before. She had lain for more than one long interminable hour in the dark, tears seeping down her soot-covered cheeks and into the gag that kept her so effectively silent, berating herself for her part in all this.

She hadn't been good enough. She had erupted in to face a fully-qualified wizard and a wandless Severus, only to allow herself to be stupidly captured, forcing Severus to take that mad wizard, Karkaroff, right into Hogwarts. She should've gone straight to tell the Patrolling Aurors! Merlin only knew what that Karkaroff would do to Severus, once he got what he wanted in Hogwarts!

It was at the depth of her despair that she had thought about it. Wandless magic. Both she and Severus had been good at it before the acquisition of a wand made them forget all about it. There were plenty of broken plates and bits of cutlery littering the floor from the duel with her doppelganger earlier, and Karkaroff, being a Dark wizard, would never think like a muggle.

But she could – with a pinch of magic, that is.

A simple Summoning Charm and after several futile attempts, a small table knife finally rested in her hands. She had hacked away at the cords until they fell away and she was free. She had jumped up from her chair, knocking it over, in a hurry to get out, but night had fallen and she could not locate her wand in the dark, among all the rubble and bits of furniture that littered the floor. It had taken her at least another quarter of an hour to finally locate her wand beneath the splintered remains of an oak dresser.

It was then she had heard the noise. It was coming from the small backroom, one wall of which Severus had almost shattered with a Blasting Curse aimed at Karkaroff. She had approached it carefully, for the wall, even in the light of her wand, had cracks and fissures that ran from floor to ceiling. Any muggle house or cottage wall would have crumbled away with that much damage, so Lily assumed this wall was held up by more than simple mortar. The noise that had attracted her came from within. Voices were raised in anger and there were bangs and crashes of flying spells. They had been too muffled to be distinguishable, but they had made her jump back in alarm.

She had rushed to the front door, this time determined to seek one of the Patrolling Aurors, but she found the door closed. Karkaroff had sealed her in! The next instant, something happened that made her forget about escaping. The door glowed briefly, indicating that someone was trying to break through the magical seal.

She retreated hastily, crouching down behind the door that led to the back room. After a few muffled attempts to open the door manually, whoever was outside had fallen silent. Lily aimed her wand at the front door and held her breath.

Suddenly, there was a resounding crash, the door splintered down the middle, and fell open. The dim light of a crescent moon outside silhouetted a thin, cloaked figure she would have recognised anywhere.

Relief flooded through her, but something kept her rooted to the spot. There had been too many mix-ups recently with people pretending to be other people they were not!

'Lily?' Severus whispered, lighting his wand.

She saw him look down at her empty chair, coming to the only conclusion, but still she did not move.

Severus leapt over her overturned chair and ran straight at the door she was hiding behind, but she was ready for him.

'Stop right where you are!' she said sharply.

He skidded to an abrupt halt as he found her standing in front of him beyond the doorway, her wand aimed at his chest. She saw a distrustful scowl cross his face.

'Who are you?' she continued, trying to keep her voice impassive.

Her instincts were telling her that this was wrong, wrong, _wrong_! She had never pointed her wand at Severus this way before! She saw him glance briefly at the shattered, yet intact, wall of the room beyond.

'What d'you mean, Lily?'

'It was Polyjuice potion, wasn't it? How do I know you're not Karkaroff? How do I know you're really Severus?'

'You know me it's me the same way I know it's you, Lily' he said quietly, raising his wand so that its blue-white light illuminated both of them.

There was relief in his eyes, but also something else that was endearingly familiar: exasperation. She lowered her wand, and the exasperation in his expression grew even more pronounced.

'Severus, I –'

'Wrong answer, Lily! You shouldn't've believed me! I could still be Karkaroff for all you know!'

'But you said –!'

'_Anyone_ would say that, Lily! You've got to ask something, at least, something only the real me would've known how to answer!'

'So why don't you ask _me_ something like that then? I could still be the false Lily!' she replied petulantly.

'I knew it was you the moment you lowered your wand. You're too trusting, Lily!'

'And you're too mistrustful!' she snapped suddenly, the memory of her two hours in the dark coming back to her in full force, 'May I remind you that we're here because you did not trust me enough to tell me about the secret passage! May I remind you, that I've just spent two bloody hours in this dark hole because you did not trust me enough to tell me about Madeira! And Merlin knows what else!'

Her voice rose in anger as she glared at him. How dare he tell her she is too trusting when after all, it was he who had followed Karkaroff masquerading as her? She had not wanted to push him into revealing things he obviously did not trust her with, but after all she'd been through, she felt she now had a right to some answers. She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly.

Severus lowered his wand.

'_Nox'_ he whispered, and they were thrown into darkness.

'Sev?'

She wondered if he was mad at her, but she couldn't make out his face. She knew she was being ungrateful – he had just come back to save her, and after all, she had been the one who had got herself captured, forcing him to give in to Karkaroff's demands. He had done that because Karkaroff had threatened _her._

'I was afraid you wouldn't approve,' came his voice quietly in the dark.

'Wouldn't approve of what?' she asked, hearing the fear in her own voice.

'I discovered the secret passage Karkaroff was after with the help of Madeira. She knew my Great-grandfather and he taught her both Occlumency and Legilimency. They are – very rare magical arts, especially Legilimency. She promised to pass on the knowledge, if I showed the right aptitude.'

He said this in a rush, as though to get it over with.

'Legilimency? But that's illegal, isn't it?'

'Strictly controlled. It is probably too obscure a branch of magic to have had many laws written about it, anyway'

'And do you - ? Have you learnt?' her voice trembled slightly.

Could he really have learnt Legilimency? Could he really invade her mind, if he so wanted? She had even joked with him about it, once. Then she suddenly remembered what he had asked her to try out on a lonely cave by the sea, last summer. But _that_ wasn't Legilimency! He had said it was something else. Then again, how would she know it was, or was not, Legilimency? She had never had her mind read? Or had she? Except for that one strange experience years ago, she had no way of knowing.

Severus stood silently before her. She knew he was trying to gauge her reaction to whatever the answer to that question was, just as much as she was trying to search for answers in his face.

She raised her wand slowly.

'_Lumos_!' she whispered.

He was looking at her intently, but his dark eyes revealed nothing. Dark, bottomless pits that barely looked alive. But something about the taut lines of his thin face told her otherwise.

'Yes,' he answered, the little word dropping between them with the weight of a small bomb.

Lily swallowed, 'And have you – have you ever p-practised Legilimency on-?'

'I broke off the lessons the day I first tried Legilimency Lily, okay? I was taught Occlumency mainly, and I've only ever tried Legilimency a few times!'

'On whom?'

'Madeira herself, and – and Karkaroff,'

'_Karkaroff?_!'

She saw his eyes darken.

'Yes, Karkaroff!' he bit out, 'He was the only one not carted away by the Dementors that day in the forest, remember? I had quarrelled with Madeira, and he was the only one left who had some answers as to what my Great-grandfather wrote in that book. I found him drunk, and it was easy.'

He spoke unnecessarily harshly, as though expecting many recriminations from her part. But none occurred to her. She felt a bit benumbed and worried by the revelation, but not as horrified as she might have felt had he told her he was meeting with Death Eaters, for example. That had been a niggling fear at the back of her mind ever since she discovered he was meeting that sinister witch in secret. She suspected that Madeira had connections with Death Eaters, and had half-believed that that was why he had sought her out. Instead, he had been taking Legilimency lessons. Well, that was not good news, but nor was it the worst.

And after all, if someone like Mary Macdonald had been provoked to think of using an Unforgiveable Curse, than it was hardly surprising someone like Severus would seek to learn Legilimency. It shocked her less than Mary's actions that morning.

'Is it - is it easy?' The question had escaped her lips before she realised.

She saw his eyebrows go up quizzically as he scrutinised her face. She felt a slow flush spread across her cheeks.

'You'd notice if I were trying to use Legilimency on you, if that is what you're afraid of, Lily,' he said finally, his lips twitching upwards, 'Though you're such an open book, I don't see why anyone would bother!'

'I think everyone should be an open book then,' she muttered, but the blush spreading across her cheeks belied her words. Extinguishing her wand, she knew that she would be extremely embarrassed at some of the thoughts he might unearth in _her_ mind.

She was extremely relieved at seeing him again after her ordeal in the dark, imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened to him. He had come back for her; and he was speaking to her again after their quarrel that morning, with his usual half-teasing sarcasm, without a single mention of Voldemort and his cronies. And he was standing close to her in the dark, acrid-smelling room of the old house, his familiar presence both comforting yet exciting. All these factors contrived to send her mind in a direction she felt it ought NOT be going, under the circumstances.

He must have been thinking the same thing for he said:

'I don't think now is the time for a lesson on Legilimency. We should get back, or that bloody Potter will sound the alarm.'

'Potter?'

'Him and his gang of idiots saw us enter the secret passage. Would you believe that that rich, spoilt bastard has an Invisibility Cloak? When I came back up the secret passage alone, he thought I'd done something to you, as if I'd ever –'

'Oh, right, the secret passage!' she said, interrupting what seemed to be the start of a furious tirade against Potter, 'I had overheard that bit! Where is it? How d'you get to it?'

'Lily, I'll explain later, okay? Let's get going, we have to take the long way now. Just - just one thing, before we go...' he hesitated and she could hear the note of curiosity in his voice as he gazed her, his face a pale shadow in the dim light filtering in through the splintered front door, 'How did you find us here?'

She smiled. 'I was at the Three Broomsticks, but the Quidditch monologues were getting increasingly boring as usual, so I went over to the window to have a look outside, and...' she had gone to the window in the hope of catching a glimpse of Severus, actually, '... and I happened to see a red-headed witch at the beginning of the track leading to the Shrieking shack. She had lowered her hood for a moment and let me tell you, Sev, I almost choked on my butterbeer when I found myself looking at myself! I didn't know what to think, but when a minute later I saw you following her, I kind of thought I should investigate. You had almost disappeared by the time I came out of the pub, and it took a while to find you. '

She saw him squirm uncomfortably, and smiled to herself in the dark. 'I guess you should've taken your own advice and asked her something only the real me could've answered!' she chided.

'She was too far away, but... point taken,' he muttered in response, 'I realised it wasn't you soon's I got close enough, but Karkaroff had me in trussed up before I could react.'

'They weren't the same cords as he used on me, though. He was bluffing when he said they'd tighten, Sev. I don't think he wanted to kill me, really.'

She heard a snort of exasperate disbelief, and decided not to press her point. He'd tell her she was just being too naive again. She concentrated on casting a cleaning charm to get rid of the worst of the soot and debris covering her face and clothes.

'How did you free yourself?' he was asking as they made their way to the door. They stepped outside and she cast a _reparo _spell at the door, so that he splintered door came back together again and swung shut on its hinges.

'Wandless magic and a steak knife' she answered with a grin, and saw him looking at her in wonderment as they made their way along the narrow cobbled street, 'What? We used to be good at that before we got our wands, remember? I suppose being in dire straits uncovered my hidden tale-'

A sudden noise of distant of running footsteps was coming closer. They had reached the junction of their street with the high street. Severus pulled Lily into a shadowy doorway as the sharp noise of several pairs of feet approached. There were two of them, and Lily drew in her breath sharply as the tall cloaked figures approached. They were wearing pale death's head masks, and, as Lily watched, a third Death Eater emerged from the street parallel to the one they had just left, the street where she had once seen Severus spy on the goings on of Selwynn and his companions in the Hog's Head Inn.

The two Death Eaters had slowed down to wait upon the third, who had stopped at the mouth of the narrow side street. He lifted his wand to point at the clear sky above the old street and shouted in a harsh voice:

'_Morsmordre!' _

The dark velvety midnight blue of the sky above them turned a viscid green as a huge shape erupted from the wizard's wand, soaring high above them like green smoke to form a huge skull that opened its leering mouth, allowing a huge, fanged serpent to issue forth and twist its long body to form arching loops against the night sky. Lily stood frozen in fear and yet, mesmerised, she could not tear her eyes away from the macabre yet tremendous, display.

It was the sound of wizards' disapparating that brought her to her senses. She glanced at Severus, on whose upturned face, green–tinged with the Dark Mark, was such a look of amazed admiration that she dug him angrily in the ribs with her elbows, indicating that the Death Eaters had gone.

She knew what the Dark Mark meant.

Someone had been murdered in that small side street tonight!

Severus looked down the deserted high street, then glanced again at the leering monstrosity above. Suddenly she remembered –

'Sev, I heard sounds coming from the back of that house we were in. Somebody was arguing. You don't think -?'

'Lily, we've got to go back!'

'What! We've got to warn someone! Or at least see what happened! Who was-?' she could not bring herself to say the words.

'That,' Severus indicated the Dark Mark above, 'is warning enough for anybody. But I need to see what happened before they invade the place! I've got an idea! You stay here!'

And with that, he tore off down the street they had just left, his silent cloaked figure green- tinged with the Dark Marks light.

Lily hesitated for a second then tore off after him, arriving seconds later in the same house they had just left. He was in the back room, his wand lighted up as he examined the wall. It seemed to have collapsed now.

'Sev, put out your wand! There's just been a murder in the next street, for Merlin's sake!'

He looked back at her, scowling as he saw she had followed him.

'The dead can't do anything to you, Lily' he began 'This house backs on to Madeira's place and Karkaroff wanted her dead!'

'That's where the secret passage leads to, doesn't it?'

He nodded, and cast a freezing charm on some of the dangling bits of timber to stabilise the top of the wide dark hole that had been created, and then extinguished his wand.

'That doesn't explain the Dark Mark, Severus. Karkaroff did not send that one up!'

'I don't know why, or if, Death Eaters were here, but Madeira had many enemies,' he replied, dropping his voice to a whisper,

'Someone could still be alive: they may be hurt or something!'

'If there is a Dark Mark, then you can rest assured that no-one escaped!'

'There's no need to sound so pleased –!' she started.

'Shhh!'

He had passed through the broken brickwork and exposed woodwork into a large, dark room. The only light came from further on, from a trapdoor-like opening through which passed a series of steep, slatted wooden steps. Lily could see that the large room was a bookshop of some sort, for there were bookshelves and a counter, all festooned with large, dusty cobwebs. A faint green light penetrated the gloomy place from the cracks between the boarded-up door.

Severus, who seemed to know the place quite well, was already half-way up the steps, his wand at the ready. She followed him warily.

At the top was what might have been a cosy little living space, but had obviously been the site of a wizarding duel. A small oil lamp cast its orange light over walls blackened and broken by flying spells, strange puppet-like dolls, some dismembered and broken, hung from nails on the wall and a large portrait of a beautiful girl hung crookedly over the mantelpiece of an empty fireplace. Just then, Severus hurried forward, and she realised with horror that amongst the general debris of the place an old witch lay dead, her limbs twisted at strange angles beneath her grey, tattered robes. She recognised the severely-scarred, ugly face of Madeira, the witch she had encountered all those years ago, in Knockturn Alley. Severus had knelt at her side, his hand on her neck.

'Dead,' he said, and his face held a curious expression as he looked down on her. Despite the scars twisting her old features, the old witch looked remarkably at peace.

Lily looked around her swiftly. Was it Death Eaters' work, or Karkaroffs? If so, where was he? Even as she was thinking it, she noticed a booted foot sticking out of a large, draped piece of material that hung off the half-off the mantelpiece, whilst the rest of its length obscured a still figure beneath.

'Sev...'

But he had followed her gaze and rushed to pull the drape off the recumbent figure's head. It was Karkaroff! He was slumped against the wall, and for a moment Lily thought he was still alive somehow, but then Severus moved and his face came into view and Lily knew he was dead. His expression, unlike the Madeira's, was frozen in horror, the features twisted in pain or grief, the dead eyes gazing blindly at death.

'He must've got here first,' Severus whispered, 'and finished off Madeira. The Death Eaters heard that commotion you spoke about, and found him here...'

'But Severus, that look on his face! What have they done to him?'

It was then she noticed the small dark stain on the cloth covering him. With a shaking hand, she reached out to pull it further down, but Severus anticipated her and tugged the cloth off himself.

Lily gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. A dagger, black and evil-looking, protruded from the wizards chest, and a shiny dark patch, darker even than the black Hogwarts robes he was still wearing, had spread downwards.

'I don't know what or even who,did this to him, Lily. I guess Karkaroff was a wanted man, by more than just the Ministry for Magic. But we're standing in the middle of a crime scene, unless you haven't noticed!'

Muffles shouts from outside confirmed his words.

'This house is right in front of the Hog's Head Inn, Lily. They're soon bound to figure out which house the Dark Mark is referring to. Now Madeira's dead, the protective enchantments round this place would've disappeared. That's why we could get in from the back!'

Even Lily could see that standing with wands drawn next to a dead witch and wizard, both on 'wanted' lists, was not a good idea.

'We've got to go back!' she said urgently, as the sounds from the street outside grew louder and screams of horror were intermingled with a loud buzzing of voices.

'Quick! This way!'

Severus led the way down the stairs again and led her behind the broken old counter. Bending down he lifted up an old trapdoor that she hadn't noticed before. She realised it must be the secret passageway that Karkaroff had come through. Severus urged her in and she sat on the edge of the dark opening.

'Jump in, Lily! It'll lead to a mirror on the fourth floor corridor -'

'Hang on, what about you?'

'I'll take the long way. I left the boat at the Forbidden forest. No-one's waiting up for me, but if those fucking Marauders take their threat seriously, Lily, you'll find yourself in trouble again with McGonagall!'

'But –!'

'I'll be alright, I promise! I'll see you in the morning!'

Suddenly banging sounds came from the boarded up door.

'Go! Now!' Severus shouted, and she felt herself being pushed down, the trapdoor closing over her head with a muffled bang.

It was a very small drop down and she landed on her feet. Straightening up, she put her hands to the trapdoor, but seconds later, a thundering noise above told her that people had broken into the old bookshop. Fervidly hoping that Severus had made it through to the old house at the back, she set off down the tunnel, lighting her wand.

To her amazement, glowing lights from a million artificial constellations above caught her wand light and glowed with a light of their own, illuminating the way ahead.

It was a fantastic place. She had somehow expected something like the tunnels down at the dungeons, many of which were rough-hewn from the very bedrock on which Hogwarts castle stood. But these were smooth, and decorated, in amazing detail, with magical symbols, inscriptions in various defunct languages, and brilliant glowing constellations along the ceiling. How in earth had Madeira known about this place?

She put out her wand, distracted momentarily by the wonderful display of ancient knowledge, but then the events of the past hour, before she was summarily shoved into this tunnel, came back to her. She hurried on, her mind busy with worrying thoughts of whether Severus had made it safely out of that hovel on time or not, and all the unanswered questions she had had no time to ask him.

The image of Karkaroff's distorted features, frozen in a death-grimace of terror swam before her eyes, and she shuddered. What horrible death did he endure? Why did the Death Eaters use a dagger so cruelly? Why not a Killing Curse, if kill him they must?

Well, she had seen evidence of their senseless cruelty last year, when they had mutilated the body of that young muggle from Hampshire, and she was almost sure this too, was a similar case. Of course, Karkaroff was no innocent muggle, but a cold-bloodied murderer, with Madeira's blood on his hands.

Suddenly, she heard the faint whisper of voices ahead. She could not distinguish what they were saying, for the tunnel distorted the echoes, but she thought she had heard someone calling out one of the Marauders' ridiculous nicknames. Severus had said they would raise the alarm if she didn't come back on time.

She sighed in frustration. Why on earth did they have to be so interfering? After all, from all the rumours going round the Gryffindor common-room (some of which were started up by the four Gryffindors themselves) the aptly-named Marauders were not averse to some night-time wondering of their own. And how could Potter think that Severus meant her any harm? Admittedly, from what she could understand, Potter had seen Karkaroff-Lily disappearing down the secret passage. Anyone, even Potter, would have been startled at the expression on _that_ Lily's face! She herself was doing her best to forget her own bizarrely-distorted features in that nightmarish experience!

The whispering had died down, but as she drew her wand, she realised she had no idea how to extinguish the glowing planets above her. They illuminated the way round a sharp bend ahead, and would have definitely given her away. Probably better that way: she needed to stop Potter and his gang before they raised the alarm. She didn't feel like facing McGonagall too, tonight!

She set off at a run, her wand clutched tightly in her hand, and ran round the bend full-tilt into a solid wall of nothingness. She rebounded slightly with a gasp, and almost lost her balance. She felt warm, firm hands grab hold of her arms from the transparent air in front of her, steadying her.

'Whoa, Evans! Are you all right?'

It was Potter's voice, and it was coming from right before her. Too late, she remembered Severus had said he had an Invisibility cloak. That fact was confirmed a second later for Potter materialised right before her by pulling off a silvery, silky cloth off himself.

She didn't know what to say as he emerged, even more tousle-headed than usual, from beneath the cloak, his expression somewhere between relief and anger.

'Of course I'm all right! Why shouldn't I be?'

'Because that greasy git you call 'friend' abandoned you down that tunnel! Because I don't trust that Slytherin snake! Because –!'

'I told him to show me the way, Potter! He – I - forgot something and went back for it! It – it was my idea!'

She saw his eyes narrow behind his round glasses. Perhaps she didn't sound convincing enough. She was never a very confident liar.

'Did you tell anyone about me?' she continued, 'And who were you talking to? Where are the others?' She peered round his shoulders, but the corridor ahead, which sloped steeply upwards, was deserted.

'Remus is waiting for my signal to wake up McGonagall, Evans, but I haven't given it yet,' he said, and then held up the two-way mirror, 'I'm using the mirror you lobbed at my head last year. Sirius and Remus are at the other end. Padfoot always said it'd come in handy.'

He looked at her closely, his eyes sweeping over her clothes and hair. She probably had a slightly dishevelled look, despite the Cleaning charm she had used before they left Hogsmeade. She pursed her lips, trying to read his face: was he threatening her?

'You're out of bounds yourself, Potter!' she said crossly, eyeing the mirror that had once been hers.

'We went down after you, Evans,' he replied, with a grim look, 'but we found the trapdoor sealed and came back. I would've followed you when he first led you down there, only you seemed out of sorts, and you were clinging to that viscid Slytherin's arm like – like –' he stopped, and a look of disgust and anger flitted across his face, ' – Only someone like Snivillus would abandon a girl alone in Hogsmeade!'

'Oh, rubbish, Potter, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself!' she interrupted, irritated; 'I told you, it was my idea to go alone! And I admit it was a bad one. The secret passage leads to a house close to the Hog's head. I heard a disturbance - a brawl, I think – and turned back. That's all there is to it! '

'Are you sure, Evans? Because Padfoot has just called me on the mirror saying there a dirty big Skull and Serpent hovering over the village of Hogsmeade! That is why I was coming back down this tunnel! I thought you might still be there!'

She stared at him, speechless for a moment. She had forgotten about the Dark Mark. She glanced up at Potter, feeling a twinge of guilt intermingled with a grudging gratitude. Potter might have found more than a fellow Gryffindor had he made it to the trapdoor and found it open! He must have taken her silence for either shock or guilt, for he continued:

'Snape was leading you into a trap, Evans! Dark wizards and Dark deeds somehow seem to pop up wherever he goes. I don't know how he persuaded you to follow him!'

'I told you, it was the other way around! Look, Potter, thanks for – for coming to look for me, but really, you shouldn't bother. I'm fine when I'm with Severus. Today was a mistake, I should've gone all the way to Hogsmeade with _him_ instead, –'

She stopped, for Potter's eyes were glinting furiously behind his round spectacles, and his jaws were clenched tight. Potter's hatred for Severus had grown since the incident in the Forbidden Forest last year.

'Look, hadn't we better tell McGonagall about the Dark Mark, after all?' she asked changing track hastily, 'Perhaps Remus could do that. He's Prefect.'

Potter nodded but as she made her way past him in the tunnel he put her hand on her arm, holding her back.

'Look, Evans –' he started 'I want you to promise me never to go alone with Snape down here again!'

Lily stared unbelievingly up at him, then pointedly down at where he was still holding her by the arm. He let go suddenly, looking uncomfortable.

'And why in Merlin's name would I promise something like that to _you_?'

'I was really worried for you, Evans, knowing the Dark Mark was set someplace you were supposed to be!' James Potter lifted his hands to his hair rumpling it nervously, so that it stood on end.

James Potter? Nervous? Lily stared. This was an aspect of James Potter she was not very familiar with. He actually appeared to care.

'I mean-' he cleared his throat and hitched a jaunty smile on his face '_I_ wouldn't have left a girl to fend for herself alone in Hogsmeade. I've got the best interests of all the girls in Gryffindor at heart, you know. Anyone of them would've loved some protection...'

Lily rolled her eyes. Trust Potter! For a moment she thought she'd seen something else in him.

'Well, not _this_ girl, Potter! So save your rescue missions for the appropriate fluttery, twittery, damsels in distress that follow you around the common-room! I'll see you in the morning!'

'Hey wait, Evans!'

But she had run on ahead, the lighted ceiling leading her forward. The floor sloped steeply upwards, but Potter's longer, athletic stride soon caught up with her.

'Look, it still wouldn't do to get caught out of bed at the moment. I've got an Invisibility cloak – it should get us to Gryffindor common-room quicker,' he said.

Lily hesitated, but ahead of her she could see the door that presumably signalled the end of the tunnel. If what Severus had told her was true, they would emerge into the fourth floor corridor, and the Dark Mark in the distance might have already alerted some teachers, so she grudgingly agreed.

Potter pushed the door open slightly, nodded at someone beyond and then pushed it completely open. Sirius Black stood there, a large, rolled-up parchment, with a quill protruding from it, in his hands. Lily thought it slightly odd someone like Sirius Black would be running around after curfew with parchment and quill – he wasn't particularly studious, but she made no mention of it.

'Evans!' he exclaimed, surprised to see her emerge behind his friend, 'What in the name of Merlin's bullocks where you?'

'Leave that now, Padfoot! Where's Moony?'

'Off to let McGonagall know. He takes his Prefect duties too seriously. I'll wager she's up by now, though. I've heard footsteps along the floor above.'

'All the more reason to get back to the dorms then. Evans, – not a word. This cloak doesn't muffle sounds!' and with that Potter whirled the Invisibility cloak around their heads and the three of them crept carefully down the fourth floor corridor, the greenish light of the Dark Mark still visible through the large windows in the direction of the distant Hogsmeade.

Sandwiched between Sirius Black and James Potter, Lily was forcibly reminded of the times when she and Severus used to creep silently beneath the heavy old Stealth cloth Severus had invented. She smiled to herself as she remembered how that had smelt of mould and doxy droppings at first. This Invisibility cloak was so different – light as air, soft and pliant, unlike the scratchy, heavy, old curtain Severus had used. Potter's cloak also provided perfect camouflage and you could still see where you were going quite clearly, through its silvery folds.

On the Sixth Floor, they had to jump back hastily against the wall for tiny Professor Flitwick went trotting past, in nightcap and dressing gown, presumably on the way to Dumbledore's office to discuss the events in Hogsmeade. Sirius Black being even taller than Potter, Lily found herself squashed uncomfortably between them several more times as harried-looking owls flew silently down the corridors and stairs in the direction of Dumbledore's office, narrowly missing them. Potter kept putting his arm protectively above her head, even though it was not really necessary.

It made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Despite the obvious advantages of Potter's invisibility cloak, she would rather have been under Severus heavy old Stealth cloak, with Severus beside her. Severus, at least, shied away from touching her for the most part, and he did not treat her with the same overbearing, macho confidence Potter reserved for his giggling troupe of female admirers!

'Here we are!' breathed Sirius Black at last, throwing the cloak off him and whispering the password to the portrait of the fat lady. Muttering bad-temperedly at being woken up, the fat lady swung open and they clambered through the portrait hole and into the deserted common-room, which was dimly-lit by the light of the dying embers in the fireplace.

'Well, I'm off to bed. Er ...thanks for the safe passage,' she said awkwardly indicating the Invisibility cloak draped over Potter's arm. Sirius was already half-way to the door leading to the boy's dorms, but had stopped to wait for his friend.

Potter drew himself up to stand taller, rumpling his hair once more.

'You're welcome under it any time you want Evans,' he grinned, 'If you get the urge to wander anywhere after curfew again, you know it'll keep us nice and cosy'

She made an exasperated noise and turned towards the door to the girl's dorm.

'And you haven't promised me you won't go down that tunnel with old Snivillus again, Evans! _I_ could take you instead!' he called after her.

'Sod off, Potter!'

She went through the door to the girls dorms and climbed the stairs two at a time, in her hurry to get away, her face flushing red despite her words, at the arrogant, but obvious, invitation in his voice.


	114. Chapter 114

**Chapter 114: The Portrait.**

Severus crept silently down the cobbled side street, keeping to the shadows. His limbs were stiff and cramped. He had been hiding, crouched up behind the fence of the Shrieking Shack, for over 3 hours. Despite all the rumours, Severus had heard no sound from the shack's boarded-up windows and doors, and he had congratulated himself on choosing such a good hiding place. Located on a slope, the Shack was slightly higher than the rest of the village, and through gaps in the rotting fence, Severus had a vantage point from where he could see almost all of what was happening down at the village.

The Dark Mark was gone now, and the High street was quiet and deserted again. But a few hours ago, it had been teeming with witches and wizards disgorged from the pub and gawping at the Dark Mark.

He had barely made it himself to escape out of the broken wall of the abandoned bookshop and through the house that backed onto Madeira's, before it was invaded by Aurors and other wizards. They had probably gone straight upstairs where the light was, to find Karkaroff's and Madeira's bodies. It was quite a few minutes later when they discovered that the wall at the back of her house had been blown away. By that time, Severus was already half-way up the slope to the shrieking shack. It had been nerve-wracking, for he had to sneak past crowds of people still in his Hogwarts cloak, but everybody was too engrossed in the bizarre firework display in the sky above, to pay much attention to him.

He had watched from his vantage point at the Shrieking Shack, the chaos in the streets of Hogsmeade as many wizards, probably from the Ministry, Appareted near the Hogg's Head Inn. Severus could not see the small side street, but judging by the many beams of wand light illuminating it, it was quite the centre of attention for the next couple of hours.

However, the hubbub died down relatively quickly. With a wry grimace, Severus thought that the death of an old witch and wizard, both on the Ministry's black list, was not something that would cause too much bother, even though it was at the hands of Death Eaters. It was probably shrugged off as revenge killing and left at that.

Well, that had worked to his advantage. There were still quite a few hours till dawn, and he knew he had to go back to Madeira's house. He didn't know why, he just knew he had to do it. Perhaps he half-hoped he could find she'd left him something so he could complete his Legilimency training; perhaps he thought he could nick something useful from the many mysterious treasures she had hoarded there.

If anything was left, that is.

He made his way cautiously to the house at the back (he dared not go from the front where people from the Hog's Head might still be around) and entered the back room, wand at the ready. They had not even bothered to fix the broken wall. The unknown witch Eleanor Jenkins, would have quite a surprise when she returned from America.

He crept carefully through the broken masonry and into the old bookshop, ready to run at the slightest hint that anyone remained on guard, but all was quiet. They hadn't even thought of installing a stealth detector of some sort, or a Caterwauling Charm.

Obviously, they had been through even this abandoned part of the shop quite thoroughly for many of the shelves were overturned and the few worm-eaten mouldy books lay scattered on the dirty floor. The front door that led onto the street outside in front of the Hog's Head Inn had been patched up clumsily and closed.

Severus proceeded up the wooden steps at the back into the rooms above, which were dark now. At the top, he lighted his wand and the bright beam of light landed on a chaotic jumble of objects that were littering the floor. The one window in this room was still tightly closed and shuttered, so, having locating a small lamp hanging crookedly from a nail on the wall, Severus lighted it.

The room was in shambles. All Madeira's strange puppet-like dolls that used to hang from nails on the wall had gone, as were many of the books in her book case. The drawers underneath were open, their contents spilled everywhere. No doubt, the Aurors had taken every opportunity to seize whatever they considered to be remotely useful, or could be called Dark Magic objects. And there must have been quite a sizeable amount, for Madeira's room seemed strangely empty, despite the rubbish littering the floor.

Blackened blast marks from flying spells pockmarked the walls in several places, from Karkaroff's duel with Madeira, or later still, with Death Eaters. He had not noticed them when he had come in here with Lily earlier.

Severus passed on to the back room. He had never been here before, though once he had seen Madeira using a Pensieve here. Even that was gone, and as he had figured at the time, the room served as a small kitchen, beyond which was a door leading to a tiny bedroom. Both had been thoroughly searched, though he could not tell what was missing.

He returned to the main living room, poking in a desultory fashion at some skulls among the debris. They were broken, but he could still see that horns protruded from the sides of one cranium. He did not know _what_ he was looking for really, but he felt strangely disappointed at finding nothing but broken, useless bits and pieces.

'They didn't take everything away, you know.'

The voice behind him made him whirl around, wand at the ready, but the room was empty.

He thought he had heard that low, sultry voice before.

He moved cautiously towards the empty fireplace. There was a large, gilt-framed portrait hanging over the mantelpiece and the familiar silken cloth half-covered it. This was Madeira's portrait, and Severus clearly remembered his first encounter with it.

Heart beating fast at what he knew he would find, Severus caught hold of the edge of the cloth and gave a sharp tug.

It fell off with a silken rustle, and once again, the unfading beauty of youthful Madeira gazed upon him. This time, however, there seemed to be a ghastly pallor beneath the burnished gold of her skin, and her liquid brown eyes were dark with pain and horror.

'You – you saw everything, didn't you?' he blurted out.

She seemed agitated, but nodded.

'I – I could feel her pain, it was –_my_ pain...' her low, voice trembled; she closed her eyes and lapsed into silence, her breast heaving in emotion.

She did not try to flirt this time. A small amulet or pendant that Severus had never noticed before, on a chain around her neck, glittered in the lamplight. The Madeira in the Portrait seemed even more real than Severus remembered. It must have been shocking for her to witness the murder of the original Madeira, as far as Portraits were capable of feeling emotion, anyway. And this portrait was even more unusual than the ones at Hogwarts, he mused, as he lowered his wand. Well, perhaps she could answer his questions.

'It was Karkaroff, wasn't it?'

She opened her eyes again, and looked at him without speaking for a moment. Then she nodded.

'You saw his body, didn't you?' she asked sadly, 'You were the first to arrive, Severus. You came with that red-head. Lily, you called her.'

'Yes. Karkaroff used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate her and use the tunnel from Hogwarts to get in.'

' He had hated me for a long time' she answered, her eyes gazing dully at the spot where Karkaroff had lain dead a few hours before, covered by the same cloth that had covered the portrait.

'You had ruined his betrothal, Madeira, you set him and his father on a wild goose chase to obtain a book he had no right to. You betrayed him, as well as me!' he could feel the anger creep back into his words.

He was speaking to a portrait, but if this Madeira had the real Madeira's memory and knowledge, then she would know what he was talking about! He felt his heart harden against her, even as she looked upon him in unfeigned surprise.

'You have learnt a lot,' she stated finally.

'You deceived my Great-grandfather,' he continued, 'he trusted you with knowledge which you later peddled around to those who had no business knowing it. You told Karkaroff about the Ravenclaw secret passage; you told a schoolboy, Riddle, about the Secrets of Immortality within my Great-grandfathers book, you –'

'You know Riddle?'

'I know he was one of the youngest of the Knights of the Walpurgis, and that he was able to find what Karkaroff didn't! All because of you! That book was _my_ inheritance not his, to give away so foolishly to Hogwarts library!'

Madeira's beautiful eyes were wide in comprehension.

'Is that where it lies now?'

Severus didn't like the eager curiosity in her voice, but answered anyway. What did he have to lose now?

'Dumbledore confiscated it, and it lies under magical protection in his office'.

The youthful Madeira leaned forwards in her portrait, listening eagerly, and the necklace around her neck swung forwards on its chain; so close that Severus could see it was not an amulet, but a miniature portrait of herself set in gold, exactly the same as the much larger portrait now speaking to him. She seemed so alive; Severus could see the pearly teeth between her parted lips, the intense look in her dark eyes beneath the shadow of pain at what she had just witnessed.

'You have indeed learnt a lot, Severus' she said in her throaty voice, the sad look in her eyes deepening, 'but you do not know all. There are many things I have not told you. Secrets that I – my older self – always feared would die with my death...'

'Why don't you explain, then? Why don't you start by telling me what happened here? Who were the Death Eaters that killed Karkaroff?' he tried to control the surliness in his voice, torn as he was between recriminations and eagerness to learn more.

The Madeira in the Portrait shrugged. 'They were masked. Who they were is not important. The important thing is that they served their purpose.'

'You speak as if their purpose was your own.'

'It was,' she replied with a sad smile, 'I had known Karkaroff was out for my blood. In the end, I let him follow me here. I knew he'd find a way of breaking through my protective enchantments, and I guessed he would try the Hogwarts secret passage, and that therefore, he would need you.'

'What? You – he - ?' Severus spluttered indignantly.

'Yes, I know. It was a long shot, but I – my older self, especially – wanted it no other way. I think to redress the balance in the wrong she has done you.'

'By setting that madman, Karkaroff, after me?'

'It was risky, I know, so many things could have gone wrong, but she – I – hoped you would come, Severus. And I was right, wasn't I?'

Severus glared at the portrait, as the girl smiled smugly

'So let's see,' he said finally 'you made sure that a suicidal wizard would find me, so that I can show him the way in to kill you?'

'He was not the only one who was suicidal.'

There was a pregnant pause.

'Madeira, was she -?' he didn't know what to say. Somehow the old witch had seemed so resilient, so mentally tough, that he could not imagine her thus weakened.

'She, my older self, was tired of being hunted. Very old and tired. There seemed to be no point in living any more, and, well...I thought the time had come to settle my death and more besides.'

'You speak as though you _are_ Madeira, her ... er... older self, too. You're only a portrait – an echo of her memories and her personality! At Hogwarts, the talking portraits are only of dead witches and wizards! How come you've always been able to speak to me?'

'I will explain that to you. That is why you are here. It did not turn out quite as I expected: I had not planned Death Eaters to notice Karkaroff's presence here. I thought it would just be you and him, though in the end, they served the same purpose. Nor did I foresee there would be that other young witch, Lily. Is she your girlfriend?'

'That's none of your business!'

'Ah, I see. A very tart reply. This Lily means a lot to you.' The young Madeira's lips curled into a knowing smile, 'Well, be that as it may Severus, as I was saying, when I saw Karkaroff break in here without you, I was very disappointed. My older self duelled him, of course, and finally she allowed him to kill her. She had left _me_ with instructions you see. What to do in the case things did not go as planned...'

Madeira paused, and drew in a deep breath, before continuing:

'It was then that the Death Eaters erupted in, for my house had been under their surveillance too. They must have realised the magical protection collapsed and burst in, cornering Karkaroff in this room. They Imperious'd him and forced him to impale himself on the black dagger.'

Severus drew in a shaky breath: 'Why not Avada Kedavra? It is more efficient and not so needlessly –' he paused. He was going to say 'cruel', but after all, this wizard was at the root of many of his problems. He shouldn't feel shocked at the manner of his death. He ought to feel bloody happy about it!

'Why risk that he might recover from a stab wound, anyway?' he continued, more coldly.

'It was a poisoned dagger, and besides, he himself requested it.'

'He - what?' That was ridiculous. Even a suicidal wizard would not ask to be impaled on a poisoned dagger.

'I think it is time I told you the whole truth, Severus,' the young Madeira was saying, looking at him intently, 'for you are here tonight because I had planned you could do me a favour.'

'What favour? And why should I? We didn't part on good terms if you remember well!'

'I remember perfectly, Severus. But I have a proposal. In return for a small favour, I will give you the rest of your Great-grandfather's story, and reveal to you the last great secret of Severus Prince.'

'My Great-grandfather had no secrets that I don't know about! I have found out a lot more than you think!'

'Do you know how Severus Prince died? And why? Well, I was there at his death. Why did he set an 11-year-old child, your mother, the risky task of retrieving a book he had not bothered with for decades. Don't you wonder why? Have you ever asked yourself why he mutilated my face?' her dark eyes burned with old memories, and Severus found himself looking into their depths, trying to fathom the answers to those questions.

He itched to know, and he knew that he would do almost anything to have the final secrets of Severus Prince revealed, though he both anticipated and dreaded what he would find out.

'What favour is it you want?' he asked, cautiously.

Madeira's full, red lips curled in a triumphant smile.

'Only a small favour. Destroy this portrait.'

'Destroy your portrait _!_'

'Destroy this portrait. It will not be difficult.'

Severus shook his head in bewilderment. Did everything and everybody in this place have a death-wish?

'As you have guessed,' the youthful Madeira explained, 'This is no ordinary portrait. It is a giant replica of this' She held up the thin gold chain round her neck, showing him the miniature portrait of herself, 'My mother had twin portraits made before I left my island home. One for herself, as a keepsake, for she did not know when she would see me again, and one for me at my own request, for I was rather proud of my beauty even then. Well, _this _portrait, Severus, is stuck to the wall with a Permanent Sticking Charm. Even the Aurors who invaded my house a few hours ago couldn't remove it.'

'Well, they've removed pretty much everything else, I see.'

Madeira shrugged. 'The Dark Mark was not something I had planned on, so, yes, they did ransack the place. They labelled anything of value as 'evidence' and the rest as 'Dark objects' and carted the lot away. No doubt they'll divide it between themselves as rightful spoils of war. They did not realise I could hear all they were saying. One of them, a certain Fenwick, managed to vanish quite a few things before his superiors came along!'

'Sol Fenwick?'

'Yes, him. That bastard son of a pock-marked bitch even had the nerve to be self-righteous about it!' Madeira hissed angrily 'Said he was just taking back what was due to him! D'you know him?'

'I've seen him at work, yes.' Severus replied with a wry grimace, as he remembered the young Auror's savage temper as a result of the Dark Lord's triumphant arrival with the giants.

'Anyway, Severus, this portrait will move only when I so will it, and behind it lies a hidden compartment in which I thought well to hide my most precious possessions. The Aurors did not find them, but you, Severus, will. Place your hand on mine!'

The young Madeira in the portrait held up her hand, palm outwards, towards him. Severus hesitated a second, then placed his hand on hers, palm on palm as though they were on opposite sides of a transparent pane of glass. His longer fingers overshadowed hers, but he was extremely surprised to feel not the rough texture of oil on canvas, but the soft warmth of flesh. There was clicking noise and a crack appeared at the side of the gilt frame.

'Open and take that which lies within' Madeira said, withdrawing her hand with a sad expression.

Severus pushed the heavy frame wide open and behind it he saw a small compartment, within which were a shallow stone basin and another black dagger similar to the one in Karkaroff's corpse. The basin was filled with a strange glowing substance – neither liquid nor gas that swirled mysteriously around its circular depth.

He recognised it as Madeira's pensieve. Summoning the upturned table with his wand he placed the pensieve carefully on its rough surface. There were a series of runes on its wide rim, though the stone rim was so smoothened with age and use, that some of them were worn down to nothing. The dagger he placed even more carefully at the other end of the table.

'That was your Great-grandfather's,' Madeira said, her portrait having swung shut again, 'It stores memories. A very rare object. Only few are in existence.'

'Then I assume he did not give it to you, Madeira. You stole it!'

She did not even bother to deny it. 'I was very angry and bitter at his dismissal, Severus. But that is not important now. What is important is that I show you these last memories. When you see them you will, perhaps, understand why I have asked this last favour of you. You will probably even be eager to carry out the deed I have set you.'

Severus looked suspiciously at her, a cold anger already stirring in his heart. What had she done to her Grandfather?

'What do I have to do?' he asked, looking at the swirling mist within the basin.

'Touch it with your wand and look within,' she instructed.

Severus brought the tip of his wand to touch the glowing surface and the contents started to swirl around faster and faster until they separated, leaving what initially appeared to be a dark hole. Leaning over, Severus saw it was not a dark hole but a sort of a window onto a dark, windswept landscape. He leaned forwards over the basin, peering down the dark spot.

_Suddenly he was pitched over head first and landed with a jerk, onto soft grass of the darkened landscape. A strong keening wind was blowing, and there was a distant roar of breakers. This, together with a certain smell of saltiness on the night air, told him they were somewhere near the coast._

_In the distance he noticed a large building with many small lighted windows. It had a torch-lit drawbridge and to one side an extension to the building had a high roof and large stained-glass windows. It was then that he noticed the tall man coming towards him with long purposeful strides. He wore a long cloak and robes so Severus was fairly sure this man was a wizard. He clutched his wand tighter, his heart beating faster. There was nowhere to hide in this windswept place, though he did notice a half-collapsed rubble wall to one side and a clump of windswept trees further on. _

_There was a full moon and it glittered on something silvery on the tall wizard's cloak. As he came closer, he could see that he had dark, long hair and a thin face. His heart leaped as he realised this must be Severus Prince, and he was coming so close now, that he would surely see him. But Severus Prince was looking past him at the clump of trees in the distance. Of course, if this was a memory, then he would be invisible to all. Like Legilimency, he was seeing echoes of the past._

_The tall wizard strode past him, his black cloak billowing behind him in the wind and the skull embroidered on the sleeve of his robes glittering in the cold moonlight. His Great-grandfather was older than he had ever seen him in Madeira's memories, for his face was lined and his long hair liberally flecked with grey, but Severus recognised an expression of deadly fury in the old face. _

_Wandering what had caused it, Severus set off in his great-grandfather's footsteps. If this was Madeira's memory, she had to be here somewhere. His Great-grandfather's gaze did not waver from the small thicket of trees and sure enough, as they approached, a dark shape detached itself from the trees and waited their approach. His Great-grandfather hastened his pace, and Severus saw that a wand much like his own was held drawn and ready in his wand arm._

_He stopped a couple of yards away from the mysterious wizard and spoke in a low, threatening voice._

'_What is it you want Karkaroff? These are my lands, and I will not have you besmirching them with your foul, cowardly blood! If it is a duel you seek, then it will have to be in the customary way – in the presence of the Knights!'_

'_A duel, you say?' the other wizard lifted an arm, on the sleeves of which the same silver skull was embroidered, and pulled down his hood. It was eldest Karkaroff. 'But vot vould I want to duel you for?'_

'_You have been plotting my downfall for years, Karkaroff! You and your two sons want to usurp my position as Grandmaster!'_

'_Not yours, Severus Prince,' snapped the Russian wizard, suddenly, 'but you had no right to place your son as heir to that position!' _

'_Then you must duel me for it! You know the rules of the Brotherhood!' Severus Prince snapped back angrily, 'Only I know you're a coward at heart, or you would have done it years ago! Perhaps you will ask one of your sons to do your dirty work! If one of them dares to duel me, and in the unlikely case they win, then __he__ would assume the title of Grandmaster, and not you! But perhaps, like their father, they are too scared to fight me!'_

_Karkaroff's face twisted in fury and sparks flew out of his wand as he subconsciously took up the duelling position. The tall, thin Grandmaster mirrored his action, and Severus expected spells and curses to fly any minute, but, with a visible effort, the oldest Karkaroff controlled himself and composed his face into a tight, sneering smile:_

'_I have already told you: I have not come here to duel you, but I have a proposition for you!'_

'_Nothing you propose can interest me Karkaroff, you are a disgrace to that symbol you wear on your sleeve, and you know that I'm going to do my utmost to see that your treachery, and that of your sons, is made known to the rest of the brotherhood! If I were not so busy, you would already be branded with the crossed skull!'_

_This did not seem to unduly upset Karkaroff, however, for he smiled evilly: 'Ah yes, I heard the sad news,' he murmured with an expression that denoted exactly the opposite, 'Your youngest has disappeared. Poor Yseult: trapped in an unhappy arranged marriage they say! Eloped vid a muggle, others say! You must be devastated! You have searched for her high and low, and you have not yet found her.'_

_Karkaroffs' leering expression was so gleeful, so vindictive, that even Severus knew he was not just merely gloating at his enemy's discomfort. His Great-grandfather froze, the deep lines of his face thrown into sharp relief by the cold moonlight._

'_Very fond of her you ver, yes?' Karkaroff continued, 'you called her 'child of my old age', Severus Prince. But let me tell you, she is no longer a child, but a beautiful witch in her prime! Very beautiful. So much pity these bad stories and rumours about her, now she is gone. She is sad because of her loveless marriage, but even more upset at the rumours it has caused. She told me so.'_

_There was shocked silence for a second, then Severus Prince moved with a lightning speed, casting a curse that seared the tall grass as it flashed towards Karkaroff, but the latter was waiting for him, and conjured a black smoke that condensed into a thick dark shield in front of him, deflecting the curse._

_Severus stepped hastily backwards, even though he knew this was just a memory, but the look on his Great-grandfather's face was murderous, and Karkaroff was sweating profusely behind the black smoke shield he had conjured. Severus noticed he was holding up something on a chain in his left hand that glowed in the moonlight. It looked like an emerald necklace. His Great-grandfather, who had already drawn his arm back to cast another curse, froze as soon as he saw what he held._

'_Yseult's emerald and gold necklace!' Karkaroff declared, peering from behind his smoke shield, his eyes glittering cruelly, 'If you want to see her alive again, you will do what I tell you.'_

_Severus could see that his great-grandfather was cornered. He suddenly looked just like a tired and haggard old man as all the fight went out of him. He didn't speak for a minute, and then he looked at Karkaroff with deadened eyes and said:_

'_I will duel you in front of the Knights of the Walpurgis. I will make sure you win, Karkaroff, then you can take my place as Grandmaster, but I want to see her now. Where is she?'_

'_Oh, she is safe enough. But I have already told you, Severus, I do not want to duel you. In fact, I am no longer interested in being the Grandmaster of the Knights. Later perhaps, but right now, I am more interested in something in your possession, or rather, something that only you may obtain for me.'_

'_What is it you seek from me, Karkaroff?' _

'_Put simply, Severus Prince, I vant the secret of Immortality. You have discovered the spell from sources deep within Hogwarts – it is rumoured, from the writings of the Founders themselves. You wrote a book about it which you then hid in Hogwarts castle. , I am not interested from vere you found the magic, or how old it is – this isn't one of your lectures on ancient magic – I just vant that book or the incantation, if you remember it!'_

'_I don't remember- it is very complex, and the book – it is hidden at Hogwarts. I cannot get it back! The Headmaster distrusts me!' _

_Though he spoke quietly, Severus could detect a slight note of panic in his great-grandfather's voice. Knowing, as he did, that the book was hidden deep in the castle, in Salazar Slytherins own barricaded room, it was hardly surprising._

'_That is the price of your daughters' life, Prince!' Karkaroff bit out harshly, unwilling to believe it could be anything but a simple task. _

'_Who gave you the information about that book? Did you speak to that cursed devil of a witch, Madeira?'There was return of the old fire in his eyes, and he spoke about Madeira with hatred._

'_I do not speak to that damned whore! She ruined my son's life! She has, however, sunk into the vorst kind of life, just as I warned my sons she vould, and it seems her tongue is loosened considerably when drunk. Igor overheard enough of a drunken conversation of hers, for me to understand exactly vot kind of magic you have hidden away in that Book, Severus Prince, and the way to immortality is vot I vant from you, in return for Yseult's life!'_

'_Immortality has a price, Karkaroff! Why do you think I have not tried it out myself?'_

'_How should I know? I heard you are after the book yourself after all! ' _

'_Because that book contains the secret counter-curse, Karkaroff! If you find that Immortality is not what you thought you sought; if you find that the price you paid is too high; then that book holds also the way to undo the damage, and it is __**that**__ which I seek! A simple, but dramatic spell which I have, unfortunately, forgotten, too.'_

'_I am not interested in reversing something like Immortality! Vy should I? If you cannot remember it, Severus Prince, then you must obtain me the Book!'_

'_I need time. Hogwarts Castle is very difficult to penetrate. It is guarded by many ancient spells, and I already appealed to Dippet once. If that half-wit Headmaster had to see me anywhere near Hogwarts again-'_

'_You have 100 days,' Karkaroff interrupted, 'You will meet me on the eve of the 100__th__ day, at midnight in the place of the Standing Stones. If you have the book with you, you will be reunited with your daughter again. Come alone.'_

_And with that, Karkaroff disapparated on the spot._

_His great-grandfather stared for a moment at the spot Karkaroff had disappareted, a muscle in his jaw working furiously. Then he turned round on the spot and marched back to the distant fortress-like building._

_Severus was left alone on the windswept heights, gazing at the figure of his Great-Grandfather disappearing into the distance. There was only the distant noise of the sea and the lonely cries of some nocturnal seabirds carried on the wind. Something at the back of his mind was bothering him. If this was Madeira's memory, where was she? _

_Suddenly he caught a small movement from the corner of his eyes. It came from the broken grey rubble wall. Somebody moved out from behind the pile of stones and looked in the direction of the disappearing figure of his Great-grandfather. It was a witch, dressed in a grey cloak that had seen better days._

_Severus drew closer, knowing without shade of doubt that this was Madeira. Even in the pale moonlight he could see she was a mess. Though her face was as yet unscarred, it was criss-crossed here and there with small wrinkles; her long hair, once so lustrous and black, was now matted, dirty, and liberally sprinkled with grey; dark mascara trailed her down her painted face, as if she had been crying, although the expression in her eyes was hard and cold. Her thick red lipstick was smudged and she wore tawdry-looking bangles round her wrists, as well as the necklace Severus had seen in her portrait. Her gaudy robes stained and torn, she looked very different from the miniature portrait of herself that she wore round her neck. With one last look at the distant castle or fortress, Madeira turned on the spot, dissapparating silently in the strange whirl of black smoke so particular to her. _


	115. Chapter 115

**Chapter 115: The Standing Stones.**

**Posting two chapters. A/N at end of chapter.**

_The scene around Severus grew blurred and shifted. He blinked, trying to make out shapes in the shadows around him, and seconds later, the landscape materialised into sharp focus. He found himself on a lonely moor. It was a warm night with no wind, and a full moon shone on the desolate landscape, throwing a dolmen-like structure into stark relief. Severus recognised it as the Portal through which Igor Karkaroff Senior had pushed his young son, sending him on to a new, but lonely life at Durmstrang, something Igor junior had apparently much resented._

_Severus moved towards the ancient stones. There were several more of them nearby. Some were upright, and some had fallen over and were half-buried in the heath. They gleamed a pale bluish-white in the moonlight, and stood in stark contrast to the deep shadows they cast behind them. The place of the Standing Stones, Karkaroff had called this. Well, Severus had heard about the old magic surrounding these stones – their impassive granite faces had looked upon eons of ancient spells and incantations. _

_Karkaroff had used them as a portal or portkey, and Severus wondered whether any wizard would appear through them. Although he knew he was in a memory, he was feeling rather exposed, standing in the light of a full moon in what appeared to be a deserted place. If this was Madeira's memory, however, then she must be somewhere around..._

_At that moment, the soft sound of a cloak rustling on the grass made him turn round. It was his Great-grandfather, and he had Apparated silently only yards away from the Standing Stones._

_He looked around him cautiously for a second, wand held at the ready, then his eyes set on the dolmen and he approached it slowly, gazing intently at the impenetrable black pool of shadow behind it. Severus followed his gaze and saw a shadow detach itself from the stone. It took the shape of a cloaked wizard, and as he moved into the full moonlight, Severus saw he was masked. If this was Karkaroff, he no longer wore the silver symbol of the Knights of the Walpurgis, like the skull that shone on his Great-Grandfather's sleeve. _

_However, this wizard seemed much taller, and he wore only black robes and a hooded cloak. The only things that relieved the dark clothing were the pale mask he wore, and a heavy gold locket around his neck that caught the moonlight in glittering reflections._

'_Who are you? You are not Karkaroff!' Severus Prince cried at once, his wand pointed at the tall wizard._

'_No, I am not,' the mysterious wizard replied calmly, 'But let us say that it is because of the Karkaroffs that I am here, Grandmaster.'_

_And turning back to the standing stone he gave a lazy flick of his wand and four figures appeared beneath the arch of the Dolmen. They passed through the stones with slow, measured gait: three were cloaked wizards, and one was dressed in rags, a tramp. Severus recognised the three Karkaroffs as they passed through and stood gazing vacantly at nothing in the bright moonlight._

_But Severus Prince had eyes only for the tall wizard, whose lips were curled in a smug smile beneath his pale mask._

'_Tom! Tom, how did you-? Where's Yseult?' His Great Grandfather's voice was harsh with concern, though he had lowered his wand._

_The wizard addressed as Tom smiled and made his mask disappear with a wave of his wand. The countenance of Tom Riddle was revealed, much older now, than the teenage boy Severus had last seen, for he looked now in his 20s, but still very handsome, in a pale, hollow-cheeked way._

'_She is safe enough, Grandmaster Prince, do not worry about her, for now. I have captured the Karkaroffs. As you can can see, they are under the Imperious curse. The tramp was just an accidental witness at the scene, so he had to come, too.' _

'_I - I don't know how to thank you, Tom! They were holding my daughter in ransom –'_

'_Yes, I know that, Grandmaster. You received an owl this morning instructing you to come here before the 100 days are up, so that you could give them a report on your progress with that book.'_

_Severus Prince said nothing at first, his expression turning guarded, probably not knowing to what extent his protégé's knowledge about the affair extended. Then he said:_

'_What they want in return for Yseult's life lies at Hogwarts, Tom, and you know I am not even on speaking terms with your old Headmaster, Dippet. But I had made arrangements to get what they want. My Granddaughter Eileen will be starting at Hogwarts in exactly 9 days' time: the first Prince there in three generations. She will know what to do. But how did you know about the book?'_

'_It was I who sent you the owl this morning, Grandmaster.' Tom Riddle said, his lips twisting into a humourless smile, 'But it is not a progress report I need from you. It's the full moon you see...'_

_Severus Prince's eyes flickered briefly to the shining orb above their heads and then to Tom Riddle's face again. Although almost impossible, his face turned whiter than the pale moonlight had suffused it with. His expression became closed, but Severus could see the fear return in the dark eyes of his Great-grandfather._

'_You know what I am talking about, Grandmaster Prince, although you may pretend not to,' Riddle continued, with a malicious smile, 'The incantation of the ancient spell is enhanced in the brightest of moonlight, and what better than the August moon? What better than the _taol maen_ Standing Stones beneath which to perform the rite? Karkaroff thinks them mere portals to other places within this world, but you and I, Severus Prince, keen students of our forefathers' ancient magic, know that there is much more to them than Karkaroff imagines. He has unwittingly chosen the perfect place. The powerful magic imbibed by these stones from the ancient wizards who first practised their art here eons ago is well known to us! They lie buried here, Grandmaster Prince, and their old bones still breath dark life into these stones.'_

_Grandmaster Prince's expression was a mixture of fear and helpless anger, but Severus Snape drew closer, torn between hatred for the brilliant young wizard, who had obviously turned against his Great-grandfather, and his curiosity to know more about the ancient magic Riddle was talking about. The mystery of the Standing Stones was one he had long been curious about, and none of his tomes on Dark Magic had ever thrown much light on their properties. But his Great-grandfather had other matters on his mind:_

'_Where's Yseult! You- you-!' he spat out angrily, losing his cold facade, 'I trusted you, Tom!' _

'_Yes, that is your problem, Severus Prince. Sentimentality. Especially where your youngest daughter is concerned. Quite your soft spot, isn't she? You have arranged for her to inherit the title after you and your son. The title of Grandmaster of the Knights of the Walpurgis is quite an onerous one, and you, Severus Prince, have been slipping from your responsibilities for years: always seeking ancient knowledge without having the guts to take the next obvious step: applying the magic you have studied to the real, present-day world. You are a scholar and a dreamer, Severus Prince, but your Knights are another matter! They want action, and it is high time you stepped down!'_

'_Is that what you want, then Tom? To take my place? Or do you, like Karkaroff before you, seek something even more gratifying?' his Great- grandfather bit out, his voice shaking in suppressed rage. Sparks flew out of the tip of his wand and Severus automatically took a step backwards, for the look in the old wizards eyes was murderous. _

_But Tom Riddle remained unperturbed, and Severus could not help but grudgingly admire his calm audacity as he said, with an insolent smile:_

'_Oh, you mean the Secret of Immortality? No, Grandmaster, that is not what I seek now.'_

_Severus glanced at his Great-grandfather, almost forgetting that this was just a memory, in his urgency to let him know that YES, Riddle had already found the Book within which the Secrets where! And judging by the letter he had left in Slytherin's abode, it had happened many years previous to this memory, for Riddle had been only a schoolboy then. His Great-grandfather did not know that!_

_But Riddle was speaking again:_

'_What I seek of now is your title, Grandmaster!'_

_The old wizard looked at younger one, his eyes glittering dangerously, and his mouth set in a thin line. He did not say anything, so Riddle persisted:_

'_I have already told you Severus Prince, that it is high time for a change! The title of Grandmaster is transferred through blood: either that of inheritance; by wizarding duel; or else...by the blood of sacrifice. I know you intend to do the first, have challenged Karkaroff to do the second, but as for me, well, I am flexible: either of the last two will do.'_

'_I will never allow you to take the reins of the brotherhood, Riddle! You have betrayed me, and you do not deserve the title!' the older wizard shouted, his lined face contorted in anger._

'_Ah, I knew we would arrive to this point,' Riddle retorted in a cold voice, 'Madeira!' _

_And he turned once more to the portal beneath the Dolmen and pointed his wand at it. This time, two smaller figures materialised beneath the heavy slab of stone. They passed through jerkily, for one appeared to be supporting the other. Riddle moved past the loosely-standing figures of the Karkaroffs and the tramp, to greet the newcomers. _

_One was Madeira, as dirty and tawdry as he had seen her last, but she had her wand pressed into the slender neck of another witch, who, unlike the other four who had passed through, was not under the Imperious Curse, for though her hands were bound, her expression was defiant. She was dark-haired and slender, about Tom Riddle's age, and her large, dark eyes burned furiously in her face as she saw the Karkaroffs in a huddle nearby. It was when she saw Tom Riddle approach her, that she stopped struggling and froze._

'_Yseult!' Severus Prince uttered in a strangulated voice, as he took as step towards her. _

_The young witch's eyes darted to the old wizard, wide and staring, but the moment she saw her father, she did something unexpected. All the fight seemed togo out of her and she hung her head, standing limply in Madeira's clutches. _

'_Ah, do not come too close, Severus Prince. You see, Yseult may not be as happy to see her doting old fool of a father, as he is to see her.'_

_The malice in Riddle's voice was unmistakeable. He moved behind Yseult and leaned over her shoulder to speak in her ear, though his eyes were fixed on the old Grandmaster._

'_You used your daughter, Severus Prince, to gain yourself esteem by betrothing her to the paunchy, idiot son of one of the oldest pureblood Irish families. A marriage doomed to disaster, as you well knew. You begged him not to, Yseult, didn't you?'_

_Yseult said nothing, but her head drooped lower, her sleek black hair falling forward to cover her face. Severus remembered having seen her in Karkaroff's memory the day Madeira was ceremoniously thrown out of the Knights of the Walpurgis. Yseult had been barely a teenager then, but even so, the resemblance to his mother Eileen had been evident. _

_At this age, and in this defeated posture, her resemblance to his mother was even more striking. Severus saw his Great-grandfather swallow, as though his throat were dry, his guilt-ridden eyes fixed on the defeated figure of his daughter, and he knew that in part, at least, what Riddle said was true._

'_What Yseult here really wanted was someone young, handsome and intelligent. Someone who sympathised with a young life buried alive by the outmoded customs and autocratic decisions of her old father. Someone like me, in short.'_

_A stifled whimper came from beneath the dark hair covering Yseult's face, and Severus Prince's face froze in shocked horror._

'_You haven't - ? You wouldn't dare- !'_

'_Taste her flesh, Severus Prince?' Riddle replied with a hard, insolent look, as he placed his hand beneath Yseult's chin and tilted up her face. It was streaked with silent tears, but she made no movement to resist, 'Well, she is a beguiling little enchantress, and she __**did**__ beg very prettily. Half-starved as she was for a real wizard to show her what she was missing, I think she has unfortunately inherited far more of your sentimentality than your intelligence, Severus Prince!'_

_Madeira gave a cackling laugh, vindictive satisfaction lighting up her painted features, but sheer hatred was written all over the old wizard's thin face, and a cold fury burnt in his deep-set eyes, as his wand arm gave an involuntary spasm towards Riddle. Seeing the deadly look in his Great-grandfather's eyes, Severus knew he was close to breaking point, and he understood exactly why so many wizards stood in awe of the Grandmaster: Riddle would be murdered by the end of the night, if his Great Grandfather could manage it!_

_But Riddle was undeterred: either he was over-confident, or downright stupid if he did not recognise the danger of the pent-up magical energy waiting to explode out of the old wizard. But Riddle was still behind Yseult, a tall, dark shadow crowned by a pale, handsome face and the undimmed glittering of the locket around his neck. Severus Prince was helpless to do anything._

'_You can imagine my surprise,' Riddle continued, 'when such a devoted little witch did not seek me anymore. It seemed as though she had disappeared. Well, she had. Disarmed and kidnapped by these valiant Knights here.'_

_Riddle moved over slowly to where the Karkaroffs were still standing, looking blank, a little way off, together with the dirty muggle tramp. Severus Prince's wand arm twitched, but Madeira pushed her wand meaningfully deeper into the soft white skin of Yseult's neck._

'_Unlike you, it did not take me long to track her down, for I have many sources of information,' Riddle glanced at Madeira as he said this, 'She was imprisoned by the Karkaroffs, and that, of course, made me highly suspicious of their motives. I quickly overpowered them, and they gave up every bit of information I required. I performed a Memory Charm on them- my own invention – and they will remember nothing of what occurs tonight. Given what I intend to do to them, they should thank me for it! Anyhow, I found out their plan and acted upon it, which is why we are all here tonight.'_

'_Let my daughter go, Riddle! You can use me instead!' Severus Prince said in a strangled voice._

'_Father, no -!' Yseult cried out for the first time, but Madeira arms interlocked tightly with hers, blocking her, and she brought her wand up to Yseult's face._

'_Hush, my pretty one, or Madeira will mark that smooth white skin of yours in a way that will always make you stand out in a crowd for all the wrong reasons!' Madeira hissed, her face twisted in hatred as she looked down upon the young witch's face. _

_Severus thought he detected a hint of jealousy in the older witch's unreasonable outburst._

'_Leave her alone, you damned old whore!' Severus Prince shouted._

_Madeira's face turned an ugly brick red colour, and her wand tip glowed red, causing Yseult to gasp in pain and move her head back._

'_Why should I !' Madeira hissed, her expression slightly mad, 'You thought nothing of branding my arm with the crossed skull, when you dismissed me from the Knights of the Walpurgis, Severus! It is time you stepped down. Tom is more than capable of stepping into your shoes, and he will re-instate me as a rightful member of his Brotherhood! You will hand over the Title of Grandmaster to him, or I will make sure your daughter's screams will be the last thing you hear, before he kills you!'_

_But in her anger Madeira had let her wand tip waver away from Yseult. The young witch gave a convulsive movement, twisting free of the older witches grasp, and before Madeira could act, Severus Prince had rushed forward, and hit her, at almost at point-blank range, with a spell that burst forth in a blinding greenish-yellow light from his wand. _

_Madeira screamed, a harsh agonising sound that rent the night air, and clutched her face in agony. Dropping her wand, she fell to her knees, but Severus Prince had misjudged the lightning-swift reaction s of Tom Riddle. The young wizard had already hit Yseult with a Stunning spell and she fell forwards unconscious, with a small gasp, barely two feet away from the writhing body of Madeira._

_Tom Riddle and the old wizard were duelling now, but it had all happened so quickly that Severus hardly had time to react, even though he didn't need to, for this was just a memory. Which was just as well, for one of the spells thrown by Riddle ricocheted off one of the fallen slabs of stone and hit him in the chest. He felt nothing of course, and the spell passed right through him, but, memory or not, Severus felt his heart beating in his throat as he watched the wizards duel._

_It was awe-inspiring! A duel such as Severus had never seen! They both fought with a single-minded determination that was amazing to behold, and they were well matched, but Severus started to notice that Riddle had slightly quicker reflexes, and was starting to get the upper hand. With a shiver of horror, Severus wondered whether he was watching the last moments of his Great-Grandfather's life: the Madeira in the portrait had implied so. _

_The spells of the duelling wizards lit up the night sky, but finally, Riddle, who seemed also a bit more cunning, as well as quicker, threw himself down close to where Yseult lay stunned and Severus Prince hesitated to retaliate. _

_It was just a split second, but it was long enough for Riddle to disarm him. _

_With a cold, triumphant smile, Riddle caught Severus Prince's wand deftly and pointing his own at the ground beneath the old wizard's feet, he muttered a sibilant incantation in a strange language, and dark, black roots emerged from the soft ground beneath his feet, twisting and curling around his boots with gnarled tendrils. The Grandmaster tried to run as soon as he realised what was happening, but it was too late. He tripped and fell over, the black roots twisting round his entire body, so that he was forced into immobility._

'_Beneath this ancient ground lie many of the roots of the sacred trees, Severus' Tom Riddle explained calmly, but with an eager gleam in his eye, 'They do the bidding of any wizard who is a student of the ancient arts, like you and I. But we are not here to discuss old magic like we once used to, Severus Prince: I am tired of discussion. Now I want action!'_

'_Please, spare her, I-'_

_The old wizards face had suddenly crumpled, all the fight gone out of him as he realised the hopelessness of his situation. He lapsed into silence and the only sounds came from the direction of Madeira, who was still moaning in pain from where she had fallen. Severus gazed into the lined old face of his ancestor in despair, feeling foolishly as though he ought to do something – anything – to prevent the memory from going in the direction it appeared to be going._

'_When I told you earlier that I am not interested in seeking the Secrets of Immortality, I was telling the truth,' Riddle continued with a cruel smile, 'But that is because I have already sought and found those secrets, Severus Prince!'_

_The old wizard's eyes widened in comprehension, but Riddle spoke again._

'_What I want from you, Severus Prince, given that this duel was not fought in the presence of the knights, is to perform the Blood Sacrifice Transference Spell that will give me the authority as Grandmaster, and I will let Yseult go.'_

'_You lie, Riddle! You will sacrifice her as well as me, in your pursuit of Immortality! I have seen your mind!'_

_Riddle whirled around suddenly and pointing his wand at Yseult, so that her senseless body was lifted high in the air and carried, her robes and sleek dark hair, billowing gently in the night breeze, towards the standing stones, where it stopped, and was placed gently down. Her head lifted then and her eyes opened, but their expression was vacant and she stared straight ahead as she lifted her arms gracefully upwards and outwards, so that she stood stretched beneath the large standing stones, frozen in the graceful poise of a macabre ballet._

_Severus Prince struggled uselessly against the black roots around him, his eyes fixed upon his daughters' slender form. Madeira's loud moans finally grew silent, and she picked up her wand and struggled to her feet, still clutching her face and whimpering softly._

'_I will give you a choice, Severus Prince,' Riddle announced in a cold, hard voice, 'You will transfer your Authority to me and I will not use Yseult as the sacrifice necessary to ensure Immortality! I will use one of the Karkaroffs, instead!' and he pointed carelessly in the direction of the silent group of wizards plus tramp._

'_You will not use __**them,**__ Riddle! I know how your mind works! It will be a significant murder or nothing! You intend to use __**my**__ murder to ensure your immortality, and my daughters' to ensure you are given an authority you do not deserve!'_

'_Oh, but I do deserve it Severus! I have just duelled you and won, after all. But I grow tired of arguing...'_

_And with that Tom Riddle conjured a shallow stone basin similar to a pensieve, which he placed in front of the silent, eerily-floating figure of Yseult. _

_It was half-filled with a liquid, for the full moon was brightly reflected on its surface, and then he proceeded to open the large gold locket around his neck. He removed something from it that looked like a black powder, and a small shrivelled object that looked like a mummified embryo. These he added to the liquid in the basin. The liquid glowed and the reflected moon in it seemed to magically dissolve, its bright whiteness diffusing throughout the basin. _

_Next, Tom Riddle pointed his wand at the solid standing stones as he murmured an incantation in the same sibilant language Severus had heard before. A fine white dust, almost like a pale smoke, came off their granite surfaces and it too, followed the directions of Riddle's wand and fell glittering in to the basin. It became highly reflective, almost like a mirror, and finally Tom Riddle turned to him. _

'_Do you remember what comes next, Severus Prince? I'm sure you do. After all, it was you who compiled 'The Secrets of the Darkest Arts'. A final incantation and blood from a beating heart!' _

_Tom Riddle smiled cruelly at the old wizard's evident distress. _

'_S- stop. I -I'll do what you say. But you must release her – I want to see her Disapparate before I give in to your demands, Riddle!'_

_At that moment, Madeira, who had finally stopped moaning, gave a sudden howl of rage and anguish. She had taken her hands off her face and had just caught sight of herself reflected in the mirror-like surface of the shallow basin. _

_Severus could understand why she howled. _

_His Great-grandfather's curse had ripped her face open in several ragged and bloody lines. Even Severus could see they were not simple wounds: their edges were black and poisoned, and he knew those cursed wounds would never heal. Madeira would be scarred for the rest of her life! _

_Both wizards were distracted by Madeira's horrified scream, but none of them expected what happened next. The old witch, her face a twisted, mangled mask of rage and horror, ran towards Severus Prince, firing a Killing Curse at him. She missed, possibly because her eyes were swollen and bloodied. The spell hit the ground at his feet and the blackened roots emerging therefrom fell away. The old wizard, seeing his chance, charged at Madeira, who had already lifted her wand arm to strike again. He grabbed her wand, trying to deflect the spell, his lips muttering an incantation, just even as Madeira was shouting _Avada Kedavra_ again. _

_The combined spell left Madeira's wand with the force of a small explosion: the shock wave rippled through the wild moor silently, but devastatingly. Severus did not feel it, for was he was the outsider in this memory, but he could see the Karkaroff s and the old tramp were knocked off their feet, as was Riddle. The latter was slammed right into the side of the standing stone and seemed to lose consciousness for a second. _

_Madeira and his Great-grandfather did not hit their heads against anything, but they, too, had been knocked off their feet and lay still on the ground, their hands still interlocked around the one wand, but their eyes strangely open and glazed-looking. _

_However, the first person to feel the brunt of the spell, even before the shock wave expanded outwards, was Yseult. Severus knew it had unwittingly been a combined spell, but unlike the result he and Lily were familiar with, Madeira and Severus Prince's spell had tragically resulted in something totally different from what they had each expected._

_Severus saw a blindingly concentrated beam of raw energy, like white lightening, speed off from the wand's tip, even before the secondary shock wave rippled outwards. The wand had been pointing directly at Yseult, and it hit her squarely in the chest, like a stabbing knife._

_To his horror, blood started to pour forth, dark and red, pulsating from Yseult's chest to fall into the basin at her feet. Yseult gave a great shudder, her staring eyes closed, and her head drooped slowly forwards on her chest, even as wave after wave of dark liquid poured out of her chest._

_The liquid in the basin lost its mirror-like surface and glowed blood-red, so that even the standing stones were tainted with the colour. It frothed over, hissing and whispering malevolently, neither gas nor liquid, but more like some heavy, dark red smoke. _

_Severus watched, his benumbed mind unable to force his eyeballs away from the gruesome sight, even though a small voice in his head was screaming at him to turn away. In terrified entrancement he watched as the whispering, swirling darkness crept swiftly across the few feet that separated the inert bodies of Madeira and his GreatGrandfather. Tom Riddle stirred, and his eyes fluttered open just in time to see the black trailing wisps of heavy smoke creeping up his robes._

_A faint scuffling sound made Severus turn round and he saw the Karkaroffs run off and Disapparate. Tom Riddle had seen them too. The tramp appeared confused, but staggered drunkenly out of sight behind one of the megaliths. Probably Riddle's curse over them had broken the minute he had lost consciousness, but Riddle's attention was distracted by the dark red smoke that had now crept up to his chest, and seemed to concentrate around the locket he wore._

_Severus felt he should've tried to get rid of that poisonous-looking smoke or whatever it was, but Tom Riddle did not seem afraid of it. Rather, he looked angry as he looked down at the now-glowing locket on his chest. _

_Severus did not quite understand what had happened. From what he could gather, Riddle had been trying out the spell that would grant him immortality, but that something had gone wrong, probably by the unexpected use of combined magic. _

_The dark red smoke had covered the unconscious bodies of both Madeira and Severus Prince, too. Like Riddle, they had started stirring, and the heavy smoke swirled fitfully as they moved beneath its dark pall. Severus could not make out their faces, for unlike Riddle, the smoke had covered their eyes and mouths too. But they did not utter any sound of pain or distress, until suddenly, the liquid smoke seemed to recede – where it went Severus could not be sure – but it was replaced, or turned into, tendrils of blue-white light that encased their entire bodies like an ethereal glowing cobweb. _

_It was then that he noticed Severus Prince's eyes were open. After a few seconds bewilderment, they widened in comprehension as he seemed to realise what had happened and shifted himself to a sitting position._

_The bright tendrils of light had disappeared from his body but were now concentrated in two brightly-glowing spots: one on Madeira's chest, around the pendant she wore, and one on Riddle's. Madeira stirred and rolled over with a moan, so that the miniature picture of herself, still glowing like a large ember, was hidden. Riddle hadn't noticed: he was looking at his own glowing locket with an angry scowl. Seeing Severus Prince was awake, Riddle immediately pointed his wand at him._

_But Severus Prince ignored him, for he had just seen Yseult's slumped body, dark red streaks staining her robes._

'_Yseult!' _

_He ran towards her just as the magical bonds holding her up dissolved. Her blood given, the magic dissipated and her body fell heavily into her father' arms. He fell to his knees with his daughters' dead weight in his arms and wracking sobs shook his body. Severus looked away, the sight of the bloodied body of the witch that so resembled his own mother was making him very uncomfortable._

_Tom Riddle did not care._

'_This is your doing!' he shouted at the old distraught wizard, holding up his still-glowing locket._

_Severus was mystified. What did a locket have to do with the original spell? Wasn't it aimed at giving the wizard immortality? Well, the spell had gone wrong after all, and perhaps the magical energy had somehow been deflected and wasted by the pendants they both wore. Perhaps it was supposed to centre around their hearts, but the pendants had deflected it. Or it had just damaged the precious-looking locket that Riddle wore! That seemed to be the case, for Riddle was still raging about his locket._

'_You have no idea what you have done!' he was shouting at the hunched figure of his great-grandfather,_

'_On the contrary, I know exactly what happened, Riddle. It is what you have accused me of not having the courage to do! And I have done it unwittingly and through my daughter's life.' He spoke in a flat, dead voice that sent chills down Severus' spine, for the leaden despair in his words indicated that he was about to do something desperate._

_But Tom Riddle either did not care, or was convinced he could handle anything the older wizard threw at him._

'_You do not know what I hold in my hand!' he stormed, 'You do not know who this locket belonged to, and you have contaminated it with your worthless, cowardly, soul!' Riddle brought his wand up, his dark eyes blazing angrily, and pointed it directly at the older wizard's head._

_His great-grandfather looked up at Riddle, deadly calm, his eyes tear-stained but steady, and his mouth set in a grim line. He gently put the white bloodless corpse of his daughter down on the coarse grass, his eyes never leaving those of Riddle._

'_Go ahead, Riddle – kill me. But you know what will happen if you do.'_

_Riddle's dark eyes flashed an angry red and a muscle in his jaw worked as he gazed down at the older wizard. His wand tip glowed green and wavered slightly as Severus held his breath, wondering if this was his Great-grandfather's last moment of life. But Riddle fingered the gold-locket hanging down his chest and the wand-tip wavered even more._

_It was at this moment that Madeira chose to moan and sit up, holding her head. The pendant around her neck had stopped glowing, but she was holding it in her hand, apparently having noticed something unusual had happened to it. A second later, she looked up to see the angry red eyes of Tom Riddle looking down at her, his handsome face barely recognisable with rage._

'_Tom, I -,' she started, alarmed at his expression and probably guessing why. It had been her interference that started it all._

'_Crucio!' Riddle shouted suddenly, whipping his wand round to point at her._

_Madeira's body contorted as her screams rent the night air. Severus backed away, his heart pounding as her body writhed in pain, and he found himself hoping that someone, would hear, and put a stop to this. But the lonely moor was miles away from anywhere, and Madeira's screams had reached such a high-pitched level that she finally gave a choking sob, and though her mouth was open and her eyes bulging in pain, no further sound came out, as her body arched and twisted. Severus' breath came fast and shallow – he had been subjected to the CruciatusCcurse by Karkaroff and he knew exactly how it felt. A sudden movement caught his eye._

_In the few seconds it had taken Riddle to cast his spell over Madeira, his Great-grandfather had spotted his own ebony wand lying in the grass where Riddle had dropped it. Lunging for it, he was now pointing it at Riddle, who had realised his intention, but was too late to stop it. Both wizards took up the duelling position once more, but the older wizard spoke first:_

'_When I told Karkaroff that I could not remember the incantation and magic that renders a wizard Immortal, Tom Riddle, I was saying the truth,' his great-grandfather said softly, but with a disturbing gleam in his eyes, 'But having seen it at work tonight has jogged my memory, and I have remembered something more important...'_

_Tom Riddle looked at him suspiciously, but did not interrupt, and neither did he lower his wand. _

_Severus Prince, however, did._

'_I have remembered, Tom Riddle,'' he continued contemptuously, his wand held loosely at his side,, 'the counter-spell to the Curse of Immortality.'_

'_Immortality is not a Curse, Prince! Why would any wizard who has dared go the length to achieve Immortality want to undo his work?' _

'_The way to undo the spell that created immortality, Riddle,' his great-grandfather continued, fixing his former protégé with an intense stare, 'is through remorse. Deep, heartfelt regret for the lives lost to create that immortality. But I'm afraid that remorse is something that you, Tom Riddle, will never feel or understand. And you ask why I would refuse Immortality? Well, because only through death – simple, unequivocal death – can I finally be at peace now'_

_Severus Prince fell on his knees besides the pale corpse of his daughter, his ebony wand held limply in his hand and there was a despairing sadness in his eyes as he gazed at the still figure before him. Riddle, with a confused but angry look on his face, followed his motion with his own wand._

'_You will never be Grandmaster of the Knights of the Walpurgis, Tom Riddle,' his Great Grandfather said finally in a quiet voice, looking up at the tall, handsome wizard across Yseult's body, 'We have not performed the Blood Transference spell, and thus tonight, I will make sure that the title is inherited by my son, and that no soul, including mine, bipartite or not, is left alive to dispute this fact! Avada Kedavra!'_

_And with lightening swift movement Severus Prince brought the dark ebony wand round to point at his own heart. There was a flash of green light and his great-grandfather fell dead across the body of his own daughter._

**A/N: This Chapter was too long, so I had to divide it in two. However, I'm posting both together, since, as you can see, this is the end of the story of Madeira, and I'm eager to concentrate on events in Sev and Lily's life as they go through the last 7 months of their 5 th year at Hogwarts. **

**Thank you for all the reviews! They're very much appreciated! I assure you I try to answer each one individually, except for those with a disabled pm service.**


	116. Chapter 116

**Chapter 116: Twice Dead.**

**Posting two chapters. A/N at end of Chapter.**

_It had happened so fast, he had acted so unpredictably, that Severus gave an audible gasp and jumped backwards through the unsolid surface of a fallen megalith. Tom Riddle also gave a cry of dismay and anger, as his former Grandmaster buckled forward, dead._

_His cry was echoed by Madeira, who had recovered sufficiently from the bout of Cruciatus and had been silently witnessing their final words. Her cry was one of anguish, however, rather than rage, and she stood shakily up, tears streaming down her ravaged face as she gazed upon the old wizard's body. Severus thought her unexpected, yet evident, distress at the death of the man she had once been so infatuated with, would earn her another bout of Cruciatus from Riddle. _

_But Riddle was distracted by the gold locket on his chest. It had started to glow briefly, then more intensely – he hastily removed it from round his neck, for it had turned white-hot and burning. Levitating it in front of him with his wand, Riddle gazed in horror at its blinding light, probably thinking, like Severus, that it would melt in the searing heat. But a second later, there was a last flash of light and the locket lay gleaming, pale gold in the moonlight, in front of the young wizard._

_Riddle tentatively put out his hand and touched it, but it must have been cool to the touch for he took it into his own hand and examined it closely. He whispered something to it in a harsh, sibilant voice, and the locket opened. Whatever he saw inside must have satisfied him, for he threw the chain round his neck again and looked appeased. _

_It was then that he realised Madeira had moved over to where Severus Prince lay dead, and was crying silently into her hand. Her own pendant had not glowed mysteriously, as Riddle's had done, and she had eyes only for the body of the dead Grandmaster. Riddle's eyes flashed with a red fire, and his wand whipped round at her head._

_She realised her mistake immediately._

'_Tom, Tom I'm sorry! I ruined everything, I – '_

_But a rustle in the drying grass behind them made them look round._

_It was the tramp. Severus had forgotten all about him and probably so had they. He was running away, stumbling over the uneven ground in his haste. If he had been drunk before, he had apparently sobered up enough to have realised he had witnessed two gruesome deaths. He had wet himself, and his eyes were wild and staring as he glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. _

_Severus knew that it was futile._

_With a lazy flick of his wand, Riddle tripped him up neatly, so that he fell in a jumbled mess amid the rough gorse._

'_Yer – yer one 'o them damned Satanist blokes, wot's always diggin' aroun' these 'ere places an sich!' he shouted incoherently ,'I'll set the bloody police one yeh! I'll – ' _

_But his words were lost as Riddle threw a Silencing Charm over him, so that his mouth opened but no words came out. Clutching his throat, his eyes bulging, the ragged tramp was forced to come close. He moved jerkily, for Riddle was forcing his limbs to move his way, a savage smile of pleasure curling his lips. _

_Severus knew that the hapless tramp would bear the brunt of Riddle's displeasure and frustration, but he wasn't quite prepared for what happened next. Riddle waved his wand and the tramp was levitated to take position beneath the Standing stones, his limbs forced outwards, starfish-fashion, to point at the four corners of the portal. His ragged, urine-stained clothes fluttered about him in the night breeze and his eyes bulged in horror, since, unlike Yseult, he was not unconscious, and he was in the prime position to witness his own life-blood pouring into the shallow basin still at his feet._

_Severus moved back, his breath coming raggedly and his stomach churning at what he knew was about to happen. He did not want to see any more, he had seen enough!_

_Thank Merlin, apparently, so had Madeira, for he caught a whirl of her grey cloak as she turned on the spot and Disapparated. _

There was a lurching sickening movement, like being turned upside down, and he found himself in the still, darkened room in front of Madeira's fireplace. The youthful Madeira in the Portrait was looking at him intently, her expression a mixture of anxiety and concern.

As he got to his feet, he realised his hands were shaking slightly and he felt cold and clammy. He turned to her portrait,

'Where's Tom Riddle ? What happened to him?' he asked, disguising the slight tremor he felt in his voice by speaking harshly.

Anger was more familiar to him, and it made it infinitely easier to see things in perspective. Besides, Tom Riddle had betrayed his Grandfather just as much as Dumbledore had.

'Tom Riddle disappeared from the face of the wizarding world that very same night,' the portrait answered gently, 'I escaped, fearing for my life, for Tom Riddle was a very powerful wizard, despite his age, and as you saw, he had a temper to match, when thwarted. I admit, I hadn't seen that aspect of him yet, and it frightened me.'

'But where'd'he go?'

'I don't know. No-one does. After that night I was afraid he'd come after me in revenge, but he never did. I can only guess that the spell went wrong again, for he was never seen again after that night. Even when they finally found your Great-grandfather's body, and that of your Great-aunt, they were alone.'

'You tried to kill him!' Severus spat at her savagely, remembering the Killing Curse that ended up as a piece of combined magic with a result he still had not quite understood.

'To my eternal regret, Severus, yes,' she said sadly, 'But I was out of my mind. I knew I had been scarred for the second time by him, and this time, it was much worse. I was blinded by rage and acted upon it! '

Severus glared at her – for it was easier when glaring, to ignore the sadness in those large liquid eyes, the tears welling in them...

'They hushed it up, of course' she continued, her low throaty voice held just a twinge of bitterness, 'They had discovered Riddle's extortion letter, and though there was no signature they realised your great-grandfather had been embroiled in a ransom plot that involved Yseult. They came to the conclusion that the ransom had not been paid, and both had died as a result, for both were deemed to have been killed by dark magic by one, or more, other wizards, and their wands were never found. The Princes prepared a lavish funeral ceremony for your Great-grandfather, and a more discreet one for Yseult, for they had somehow got wind of her unfaithfulness to her husband.'

'And the Knights of the Walpurgis? What happened? My Great-grandfather had seemed quite sure that they would continue without Riddle.'

'As I said, Tom Riddle disappeared completely. I think he died of his own magical experimentation – what he was trying to do was very dark magic, and very dangerous too! Anyhow, he deserved it! He appealed to my foolish vanity when he was still a schoolboy, for I was a grown witch desperately clinging to remnants of my youth! My beauty had been very precious to me once. It was a bad combination for me, and I trusted him...'

'You trusted him because you wanted revenge on Grandmaster Prince!' Severus interrupted savagely, 'It suited your purpose, that's all!'

'So I thought at the time. I wanted back the dignity and respect I had lost, but in the end, I was left scarred and running for my life; Riddle probably destroyed himself; and the Knights were disbanded. Such a stupid, stupid waste of lives...'

Severus looked at her suspiciously. Madeira had been a cunning and conniving witch, and never one to be sorry for the loss of lives, with the one possible exception he had just witnessed in her memory.

'It was your grandfather Aderan, you see,' she explained with a sigh, 'I think he thought taking over the title of Grandmaster of the Knights of the Walpurgis would mean that he would highly likely end up as his father and sister had, and Aderan, he was never much interested in the ancient arts, anyway. He disbanded the Knights a few days after his father's funeral, possibly wanting to have his mind at rest that his two daughters, Eileen and Maureen, would not be targeted in the same way his sister had been, so Severus Prince's sacrifice to keep the knighthood going, was wasted.'

'Not wasted.'

'Well, I supposed he had no other alternative, given the way things turned out, but-'

'Dumbledore told me a few of the Knights re-united, and I'm not speaking about the Karkaroffs –'

Madeira nodded slowly. 'Yes, quite a few years later I heard rumours that You-know-who had gathered some of the remaining knights into his newly formed band of Death Eaters. He had a formidable task, but I think he saved your Great-grandfather's Knights from complete extinction. You should be grateful to him for that, I suppose.'

'Dumbledore practically confirmed that the Dark Lord was a Knight himself. Do you know who he was?'

'No-one went by that name when I was part of the brotherhood, but many joined after I was banished and I do not know their names. I would never dream of asking the Dark Lord himself, but I had some acquaintances among the oldest Death Eaters, however, they are very reticent about their master, and I was too scared to dig too deeply lest the Dark Lord find out...'

'What about the Locket? Why was Riddle so upset?'

Madeira hesitated before answering as though she was weighing her words carefully: 'I will answer this question and no more, Severus, for the time is drawing near when you must leave. That night, Severus Prince and myself cast spells simultaneously with one wand. Combined magic, it is called, and the results-'

'I know about combined magic,' he interrupted impatiently, 'The results are catastrophic and unpredictable. But what happened after Yseult was killed?'

'I think the spell to assume Immortality was completed. I am not entirely sure how, for Riddle, and perhaps your Great-grandfather, were the only two to have seen the spell in 'The Secrets of the Darkest Arts', but I have gone over what happened again and again, and slowly pieced the bits of the puzzle together, until I think I know what happened.'

She paused, choosing her words carefully.

'I think the secret of that spell is that it somehow transfers the ability to be Immortal onto an inanimate object, and unless this object is magically destroyed, the witch or wizard can expect to live forever even if their body is destroyed. I searched for more information and did eventually learn of a wizard in ancient Greece who cast this spell successfully, though many others after him tried and failed, like Tom Riddle.'

'So the Locket was Riddle's object of choice?'

'Yes, but because of my interference, the spell worked by giving Immortality to Severus Prince – something he had never wanted – using Riddle's precious Locket as the anchor to Immortality. That is why he was so angry.'

'What about yours? Your pendant. It glowed in the same way as the locket.'

'You noticed that, didn't you?' Madeira said, fingering the gold chain around her neck. 'Yes, the same thing happened to me, though it took me many decades to finally convince myself of it.'

'So – let's get this straight,' Severus said struggling to get his mind round this revelation 'You're – you're _immortal_? Even though Karkaroff just killed you?'

'This miniature of myself,' Madeira replied, holding up the oval pendant, 'Is my anchor to Immortality. It has been enlarged to form the portrait you see before you. That is why, unlike other portraits you may have seen at school, I was able to talk to you even when I myself was still alive.'

Severus passed his hand over his brow which was now throbbing painfully. He had been in more surreal situations in the last 24 hours, than in his entire life. This nightmare from the past was reaching into the present in a tremendously complicated way.

'And besides, Karkaroff did not really kill me. He killed my body, but then, like I suspected, my spirit was still alive, and I possessed him.'

'You – you _what?_!'

'Possession. A dark art that I was familiar with, for it is widely, though illegally, practiced in my native island. I entered Karkaroff's mind and made him take the Black dagger in his hand. It is no ordinary dagger. It is imbibed with a very strong poison I obtained from my native land. It destroys both body and spirit. I intended to force Karkaroff to stab himself with it. But Death Eaters had heard the commotion and burst in here. I thought they would use the Avada Kedavra curse which would ruin everything, for my spirit would still be free, but instead I begged them, as Karkaroff, to kill me using the black dagger. They obliged, though they cast the Killing Curse too, just to make sure.'

Severus thought he saw a glimmering of where this conversation was leading, and glanced at the second black dagger lying on the table near the pensieve.

'But why did you want to end it? I mean – you were immortal, for Merlin's sake! Isn't that what everyone has been chasing my Great-Grandfather's book for?'

'Living forever trapped in an old ravaged body, my beauty paraded uselessly in this old portrait, with nothing but bitter memories and regrets to keep me company? Hunted by old and new enemies, and despised and hated by everyone? I have felt the bitterness grow inside me for months, and now I can take it no more, Severus. I have managed to bring you here to ask one last favour...'

Severus glanced at the black blade grimly waiting on the table, and she followed his gaze.

'Yes, Severus. That is what I expect of you, and you must agree that it is fitting. I consider you, Severus, the most worthy of the Prince descendants. Despite your half-blood status, you are truly your great-grandfather's heir, and it is your hand that should strike the blow that destroys my last link to the living. Consider it as justice being finally carried out on behalf of Severus Prince. He at least had the courage and knowledge to undo his own Immortality. I however, must depend on you.'

Severus dragged his eyes away from the dagger and looked at her. His mouth felt suddenly dry as he gazed at the beautiful young witch. She seemed more alive now than he had ever remembered seeing her before, and what she was asking him to do was something akin to murder.

Or was it?

'Why should I?' he finally managed to choke out, his heart starting to beat faster.

'It has to be this way, Severus! You know it has to!' Madeira whispered turning her large brown eyes on him and leaning closer, so that he could see the determination, mingled with sadness, in their liquid depths, 'I could possess you of course, and make you do it, but I would rather it be in the full knowledge of what you are doing. You know my story, and can do of it what you will. But this is the end, for me, and both you and I know it'.

Severus gazed at her silently, the familiar prickling of anger stirring in his heart. Why the bloody hell did it have to be him? Couldn't she have found any other old fool to do it for her? The cold embers of his hatred were fanned into life in the wake of his frustration. Madeira had double-crossed too many people, after all. She deserved to die! Especially if, as she threatened, this magic portrait could really possess him or others!

'Take the dagger and plunge it into this image!' Madeira said, interrupting his musings, and indicating the glittering image on her breast.

Severus walked automatically to the table and took the dagger in his hand. It was heavy: far heavier than he expected for its size, and the tip of the strange black metal blade glinted dully in the light of the lamp.

He stood in front the portrait, dagger in hand and he gazed at the young witch before him, his heart thudding faster. He tried to rationalise that he was only stabbing a piece of canvas, but the small miniature pendant rested on the smooth, soft skin of breasts that rose and fell gently with Madeira's breathing, so incredibly, damnably _alive_ ...

His previous anger was fast dissipating, and he stood irresolutely in front of the portrait, the dagger half-raised. Madeira saw his hesitation, and spoke:

'I am already dead, Severus. This part of my spirit that resides in this portrait is weak , its essence divided. I understand now why your great-grandfather undid the spell,' her low voice trembled, and Severus could see tears spilling over from her eyes, 'Remorse, has come a little late for me, but nonetheless, I hear its call now, and this half-existence has to end! Now!'

'_Strike, I say!'_

He heard the voice in his head and he could feel his arm, moving against his will. He realised that Madeira was trying to control him, possess him. Horrified, he struggled against her will. How dare she? But he was accomplished at Occlumency – she had taught him herself – and he would be damned if he allowed her in his mind again! His horror turned quickly to a cold purposeful fury, and he felt her withdrawing, leaving him as soon as he resisted.

Her brown eyes bore into his own, and he thought he detected a small hint of triumph in them. That bloody witch had just shown him what she could do, if she so willed it.

Infuriated, he drew back the dagger and stabbed hard at the miniature pendant over her heart. The dagger ripped easily and completely through the flimsy canvas, and Madeira's eyes widened briefly, then fixed on his.

His brain suddenly caught up with what he had just done and his felt his heart grow cold as he waited for Madeira to scream in pain, as a strange liquid poured forth from the wound in her chest.

But instead, but she was silent. Her eyes gazing intently at him until they glazed over, and she saw no more. He knew then that she had goaded him on purpose, for she knew his weakness, his temper.

The dark, but many-coloured substance started to ooze out of the stab mark in her breast. It poured down the canvas looking like oil colours mixed together to form a gaudy, dark paste, and Severus stepped hastily backwards as the stuff dribbled down the portrait to drip thickly on the floor at his feet. Swallowing back his horror, he saw that Madeira was now slumped against the backdrop against which she had been painted, and he could see that her image – or whatever it was- was dead.

A hissing smoke followed the oozing colours and next instance black flames had engulfed the portrait.

Severus knew those flames. The black fire could not be extinguished by water, and it would consume that which it wanted to consume and no more. The portrait would be gone in minutes.

He staggered backwards, unable to take his eyes off the black tongues of flame as they stretched greedily upwards towards Madeira's beautiful, dead face. He stumbled, tripping over the broken horned skulls littering the floor, but that roused him enough to send him flying for the stairs and towards the trapdoor behind the bookshop counter.

A pale light was sifting through the clumsily patched boards across the front door of the shop and he knew that dawn was approaching.

He couldn't risk going back by boat now. He had to return through the secret passage. Taking a deep breath to try and control his wildly beating heart and ragged breathing, he pulled back the trapdoor with a shaking hand, and leapt down into the dark space below.

**A/N: This Chapter was too long, so I had to divide it in two. However, I'm posting both together, since, as you can see, this is the end of the story of Madeira, and I'm eager to concentrate on events in Sev and Lily's life as they go through the last 7 months of their 5 th year at Hogwarts. **

**Thank you for all the reviews! They're very much appreciated! I assure you I try to answer each one individually, except for those with a disabled pm service.**


	117. Chapter 117

**Chapter 117: Aftermath.**

Regulus Black hurried swiftly down the torch-lit passageways of the dungeons. He avoided a wide flight of steps that led to the cellars, for he could hear the Bloody Baron clanking away down there, and took a left turn instead. He had to find Severus, and he had to find him quick.

No-one knew exactly in which gloomy depths of the dungeons Severus Snape prowled, of course. There were many rumours in Slytherin common-room that he had even stumbled upon Salazar's secret chambers, but the deeper parts of the dungeons were a labyrinthine series of passageways, and only the foolhardy would dare sneak upon Snape down some dark tunnel. He had a creative way with curses that was very discouraging. Wilkes had tried it once and he had come back with his knees hexed on back to front!

Regulus glanced over his shoulder nervously, and wondered why he was sticking his neck out for Snape. Despite his friendly advances over the years, the latter never told him where he disappeared to in the dungeons. With a scowl, Regulus remembered Snape was only a half-blood after all. Admittedly, the magical side of his family tree was evidently very strong in him, and even his cousin Narcissa had admitted it, but he was nothing compared to the last pureblood descendant of the Black Family.

It was some source of pride to Regulus that it was he, Regulus Arcturus Black, the younger son, who had been called upon to uphold the family honour, given the direction Sirius was taking. Last summer, his brother had had an almighty row with his mother for sticking photographs of semi-nude muggle girls on his bedroom wall. If _those_ were the kind of girls Sirius would consider dating, then truly, the Black family was destined to die out, unless he, Regulus, did something about it.

Well, even Snape was always nosing around that muggleborn – Lily Evans. In spite of what he said to the contrary, Regulus had a feeling that the girl's undisputed good looks had something to do with it.

His footsteps echoed loudly down the tunnel-like passageway. He was venturing into unknown territory here, and wasn't too sure what he'd do if the tunnel divided itself further. But Regulus knew that he would have to try. There were a hundred reasons not to, but that damned Severus Snape always managed to be so confoundedly mysterious about everything he did, and he, Regulus, always succumbed to curiosity!

Especially after that letter he had delivered to him at the beginning of term. If what he suspected was true, then Severus Snape had been invited for an audience with the Dark Lord. A thousand other questions occurred to him, but he pushed them determinedly from his mind. Cursing himself softly under his breath, he wondered whether the fifth-year was even in the dungeons at all.

But he had looked everywhere else – the dorm, the Library, the disused classrooms on the upper levels, and he couldn't find him. Well, Mulciber and Lestrange had said they'd once seen him take this direction, so perhaps he'd be lucky. He needed to tell him something – or, rather, he wanted to find out something by exchanging his news for it. He was a Slytherin after all.

Yesterday the Dark Mark had been set over Hogsmeade, and the whole castle was abuzz about it. He had thought it was a Hallowe'en joke at first, but it was early morning of the first of November and Hallowe'en was officially over. And he had reason to suspect that Severus knew something about the Dark Mark. Rosier and Wilkes had returned from Hogsmeade without him, and they said he never returned to the dorm. And there was something else...

'What are you doing down here, Reg?'

A brittle voice close to his ears startled him and he whirled round to see a thin, dark shadow emerge from one of the several intercommunicating niches that provided ventilation in lower passageways. Severus Snape was pocketing his wand and scowling at him.

'Why d'you have to creep up behind me like that for, Severus?' Regulus gasped, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. At least Snape had put away his wand.

'Answer my question!'

Regulus scowled.

'Looking for you!' he snapped back, angrily, 'There was the Dark Mark over Hogsmeade last night and since it seems you spent the night there, I wondered if you know anything more about it.'

'Spent the night there? Rubbish! I came back with Lily Evans.'

Severus moved slightly, so that he came under one of the torch brackets as he said this, and the flickering light above his head threw his face into sharp relief. Regulus was shocked into forgetting what he had to say at the sight of Snape's face. It was pale and drawn, his eyes sunk into dark holes by the shadow of the torch, but in their depths, a hellish fire glittered and Regulus involuntarily took a step backwards.

'That – that is not what she told me,' he stammered, apprehensively.

'She told you? What d'you mean she _told_ you?'

'She came looking for you in our Common room early this morning!'

'That can't be true! I saw Mary MacDonald in the fourth- floor corridor near the Library just now, and she said Lily was still sleeping!'

'Well, I guess she lied to you then, Severus. Not surprising: - if what Mulciber said is true, I think that that MacDonald is cracking up. She tried to use the Cruciatus curse on him and his girlfriend yesterday. Evans was there – you ask her!'

'What?'

'Didn't she tell you? Well, I know Macdonald is lying because it was I who spoke to Evans outside Slytherin common-room this morning, and it couldn't have been later than half-past six. She wanted to know where you were. Pretty anxious about it too.'

Regulus saw the familiar closed expression coming over Snape's features and his bloodless lips set into a thin line.

'You look like shit, Severus. Where've you been?'

'Where did Evans go?' Severus countered, ignoring his question.

'Dunno. Told her I'm not your dorm mate, and that anyway, no-one ever knows where you disappear to, and no-one dares follow you unless they want to be hexed with something unusual!'

'And is that why you're down here?' Severus asked, one brow arched slightly upwards 'Expanding your knowledge on unusual hexes? I thought I had taught you enough back at Grimmauld place.'

'You wouldn't hex me...?' To his chagrin, Regulus' voice came out rather squeakily and he glanced involuntarily at Snape's wand arm, for a dull fire still burnt in his eyes. Severus didn't answer him but Regulus thought he saw the taut lines around his face relax a bit.

'Didn't you hear what I said about the Dark Mark?' Regulus persisted.

'I've seen it,' Severus answered curtly.

'Well?'

'Well, what?'

'Everyone's wondering about it. When did you see it? Do you know over whose house it was? Why was Evans so anxious about you?'

'Lily shouldn't have come down to our common-room. She –'

'She wasn't the only one asking about you.'

'Who else won't mind their own bloody business?'

'Mulciber kept asking where you were, Severus. He looked seriously annoyed, for some reason.'

'If that demented MacDonald tried to use an unforgiveable curse on him, he might've been just a bit sore...' he retorted, sarcastically.

'I don't think it's just that, somehow. But hey, -! Wait!' for Severus had turned to go ' I came to look for you because Dumbledore came down to a very early breakfast this morning, and told those of us there that Hogsmeade visits have been suspended indefinitely because of the Dark Mark, and that all students had to report to their Head of House right away. Apparently, a Hogwarts boat was found abandoned by the lake at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and he wants to make sure all students are accounted for.'

Regulus could not be sure but he thought he saw Snape's deathly pallor become a shade whiter than he thought possible. He decided to push his luck.

'Evans was in the Great Hall too, Severus. She seemed very upset when the Headmaster mentioned the abandoned boat. She ran off immediately, leaving her breakfast. I think she ran towards the dungeons – .Where're you going?'

Severus had turned and started off up the corridor.

'Don't follow me,' he said over his shoulder, and though he spoke quietly, Regulus knew that this time, he would not follow him.

'What's going on, Severus? We have to report to Slughorn!' he shouted after him, but though his voice echoed down the tunnel, the dark figure hurrying swiftly ahead did not answer him.

Regulus watched his dark shadow melt silently away in the distance, an intense curiosity eating once more at his insides. Would Snape ever consider him dependable enough to tell him what he was doing? The answer to that question intruded easily and negatively upon his despondent mind, and he turned to retrace his steps back to the Slytherin common room.

Severus ran down the tunnel-like passageways of the deeper part of the dungeon, lighting his wand as he did so, for these disused parts were not torch-lit. If what Regulus told him was true, Lily had gone to look for him in their secret hideout. If not... well, he knew exactly how she would interpret the Headmaster's words about the missing boat and would have rushed off to tell Dumbledore. He swore softly under his breath – he shouldn't have believed that lying witch, MacDonald – he should have insisted on speaking to Lily! Leaving the boat there had been unavoidable, but as for Lily – well, it was about time she believed he could take care of himself, dammit!

'_Nox_' he hissed, for he was nearing his dungeon hideout and was familiar enough with the tunnel-like tract leading up to its door not to need light. It was an extra precaution he took to shake off any potential student foolhardy enough to follow him.

Suddenly the magical protection in front of the door shimmered slightly and someone ran headlong right into him. He wasn't expecting it and staggered backwards, momentarily smothered by long dark hair and a meadow-sweet smell that was very familiar.

'_Sev_!' Lily gasped extricating herself and lighted her wand, her voice high-pitched with a mixture of relief and surprise.

Severus did not answer her immediately, for his heart was still racing from the shock of her sudden appearance. She had almost startled him into firing a curse, had it not been for the fact that their close encounter made her instantly recognisable. As his heartbeat subsided, he felt his head starting to throb painfully. He ignored it, for a dull fire inside him, brought on no doubt by lack of sleep and recent violent events, was keeping him awake and focussed, in a benumbed kind of way.

Lily lifted her wand up higher, and observed him closely.

'Where the hell have you been, Severus? You look terrible!'

'I decided to come back through the secret passage. It was dawning and there was no time to get the boat.'

'No time to - ? But you had _hours_! How could you -?' she stopped and Severus saw her expression harden as she came to the only possible conclusion.

'You went back, didn't you?' she said, coldly, 'You went back to that Madeira's house!'

'Look, Lily, I –'

'D'you know how worried I was, Severus?' she snapped suddenly, 'Two murders in one night and then Dumbledore said the Aurors had found a Hogwarts boat! I thought something terrible had happened to you! I came down here as a last resort – I was going to tell the Head of House -!'

'That's what I thought!' he shot back angrily, 'You'd've got me expelled! McGonagall would've -!'

'I wasn't going to go to McGonagall!' Lily replied indignantly 'I was going to Slughorn. He's – he's a bit more understanding, and he's your Head of House. I thought he would-'

'Much as he likes you, Lily,' Severus interrupted viciously, 'he would never stick his neck out _that_ far.'

'Well, I don't know what I was _supposed _to do, then Severus!' Lily's voice rose shrilly, 'Nobody had seen you, I couldn't find you, and I thought you were in trouble. You should've at least told me you were back!'

'I tried to, but Mary MacDonald said you were asleep.'

'_What?_ I was up at five, worrying whether you made it back okay!'

'You've got to have more faith in my ability to take care of myself, then! There are things you don't know about me, Lily!'

She did not answer him and his words reverberated loudly in the dark tunnel, beating time with the dull ache in his head, and echoing back the truth at them.

'Exactly,' she said, finally in a cold voice, 'There are many things I don't know about you because you refuse to tell me. You're always hiding things from me, even though we're supposed to be best friends! You go back to the scene of two murders and you do not want to tell me why. Is it only Legilimency Madeira promised you? Or was she teaching you dark Magic, too?' her voice rose again, angry and hurt, 'Since I don't know anything about you Severus, you'll forgive my jumping to wild conclusions!'

'Drop it, Lily. Sarcasm doesn't suit you!'

'Oh, doesn't it?' her shrill voice echoed down the tunnel, 'But I'm learning from an expert in sarcasm, Severus! I should be getting good! But never mind that! You haven't told me what you went back to that old hag's house for! Did she leave you something in her will? Perhaps a book for some light reading on the Dark Arts? Or perhaps one of those cute little Voo-doo dolls?'

Severus clenched his jaws, both angered and shocked at Lily's sarcasm, but more so because he knew that in part, she was right. It was this niggling guilt that was torturing him into a slow fury.

'Oh, but silly me, it is not my business after all, is it?' Lily was continuing, her wand light jerking crazily on the solid wall as she gesticulated.

'I'm not the only one who hides things!' he retaliated 'Did you lend MacDonald a hand when she tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Mulciber? You conveniently forgot to mention that, didn't you?'

He saw the anger in her eyes dissipate, and they momentarily widened in shock as she realised what he was referring to.

'You've got it all wrong!' she insisted, taken aback, 'I – there was no time. Next I saw you was at Hogsmeade, and –'

'Not that I don't believe Mulciber deserves it sometimes, but _unforgiveable_ curses, Lily?' Severus pressed on, harshly, 'Who's into Dark magic now, I wonder?' And yet you want me to tell you where I've been?'

Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'What are you saying?'

'I'm saying that if you were not so fussed about your friend casting the Cruciatus Curse, then I don't know why you're biting my head off for returning to Madeira's house! After all, why should I tell you what I've been doing?'

The irritating guilt at the back of his mind had built up to a tortuous feeling that infuriated him. Lily did not say anything for a second, but her face was very white. Then:

'Okay, see if I care!'

She turned round quickly and stormed off, but Severus had seen tears welling up in her eyes.

He cursed softly in the dark, as he watched the light from her wand move jerkily down the tunnel away from him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the damp cold wall as the dull throbbing in his head clouded his vision. Closing his eyes was a mistake however, for images of a slender, dark-haired witch, her life-blood pumping darkly from her chest, flashed across his mind. A black poisoned dagger sunk deep into skin-coloured canvas. He opened his eyes, blinking away the small droplets of sweat on his brow.

_Fuck_. He had to pull himself together. And he couldn't let Lily go. She had meant well, but he wouldn't have wanted her with him in Madeira's pensieve, witnessing the horrifying murders and seeing him, Severus, plunge the dagger into the living portrait...

He suppressed a shudder and ran off after the blue-white wand light before it disappeared round the end of the tunnel.

'Lily, wait!'

She heard him but did not look round, and as he approached she put out her wand light, forcing Severus to light his own wand. She was passing her arm surreptitiously across her face as his wandlight shimmered whitely into existence. She did not look at him.

'Look, Lily – I just had to go back to retrieve something, that's all.'

She didn't even deign to reply, but kept on walking, gazing stonily ahead.

'I got the idea when I was on my way to the boat. It was too late to let you know,' he persisted.

She slowed down a bit, but still would not look at him.

'Retrieve what?' she mumbled finally in a muffled voice.

'Well, memories. Old memories.'

This time Lily did look at him.

'Memories?'

'With Legilimency you sometimes... unwittingly break into the other person's mind and well, it happened with Madeira, and I saw some parts of my Great-grandfather's life, for she had known him well. I thought I could find something else about those memories, so I waited till everyone had gone and had a poke around the place, that's all.'

'Why now that she's dead? Why didn't she tell you before?'

'She ... considered those memories private, and well, that's why we had a bit of a falling out.'

'Then I guess the memories couldn't have been about mundane stuff. The memories were about that damned book, weren't they?' Lily's voice still sounded edgy, but he could see her curiosity was aroused.

He shrugged. 'Not only.'

Lily stopped and looked disbelievingly at him.

'And d'you think I would believe that you'd go looking for Legilimency memories when the witch who's supposed to provide them, is already dead?'

'She – there are many ways of preserving memories. I thought a photo or something –' he knew it was lame, and Lily spotted it immediately.

'You mean to tell me you spent till dawn looking for a photo album the Aurors did not take away? I assume they searched the place thoroughly!'

'There was a pensieve. I found it in a secret compartment behind the portrait. It stores memories, kind of like a muggle cine-camera, but more in detail.'

'And what did you see?'

Severus hesitated. Unlike Regulus, whose curiosity in everything he did grew more pronounced the more dangerous and secretive he deemed it, Lily was more concerned with his whereabouts because of the potential risks, and seemed unimpressed with the secrecy: for her, the fact that he hid things from her meant he distrusted her (and perhaps she was right: she was still too wary of the ancient arts for him to tell her too much about what she surely would not approve of. For now, at least).

He could tell her about the memories of course: both Riddle and the Karkaroffs were dead, and the knowledge, even if her mind were read by Dumbledore or others, should not get her into trouble.

But there was the Dark Lord too. Severus had not forgotten what Voldemort had instructed him to do. It was the one big secret he could not let her know about. If ever Lily was to be taken into the Dark Lord's presence, then the less she was embroiled with the whole affair, the better. Madeira was definitely in the Dark Lord's bad books. As for Riddle, Voldemort seemed to have known, and even admired him, but Severus could not be sure. He himself hadn't even quite got his mind around what he had seen, what Madeira had briefly explained.

Lily had interpreted his silence differently.

'Of course, if you do not want to tell me...' She turned round to move off, but Severus's next words stopped her in her tracks.

'I saw my Great-grandfather die,' he said flatly, 'It was a suicide.'

Lily turned to look at him, her eyes wide as her hand moved involuntarily to her mouth.

'Sev, I'm – I'm really sorry, I –'

'Don't be!' he said sharply, 'They always said Severus Prince sacrificed a lot for what he believed in! It was a sacrifice, Lily. His last great sacrifice!'

Lily was looking at him with such compassion, her eyes gleaming softly in his wand light that he felt anger stirring in him once more.

'I shouldn't've pried, Severus. I'm sorry I didn't believe you –'

'Just forget it Lily, okay?' he tried to mitigate the harshness in his voice. It would only convince her he was upset at the manner of his ancestor's death, whereas he was proud of it, really. Severus Prince had thwarted that young upstart Riddle, as well as the Karkaroffs. 'Look, Madeira is dead, so you can rest assured I don't need to go down that tunnel again! And besides, Potter knows about it now –' he had just remembered seeing that hated face appearing suddenly behind him as he came out from behind the mirror in the 4 th floor corridor.

'I know, I met him on my way up!' Lily said, artlessly.

Severus suddenly remembered the reason for Potter's interest in Lily, and was about to start pouring abuse on him, when a reverberating voice startled both of them.

It seemed to be coming from the very fabric of the walls around them and it was a voice they recognised instantly: Dumbledore's!

'_Further to my announcement early this morning,' _boomed Dumbledore's voice,_ 'and for those of you who were still abed, or elsewhere, and did not hear my instructions, I would like to repeat that every student in the school must report immediately to their Heads of House in their respective common-rooms. Anyone not present in their common-rooms within 15 minutes from now, will be deemed missing Due to extraordinary circumstances, Aurors from the Ministry for Magic are in my Office to ensure that all students are accounted for, and to be of help should a search for missing students be required.'_

Lily and Severus looked at each other for a wild moment.

'Lily you've got to run!'Severus said urgently, 'you're miles away from Gryffindor common-room! You're not going to make it in 15 minutes!'

'I'll take a short-cut! Potter knows about last night, Sev!' she said as they starting running down the dungeon passageways.

'Exactly! The interfering twat might say something if one of us is thought missing! Just to show how good he is at snooping around the corridors at night in his bloody invisibility cloak!'

Severus had to stop his recriminations against Potter they were running flat out and he was out of breath. Finally, he skidded to a stop near the passageway that led to the Slytherin common-room. Lily stopped too, and gave him a strange look.

'We're – you're okay, aren't you, Sev?' she asked, searching his face anxiously.

'I won't be if you don't get to Gryffindor common-room on time, Lily!' he answered exasperatedly, 'Now, g_o_!'

Something in his voice must have reassured her, for she gave him a swift smile before she turned and ran swiftly towards the upper dungeon levels.

Severus watched her disappear round the corner of the torch-lit passageway. Then he strode down a passageway on his right and stood facing a stretch of blank wall.

'_Anticua magiae' _he mumbled, and the wall slid open so that he could hear Slughorn's voice calling students names from inside. Taking a deep breath, he walked in.


	118. Chapter 118

**Chapter 118: Pranks and Poisons**

Lily was bored.

Not as bored as she got in Binn's History of Magic class, but DADA was fast becoming a close contender on the boredom scale. Professor Eridamus Jacobs droned on, listing the differential characteristics of the Werewolf and Common Wolf. He was not as bad as their second year DADA teacher, Prof Artemesia Ironwood had been, with her interminable lists of laws and regulations, but he came a close second.

He was reading out of a book as he usually did, and though Lily was convinced Professor Jacobs knew the books really well ( he always answered student's questions in depth and accurately), she was sure he did not know much else. He certainly did not seem to know how to apply such magic to the real world. It was almost the third week of November now, but Jacobs was still doggedly reading Chapter after Chapter of their textbook, and had never asked them to take out their wands once. At least their previous teacher, Brocklehurst, had been a real Auror and had taught them how to duel. That was before he got killed by Death Eaters.

She glanced over at Severus, who was sitting next to her. He was busy scribbling away in the margins of an old book. Anyone would think he was taking notes on what old Jacobs was saying, but Lily knew better.

The book was 'Advanced Potion Making' and it was not a fifth year book. It was a sixth year book that used to belong to his mother. Severus had a habit of previewing their next year's lessons, especially Potions and DADA. This being their OWL year, he was doing it even more assiduously, and even rather audaciously, during lessons that had nothing to do with Potions. She grinned as she saw him scowl at a long list of poison antidotes and scribble savagely across them all '_Just shove a bezoar down their throats_!' in his spiky, but cramped, handwriting.

She knew why he was so edgy. Hogsmeade visits were still indefinitely suspended even though Dumbledore had managed to round up all errant students that day, and had said nothing more about the abandoned boat. She herself had arrived a few minutes late in Gryffindor common-room and had to withstand an irritated McGonagall's lecture about punctuality, and Potter's meaningful glares.

No more Hogsmeade visits meant that Severus' store of ingredients was running desperately low on some stuff he usually bought at the village Apothecary. No doubt, if this continued, it would goad him into attempting another clandestine visits there. If he hadn't done so, already.

Despite their altercation the day after the Hogsmeade murder, she was sure he still did things without telling her. She had been afraid for him and admittedly, more than a little hurt that he did not trust her with his secret. She had been wrong to force him to, of course, for she had been taken aback when he revealed his Great-grandfather's death by suicide. He had looked so pale and distraught: it must have been a harrowing experience if he had really witnessed something like that. She herself still had nightmares about the suicide they had seen back home in the Pauper's graveyard, one summer night. The Pensieve was like a cine camera, Severus had said, but more detailed...

She did not want to pry anymore.

She observed her friend silently as he bent over the old potion book, his face hidden and his long hair falling untidily over its pages. He had recently acquired a habit of leaning over his work, hiding it from view – no doubt because he was now spending many lessons hunched over books that had nothing to do with the lesson being taught. He did it in DADA, Ancient Runes, and, from what he said, in History of Magic, too.

The flurry of excitement, accompanied by the usual buzz of rumours and conspiracy theories had run the rounds of the school common-rooms, and since nothing more sinister had happened, Hogwarts had settled back into the usual routines of lessons, homeworks and Quidditch, some of the older students even muttering mutinously about their curtailed visits to Hogsmeade. But for the Fifth years there was a sudden increased influx of essays, star charts to prepare, charms to practice and Runes translations to do, all with the addendum 'this will be marked as at OWL standard'. Lily had felt herself panicking a bit, especially when she spotted even the worldy-minded Thalia working hard.

Consequently, she had spent these past weeks studying with Severus either in the Library or in their dungeon hideout. In a way, she was glad they were so busy, for he had left off trying to persuade her of the merits of Voldemort's "saving the wizarding world" policies. Either he was too busy, or he had given up.

Either way, she was glad they had settled back into their usual routine of studying, writing homework and practicing spells together as they usually did, and she felt definitely more cheerful despite the hard work. After all, both had very good reason to try and do well in their OWLs. Severus wanted to prove himself best at magic: it was not a simple desire with him, but a single-minded, almost desperate, _need_. And she, as a Muggleborn, had a bit more to prove than Severus, so they relished their absorption in their work and as usual, pulled each other along when the going got tough, and the amount of work seemingly insurmountable.

However, it was not quite the same, something was different.

They skirted around certain issues awkwardly, especially when their conversations brought them round to what had happened the night Karkaroff had killed Madeira. Severus had told her, over the past weeks, what had happened between him and Karkaroff in the secret tunnel, but of what else, if anything, he saw or did in Madeira's place, he never spoke again.

Her friend seemed to alternate between bouts of energetic work, during which his concentration on his studies was total and obsessive, and bouts of preoccupied silence. She would often catch him looking at her on these occasions, a frown on his face or else an unreadable expression. It was not the burning look she had seen in his eyes before, the look that had sent shivers down her spine last summer. And he would look away if she caught him at it, pointedly ignoring her questioning look.

She herself felt guiltily glad that Madeira was dead. That way, Severus had no more occasion to rub shoulders with someone so sinister and so obviously into Dark Magic. It was a cautious happiness of course, for she had thought it was all over last year, with the discovery that his Great-grandfather's book lay safely in Dumbledore's office, and it had turned out to be completely untrue. He had still been pursuing magic skills of doubtful legitimacy.

And there was something else that unsettled her - the way Severus looked at her these days – in puzzlement and preoccupation – made her think that perhaps he regretted whatever he had intended to share with her last summer. Was his increasing admiration of Voldemort influencing what he thought of Muggleborns? After all, they were bickering a lot more ever since they returned to Hogwarts...

Or perhaps she had completely misinterpreted his intentions last summer, and he had never meant to tell her, or show her, anything more than an unusual spell...

This did not stop her, however, from observing him closely, trying to find something in his expression that she thought she had seen last summer. She found herself _longing_ to find something there that indicated their friendship, threatened as it was by their diverging opinions on the war, was, nonetheless, something more than friendship.

She was doing it again now. Observing his long, pale hands moved carefully but confidently as he scribbled untidily yet purposefully, in the margins of his old potion book. She resisted the urge to lean over and lift that dark curtain of hair off his face, so that he would look at her and perhaps give her a rare smile. She felt herself redden and glanced hastily around for something else to occupy her mind.

Her eyes fell on Potter who was holding a whispered conversation with Sirius. He was not the only one. The lashing rain against the thick glass of the classroom window, and Professor Jacob's droning voice provided adequate background noise to hide any whispered conversation. Remus and Pettigrew were on the desk behind them, but though Pettigrew looked bored, Remus seemed irritated at the whispered conversation, and his face looked pale, almost haggard. Severus was lately insisting on sitting at the back of the class, so he could get on with his scribbling. However, this meant that they were fairly close to the Marauders, who had always favoured the back places. Potter looked up just then and glanced in their direction. Severus remained unaware, but Potter caught her eye and grinned. Sirius looked round too, then pushed his untidy dark hair out of his eyes and leaned over to whisper something to Potter with a smirk.

She stared huffily back to Professor Jacobs, hoping Potter hadn't seen her red face. She didn't like that smirk, or their close conversation: usually it preceded some prank at someone else's expense. She hoped it would not be her, for recently, Potter's behaviour towards her was becoming quite bizarre.

Given that she was one of the few who did not follow him around drooling over his Quidditch victories and giggling hysterically over his insane practical jokes, he must have typically considered her a challenge of sorts, and had been constantly pestering her by dropping mysterious hints of his trips to the Forbidden Forest, or of raiding the kitchens for night-time parties in the boy's dorm, and at the same time pouring contempt on Severus and how he led her into sinister situations then scarpered.

She had finally taken to avoiding the common-room when he was around, until she learnt, to her surprise, that he was dating a Gryffindor fourth-year girl by the name of Jessica Bobbin, one of the most vociferous and persistent of his Quidditch fans. She hoped this would make him forget her and Severus for a while, but if that grin he had just thrown her was anything to go by, then he could not let sleeping dogs lie.

'... _and the approach of the full moon_, 'Jacobs was reading, '_will cause the wizard affected with Lycanthropy to grow slightly more aggressive, though this could be a direct affect of the worry and anguish over the ordeal to come...' _

She heard a whisper and a barking laugh from Black's direction which Remus curtly hushed up. She ignored them and looked down at her book. Professor Jacobs had skipped ahead during her musings, and she hastily turned several pages forward.

'I wish he'd show us something practical,' she grumbled in a whisper to Severus.

Severus straightened up slightly, glancing at their teacher. A small smile played around his lips as he said:

'Of course. Tomorrow's full moon, and a fully transformed Werewolf is just what we need in class right now. Then we can all take turns to overpower it, while old Jacobs looks on, ready to jump valiantly to our defence if we get mauled too badly!'

'You know what I mean, Sev,' she replied, unreasonably happy at what was, for Severus, a light-hearted mood, 'Not werewolves. Anyway, we should've done werewolves already in third year, and we haven't so much as seen so much as a simple Grindylow, or a Boggart...'

'There was one – a boggart, I mean - in the Hufflepuff girl's dorm. I heard Slughorn say he had to get rid of it.'

'Not Professor Jacobs? It's his job after all.'

'It's only a Boggart, Lily. Nothing more than a common household pest . Anyone can do it.'

'Can you?'

Severus frowned. 'I never tried. Never had one. I s'pose not even a Boggart would want to take up residence in such a Muggle dump as Spinner's End,' he said, finally.

'Well, perhaps we could ask Slughorn where he put it and try. I heard Boggarts often come up in OWLS, and they can be tricky.'

Just then, a slight commotion made Professor Jacobs stop reading. He looked short-sightedly at the Marauders, for it had come from their direction. Remus was red in the face, and Potter was looking mutinously at him.

'What's up with your Prefect, Lily? Is he finally trying to get his friends to toe the line?' Severus asked sarcastically, looking at Remus Lupin with dislike.

'Don't be nasty. He gets like that every month: usually if he has to visit his mother. He gets all jittery for some reason.'

Severus said nothing, but she saw him glance across at the Marauders as Professor Jacobs resumed the lesson.

'He gets taken sick very often. And once you said he returned from the hospital wing all scratched and stuff,' Severus muttered after a while.

'Yes, it was very strange, and Black had invented something about a savage dog. I find it hard to believe though: we're only allowed toads, cats, and owls.'

Severus frowned as he looked across at Remus lupin who was now looking stonily at Professor Jacobs.

It was then that it happened. There was a loud crack and a purple torpedo-like object tore out from under their desk and whizzed around the classroom, spitting out purple smoke and golden sparks. The purple smoke separated into long streamers that undulated around the class, and then transformed into purple snakes.

It was pandemonium. Some people screamed loudly as they were jolted out of their stupor by the flashing light and loud bangs now emanating from the purple Firework. Desks were overturned, and some parchments caught fire. Others shouted with glee at the welcome distraction. Lily gazed in horror at their feet where the firework had come from, and saw Severus doing the same. His bag had a large black hole, still smoking slightly, where the rocket had burst from.

'Sev, did you-?'

'Of course not!' he bit out, angrily, 'Someone must've shoved it in my bag!'

There was a final loud bang and the firework disappeared in a flash of light. Professor Jacobs, a purple smoke-snake twisting sinuously around his neck, stood there with his wand pointing at where the firework last was. Well, at least he knew how to get rid of Fireworks, Lily thought, as the rest of the class pointed their wands at the remaining wispy snakes, and attempted, with varying success, to vanish them. Glancing over at Potter, she saw him playing with one of the ephemeral snakes, expertly tying it into a ridiculous-looking knot and smiling smugly. Suddenly she knew what Potter and Black had been whispering about, and what Remus had evidently tried to stop them doing.

'It was them, Severus,' she said 'They must have levitated that thing right into your open bag,'

'Mr Snape, please come forward.' Professor Jacobs was saying.

Unfortunately their teacher had noticed the direction the firework had come from.

'And, yes – I need your bag. _Accio_!' and Severus's bag, smoking black hole very much in evidence, followed him towards the teacher's desk, accompanied by loud sniggering from the Maruaders' direction.

'Since you do not seem to find my lessons interesting enough, Mr Snape, and seem to think the class requires entertainment, I suggest you stay here...'

The bell rang at this moment and some students started gathering their things, but others remained seated, eager to see his punishment, for it was a rare event for Severus to be caught doing anything, despite the rumours.

' ...and clean up the mess in this classroom. I have not missed the Slytherin connection of the purple snakes either, so I think it will be 20 points from Slytherin for this high jinx, Mr Snape.'

There was some muttering at this, but Severus ignored everyone and set to work under the watchful eyes of Professor Jacobs, his face a closed mask. Lily knew he was seething inside, but she couldn't do anything, and had to leave the classroom amid a mass of disgruntled Slytherins, who threw her disdainful and accusing looks.

Out in the corridor, she looked around for the Marauders. This was all their fault! She had no proof, but she just knew it! It was just the kind of stupid, inane joke they played.

'Did you like the Fireworks, Evans?' said a voice behind her.

She whirled round to find Potter and Black grinning at her.

'Snivillus has conjured up some nice purple snakes, Evans!' Potter continued, with a grin, 'Didn't think he could be so frivolous.'

'_You_ did it, Potter! And it's sick the way you make everyone take the blame for what you've done!' she stormed at him, 'You got him into trouble just for a stupid joke!'

'Well, he got _you_ into more than trouble, Evans! He almost got you killed!' Potter retorted, with a touch of anger in his tone.

'Stop worrying about Snivillus, Evans,' Black interrupted 'A bit of cleaning will do him good, the greasy git! Anyway, the important thing is that he's out of our way, now. Oh, look- there she is, Prongs!' Black nodded to a petite, curly-haired girl coming down the corridor.

'Ah yes, my date arrives! Excuse me, Evans,' Potter said, flashing an exaggerated smile, as he pushed past her, 'Jessica's always so _eager_ to see me...'

'You show her, Prongs!' Sirius Black shouted, grinning, as his friend pushed his way through the crowd towards the girl, who beamed happily as soon as she spotted him.

Lily rolled her eyes and hurried on, determined to get away as quickly as possible, but could hardly avoid the sight of Potter lifting Jessica Bobbin up and whirling her about as she giggled hysterically. People had to jump out of the way.

_Really_, if a teacher had to see their behaviour, he or she would dock points from Gryffindor. But Potter did not seem to care: placing Jessica down he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off down a narrow corridor that led to some disused classrooms.

He didn't even wait to get into one, for as she hurried past the corridor, Lily saw him push Jessica against the wall and start kissing her, his bigger frame almost hiding the petite fourth-year from view. From what she could see of her, Jessica did not seem to mind being pinned to the wall by James Potter, for she was returning his kisses with fervour.

'What're you looking at, Evans?' a smug voice behind her asked.

It was Sirius Black, and there was a strangely triumphant expression on his handsome face. She felt herself reddening, angry with herself for being caught staring. Not bothering to answer him she turned to go, but he called after her.

'Nice couple, don't you think, Evans? Jessica Bobbin is a one lucky girl, she'd been pestering James for a date, for _months_!'

This was really too much. Several retorts came to her mind telling Sirius Black exactly what she thought of the 'couple', for she was still feeling disgruntled at having been caught staring, but then she saw a glimmering of the reasoning behind Black's remarks, and suddenly she saw the comic side of the situation.

Shaking head at him, as though he were a small boys caught doing some mischief, and barely hiding her mirth, she turned to face Sirius Black.

'You're perfectly right, Black. They suit one another down to the ground, and I'm really glad Jessica Bobbin got her wish, and Potter, his perfect date,' she said sincerely, almost laughing out loud at Black's crestfallen face, 'Congratulate them for me, ok?'

And then, still shaking her head in disbelief and smiling to herself, she hurried on down the corridor leaving Sirius Black to wait disconsolately outside the corridor for his friend and his girlfriend to re-emerge.

...

Severus looked on dispassionately as the dead rat walked clumsily towards the ornate silver Chalice. The large emerald set in the wide stem reflected green light as it climbed up, using the stone for leverage. Reaching the bowl of the chalice, it slid inside stiffly to lie still at the bottom, its long naked tail curled around its body and its black fur unkempt and staring.

He was getting good at necromancy.

With a flick of his wand he sent a jet of clear water into the chalice containing the rat. He was also getting good at non-verbal spells. It was a sixth-year skill, but he and Lily had been practising them for the past couple of weeks, so that now, barely a week into December, they found they had become quite proficient.

The rat did not move, even though the clear water arrived up to its middle. Its dead eyes stared unseeing at the side of the chalice and nothing else happened. Severus scowled. Something _should _have happened: that was a Blood Chalice and a very dark magic object.

He looked at the rat with distaste. He had found it scavenging for food in his store cupboard and had used it to practice Memory Charms on. He hadn't expected the Charm to work, first of all because he was not too good at Charms, and secondly, the Charm was meant for the human mind. After all, what could you expect a Rat to forget? He had read that Wizards and witches proficient at Memory Charms could also plant false memories in their victim's mind. He hadn't quite arrived up to _that_ level yet, but the Mind Arts fascinated him, and he would one day become just as proficient.

For now he had achieved a discreet victory by making the rat forget its way back to its tunnel and even forgetting to look for food. Unfortunately, he did not know how to reverse the spell, and he killed it before it starved itself to death. Its opaque dead eyes stared up at him accusingly from the bottom of the water-filled chalice, and its unkempt black fur, which was matted and spiked in all directions, reminded him of Potter. James bloody Potter and his mop of wind-swept hair, nauseatingly cheerful, confident, grin, and round spectacles gleaming triumphantly as he completed yet another victory lap around the Quidditch pitch. Gryffindor had even _lost _their last match against Slytherin, and yet it was Potter that everyone cheered, for he had scored most goals and in the most spectacular way. Regulus, who had won Slytherin their first victory of the season by catching the Snitch right from under the Gryffindor Seeker's nose, had even been booed by the other Houses, for putting an end to Potter's showmanship.

It had been two weeks since the fireworks episode in the DADA class, but he could still see Potter's hated face gloating as he was forced to march up to Professor Jacob's desk, his destroyed bag following him. He had cleared up the mess in silence, his mind seething with ways and means of revenging himself on that four-eyed bastard and his cronies.

And not just because of the inane prank with the firework.

If James Potter even dreamed of setting those four-eyes of his on Lily, he'd dig them out of his skull with a red-hot poker! Not that Lily would ever be interested in Potter, for she was laughing when she told him about his recent acquisition of a trophy date. Severus could hardly fail to notice, for Potter grabbed every opportunity to smooch the empty-headed giggling girl, sometimes even when Teachers were around! What Severus didn't like was the fact that he seemed to step up the snogging whenever he and Lily where around!

He scowled at the dead rat, wishing it was Potter that lay curled up helplessly in the Blood Chalice. He could think of several interesting curses he would try out on him!

He had managed to jinx both Potter and Black on several occasions. It hadn't been simple, for the Marauders always stuck together in a group, but he had managed a couple of mild jinxes that could not be traced back to him (such as stronger dark magic inevitable would).

The most notable was when he caused Potter's toe-nails to grow enormously long. It was a jinx he himself had invented and he remembered with relish the commotion in the hallways as Potter stumbled about with his huge clawed feet, his girlfriend tugging uselessly and hysterically at his shoes.

They had got their own back on him, of course – more than once. Even Pettigrew fired a Jelly-legs curse at him from behind the bookshelves, when studying in the Library one day. Of course he hadn't been alone - Pettigrew never attacked unless he had back-up – but his chubby little rat-face shone even more gleefully than Potter and Black's, as they peered between the bookshelves to watch Madam Pince berated him for dropping the books he was carrying.

Usually he managed to cast a shield charm, or undo the damage of any jinx before any teacher noticed: he was as good at countering curses as he was at casting them, but still, his clashes with the Marauders had increased tenfold, and that bloody Potter, despite having a girlfriend, still kept looking in his direction, whenever he was with Lily.

Anger rose in him as he contemplated the chalice on the rickety desk. What he really would like was to duel Potter one-on-one, using whatever curses he knew to blow that overbearing confidant face into a million pieces!

He was so busy musing over what he would do, that he didn't notice the rat had dissolved.

He blinked and bent closer to the chalice. The curled body within had grown flaccid , its insides melting like a waxworks figure. Bits of dark fur floated in the now thick, glutinous liquid, but the pointed head was still sticking out, bedraggled whiskers afloat and dead eyes gazing upwards.

Severus felt his breath quicken: so it was true: with this kind of liquefaction the poison must contain Acromantula venom, but what was more amazing was that it was imbued in the silver substance of the cup itself. Metals were notoriously difficult to impregnate: it was advanced magic - ancient magic!

He watched in vicious satisfaction as the rat's dead snout disappeared in the brownish-black liquid, imagining that it was Potter's face that was slowly disappearing into oblivion – never to return! As soon as it had, small ripples disturbed the surface of the liquid within the cup, growing in size until it boiled and heaved as though there was something alive beneath its surface, but the next instant, the liquid stilled and slowly grew more transparent and clear until it looked as though nothing but innocuous water filled the silver chalice once more.

A small noise made Severus' head jerked up quickly. The door to the hideout opened and Lily came in, her face beaming as her eyes sought him out in the gloom of the underground chamber. Her face glowed rosy red with cold and she was muffled up in her red-and-gold Gryffindor scarf .

Severus felt his heart give an involuntary leap as she entered, her breath misty in the chilly dungeon air. Lily's presence felt like a ray of sunshine - the only ray of sunshine that Severus – who hated sunshine - permitted to penetrate the darkness of his hideout.

'Sev! Sev, I've got news! I - What's that?'

She had seen the ornate chalice on the desk top, now, thank Merlin, apparently filled only with clear water.

'It's a chalice,' he muttered.

'Is this another of your dark objects?'

'Always jumping to the same conclusion, aren't we?' he said sourly, but still secretly elated she was here.

'Of course, Severus' she answered unperturbed, 'This place is getting quite cluttered with the things now. I put my hand in the drawer to get a quill the other day, and I pulled up a Shrunken head by its hair. Tried to bite me, too!'

'Shrunken heads have a worse reputation than they merit. Depends on whose head, you see'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Well, I bet that somehow you don't intend to drink butterbeer out of _that_ goblet!'

'_Chalice_, Lily. It's a ceremonial object used for magical rites. And no, I do not intend to drink butter beer, or anything else, for that matter, from it...'

'So I was right. It _is_ a Dark Magic object!

She looked with distaste at the handsome silver cup. Well, she was right of course. Reg's father had let him have it. Since his visit to Grimauld place, he had slowly but surely built an unlikely correspondence with old Orion Black, who shared his interest in ancient magic and obscure dark objects. He had even trusted him enough to let his see some of his collection and even study them. They were smuggled into Hogwarts via Regulus or the hampers the young Seeker often received from home. The Blood Chalice was one of the most amazing old Orion had let him borrow yet.

'You shouldn't be hoarding this stuff down here, you know,' Lily was continuing, her eyebrows raised, 'They're downright dangerous, besides being illegal! I know you're only studying them, but you might be tempted to use them on the Marauders or something…'

'They'd deserve it! Those stupid, overbearing, pampered -!'

'No they don't Severus! Not this!'

'You laughed when I hit Potter with the Toe-nail growing curse!'

'So I did: It didn't really hurt him, and he'd been passing snide remarks about you all lesson. I would've jinxed him myself, if you hadn't! But seriously Severus – I don't' know what happened this year, but you and the Marauders are at each other's throat all the time! And it's getting worse! I'm afraid one of these days you might….' She hesitated.

'That I might what, Lily?' he asked in a brittle voice.

'I've seen what Mary MacDonald did. Her hatred made her lose her head and she cursed Mulciber. It was unforgiveable of her to do so, but thankfully it didn't work. You, Severus, on the other hand, are more proficient in curses than Mary ever was, and with all these dark object s at hand…' she paused, and then looked him straight in the eye '… I would not like to see you use them, Severus.'

Severus looked at her in silence for a moment. Lily had been reticent about why MacDonald attacked Mulciber, saying she had been blinded by grief into believing wild stories that Mulciber had a hand in her brother's death. She had explained Mulciber's variation of the Imperious curse and MacDonald's retaliation. Though Lily did not know it, he thought the incident also explained why Mulciber kept asking him questions about Lily.

It had started the day Dumbledore had rounded up all the students at Hogwarts after the Dark Mark was seen over Hogsmeade, and Mulciber had been very persistent, wanting to know what he and Lily had been up to. He only desisted when Severus threatened him, at wand point, to mind his own bloody business, and leave him and Lily alone. But Severus often caught Mulciber looking at him darkly beneath his low, thick, brows, a brooding expression on his face. With a twinge of apprehension he remembered that the night he had gone to Malfoy Manor, The Dark Lord had mentioned that Mulciber and Lestrange would be 'keeping their eyes on him'.

But the eyes that were looking up at him now were bright green and worried.

'Wait, I'll show you something,' he said finally and went to the store cupboard, opened its rickety door and took out something.

It was another Cup-like object which he placed on the desk near the Blood Chalice. They were both wonderfully crafted and beautiful to look at, though by contrast, the second goblet was somewhat smaller than the Blood chalice and its cup was made of what at first glance appeared to be alabaster, its stem and rim from gold, but Severus knew otherwise. Pointing his wand at it he filled the second cup with water, and turned to Lily.

'Now I have filled them both with water. Which cup do you think I would prefer to drink from?'

'Uh… I don't know. Is it a trick question?' Lily asked looking distractedly from one goblet to the other, obviously still thinking about what she had admonished him for. 'The Chalice I guess – it's got Slytherin colours. Oh – who cares? I was talking about-'

'I would be dead in a few minutes if I drank the water of that Chalice, Lily'

'But you said it's water!'

'The cup is imbued with a rare spell, and anything that you pour in it will turn into a poison that dissolves you from the inside out!'

'Oh'

'The second goblet, on the other hand, is made from unicorn horn and Orichalcum- lost gold, - and only this cup has the power to cure the poison offered by the Blood Chalice.'

There was a pregnant pause and Lily's eyes were fixed on the two goblets.

'It is important to know your Dark objects well, Lily' he continued softly 'Especially rare ones. Neither Madam Pomfrey nor the Healers at St Mungo's would be able to do anything to save you if you tasted the Blood Chalice. I will try and figure out how the Imbuing spell works, then I'm sure I can use the same spell to extract the poison and find the antidote. Perhaps even reverse the Imbuing spell…'

'I appreciate what you're doing, Sev, but an object like this! Shouldn't the Ministry -?'

'Don't even mention it, Lily! he said warningly, 'These things aren't mine, and they're going back where they came from! Anyway, where d'you think Madeira's stuff ended up? Bet you the Ministry don't have the half of them. Sol Fenwick nicked most of them!'

'How d'you know that?'

'Never mind.' It had been Madeira's portrait that told him, but the less she knew about that old witch the better, 'Didn't you say you had some news?'

'What? Oh… right' Lily was taken aback at the abrupt change in conversation, 'Well, I'll be staying at Hogwarts this Christmas. Dad and Mum are invited to the Dursleys for Christmas, but I said I'll be staying here: It's my OWL year after all and I need to study, and… well, I'd also like to avoid Petunia: she's even more paranoid about my 'freakishness' when she's around Vernon and his family! How about you? You – you're staying too, right?'

'As always.'

'Well. Last Christmas you didn't, and so I wondered…'

'I'm staying' he repeated, emphatically.

He did not want to think about last Christmas. His father's drinking problem had re-emerged then, and he had been desperate enough to seek refuge in Lily's house. This time, he had actually written to his mother, asking her if she needed him there for the holidays, and she had owled him back immediately with a firm '_no_!' Probably she still blamed him for the mishap that had sent the Karkaroffs to Spinner's End.

'Well, then. Seems to me you've got to resign yourself to my pestering you for your History of Magic notes and potion homework, for two whole weeks!' Lily was saying, grinning broadly, 'Given the amount of Homework they're threatening to give us, I doubt if we'll have time for as much as a snowball fight! But Christmas day ought to be fun. I've never been at Hogwarts during Christmas! A Ravenclaw girl was telling me there are giant crackers to open and Flitwick enchants the Great Hall beautifully…'

Lily prattled on, her eyes shining in excitement as she spoke about the coming attraction of the Holidays, and pacing animatedly around the low dungeon room. Severus said nothing, but as his eyes followed her, he felt a slow smile spread across his face.

He hadn't smiled in such a long time, and the stretching of the muscles of his face felt odd, but by the time Lily had to leave for her next lesson a few minutes later, a small smile still played about his lips. All thoughts of Potter and his gang disappeared, for Lily had left behind her a faint meadow-sweet smell and a warmth that was definitely not due to the small fire behind the grate that he had insisted on lighting for her.

Placing the two magical cups safely back in the cupboard, he picked up his book of _Advanced Potion Making_ and headed out of the dungeon. He had History of Magic now but he doubted whether he could concentrate either on Binns, or on scribbling further adjustments to Libatius Borages' text: spending Christmas at Hogwarts with Lily Evans was something that had never occurred to him.

It was just dawning on him that Hogwarts was basically deserted at Christmas, and there would be neither the Marauders to bother him, nor his parents and their aggravating arguments to poison his nights. He would have Lily all to himself in the one place that mattered more to him than any other: Hogwarts Castle.

His mind busy with how he would make this Christmas the most memorable one for Lily, he passed through the magical protection outside the door to the dungeon hideout and made his way with a light step towards Binn's class.


	119. Chapter 119

**Chapter 119: The Threat.**

It was break time of the last day of term before the Christmas holidays and Seth Mulciber was waiting in the snow-covered courtyard for Severus Snape to appear. He was alone, for Rabastan had gone off to the Library to do some last-minute reading.

They were both in sixth year, but Rabastan Lestrange had started to take his studies seriously – he had even shelved the secret meetings he used to organise down in the dungeons, for Rabastan had been earmarked by the Dark Lord to infiltrate the Ministry as a spy. He would need top marks in his NEWTS for that, hence the intensified studying.

Mulciber stamped his feet and blew on his hands, trying to get some feeling back into them. He hated the cold, but he knew the fifth-years would be coming up from Potions and had Herbology after break. Snape would be among them.

Given what the Dark Lord had earmarked _him_ for, Mulciber knew he shouldn't have left this till the end. Tonight everyone would be busy packing their trunks, and Snape, as usual, would slink away somewhere deep in the bowels of the castle,where he didn't dare follow him. He should have approached Snape before today. But when he tried, Snape had almost cursed him.

Mulciber scowled and shook the fine dusting of snow that had gathered on his thick black brows. That damned half-blood was just too good with curses, and he, Seth Mulciber, was not too good at subtle approaches: he preferred to _make _people do what he needed them to do!

However, the Dark Lord had set him the job of seeing what certain students were doing and saying at Hogwarts, and he had mentioned Snape in particular. And the Mudblood he hung around with.

One did not gainsay an order that came from the Dark Lord.

His scowl deepened as his deep-set, iron-grey eyes swept over the students in the courtyard. There weren't many, for it was icy-cold and most students had gathered for break in disused classrooms on the ground floor. He slunk back under the shelter of the overhanging, cloister-like walkway.

Why in Merlin's name did the Dark Lord show so much interest in that ugly git? He was only a half-blood after all. He, Mulciber, was a pureblood, connected to the Lestranges and all the other wizarding nobility in this part of the world; his uncle wore Death Eater robes, (though he was not yet formally initiated), and yet, for some strange reason, it was that slimy Snape who had been called in for a private audience with the Dark Lord! He, Mulciber, had only caught glimpses of Him, and had only received his instructions from other Death Eaters, or his own uncle.

Though he did recall that one memorable occasion, during a Death Eater gathering, the Dark Lord had called in all the underage wizards currently at Hogwarts, sons and daughters of his own retinue, and gave them the task of spreading the word of the great cause to their fellow students. Mulciber had been impressed, stupefied even, by the tall wizard's masterful ways and vast power.

A giggling laugh drew his attention to the door leading to the courtyard. It was the Mudblood, Evans, and Snape was at her side. Evidently, Snape had said something to make her laugh, for she was clutching her books, head thrown back and laughing whole-heartedly.

They hadn't seen him, and came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard. He observed them in silence, frowning, for something in Snape's face stopped him from revealing himself.

It was something that he had observed on more than one occasion, recently.

Not that Mulciber was very perspicacious, but given the Dark Lord's orders, and his own experiences with Cassiopeia, his girlfriend, he could see that there was something in Snape's expression that he hadn't noticed before.

It was difficult to describe, for it was fleeting and gone before you could actually be sure of what you had seen, and it was an expression that no-one would associate with Severus Snape.

But Mulciber could see it now as Snape looked at Evans, waiting for her laughter to subside: there was a softness in his dark eyes that he had never seen there before, and the small smile that played around his lips was nothing like his usual cynical smirk. It actually looked _genuine._

Mulciber remembered it was Lily Evan's interference that had got Mary Macdonald off the hook a while back, when he had decided to punish the four-eyed Gryffindor. He felt a twinge of anger. That day, the Mudblood had called his pureblood ancestry 'quasi-incestuous relationships'!

Undoubtedly, the red-head was good-looking, he could see that, but there was something else. Something he had begun to suspect. The snow had settled on the dark red hair of Lily Evans, and she was wiping the tears of laughter out of her eyes. Snape's dark eyes followed the movement of her pale freckled hand with undisguised tenderness.

'Potter looked so funny with his curly beard!' Evans said, sobering down finally, 'Thank goodness Slughorn saw the funny side of it too, Sev, because Potter is one of his favourite students, too, you know.'

'He isn't in the slugclub, though, is he?' Snape's expression had immediately changed when Potter was mentioned, and his familiar scowl was firmly in place now.

'He's too disruptive, I suppose. And you're fast becoming a close contender, Sev.'

'Good. That way he won't invite me again to those stupid dinner parties! Besides, it was Potter's own spell that backfired on him!'

'I know. It was meant for you, wasn't it? You switched the supposedly Face-Cleansing Potion back, when he wasn't looking.'

Snape nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself, basking in the Mudblood's admiration.

'Seriously, though, Severus: Potter seems to be picking on you more than anyone else, and that's saying something, for no-one is safe from the Marauder's pranks in Gryffindor common-room!'

'Or beyond. They've got that cloak, remember?'

'I think I should speak to Remus. He's Prefect, and he should be able to rein them in a bit, for they're going overboard now.'

'Don't, Lily! I don't want that bloody Lupin to do anything! I can handle that arse of a Potter and his gang by myself!' Snape's smug look had quickly disappeared, replaced by an angry, disdainful one.

'It's not just because of you,' Evans answered coolly, 'Some of the First-years are terrified of the Marauders, especially the Muggleborns! They're not used to magical pranks, and sometimes Potter and Black get carried away, especially with Pettigrew urging them on! And Remus …' she frowned thoughtfully, while Snape kicked viciously at the mounds of snow in the courtyard, looking at the unoffending whiteness with loathing, as though each mound had one of the Gryffindor's face on it.

'Remus what?' he bit out, 'Is he sick again?'

The Mudblood nodded, frowning.'You know, Potter isn't really so bad when he's around Remus. Especially when he's sick. And neither is Black. They're kind of protective over him, and it's an aspect of them that I wouldn't have imagined existed, hadn't I seen it with my own eyes.'

'Potter is a big-headed, brainless, puffed-up, attention-seeking bastard, Lily! Lupin is nothing more than his feeble sidekick! How could you even _dream_ that he's interested in more than lapping up the drool of his stupid fans?'

'Okay, okay! Don't start! I wasn't admiring Potter or Black, Severus, but Remus isn't anyone's sidekick! He just gets so sick every month that he struggles to catch up, and he's out of things a bit too often, that's all!' she answered back, heatedly.

Snape remained silent, but the murderous look on his face was definitely something Mulciber was familiar with. It was the same look he had on his face when, a couple of years ago in Diagon Alley; he had pressed his ebony wand into his neck, threatening him with dire consequences for remarking about his Mudblood friend. Well, things were certainly adding up now.

'I have to go,' the Mudblood was saying 'I've got Charms next, and I promised Mary to practice Vanishing Charms with her before the lesson. Look, Sev, the holidays are starting tomorrow, and everyone'll be leaving, so we won't have to bother about them. Perhaps we can go looking for Boggarts, or – or go for a walk or something?'

Severus didn't answer her, but he seemed slightly cheered and nodded curtly. Evans turned back to the door leading from the courtyard with a cheery wave that Snape did not return, and headed inside the castle.

Snape looked at her disappear inside, an unreadable expression on his face, and Mulciber stepped out of the shadows of the archway. There weren't many students left in the courtyard and Snape's eyes immediately fixed on him.

'Feisty little red-head, isn't she?' Mulciber started, hoping a hail-fellow-well-met approach would be best, 'I hear you're planning on spending a cosy Christmas here with Evans!'

'What d'you want, Mulciber?' Snape bit out, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

'Only to see if you're keeping to the straight and narrow with the Dark Lord's request, Snape!' Mulciber answered coldly, giving up on the friendly approach.

He didn't know exactly what the Dark Lord had wanted out of Severus, but Rabastan Lestrange, had heard via his sister-in-law Bellatrix, that Snape was supposed to investigate the source of some rare magic spell that the Mudblood had got her hands on. Even Narcissa had told him so, before she graduated from Hogwarts.

Mulciber couldn't imagine how a mere Mudblood could have got hold of a spell powerful enough to warrant the interest of Lord Voldemort, but when the Dark Lord himself sent a message, through his Uncle, for him to keep an eye out for Snape and Evans, that confirmed it for Mulciber.

But if Snape had been entrusted with investigating Evans, he, Mulciber, had also been entrusted with something equally important. No –even more important! And if what he suspected was true, the Dark Lord would be pleased with his report, and not so pleased with that slippery Snape!

Severus Snape's expression did not change, but Mulciber thought he detected a slight uneasiness.

'You know nothing of what request the Dark Lord's may, or may not, have asked of me, Mulciber! D'you really think someone as important as he is could need anything out of underage wizards like you and me?'

'Granted. But I only know what the Dark Lord has asked _me _to do, Snape. And that is keeping an eye on students here at Hogwarts. It's a very important job, mind, but he _did_ mention you and Evans in particular. Seemed to admire you for some strange reason.'

He bit his tongue and reined in his jealousy. He hadn't meant to be that obvious, but it just slipped out. Snape hadn't answered him, but Mulciber thought he looked a shade paler than the snow gently falling about them now.

'Walk with me!' he ordered, still angry with himself for having revealed his jealousy. Snape would follow if he knew what was good for him!

He led the way towards the Greenhouses where the Slytherin fifth-year's next lesson would be. He heard the crunch of snow behind him and knew with satisfaction that Snape had followed.

'Well, what the hell d'you want to know from me, Mulciber? What the Dark Lord may want from me is _my_ business!'

'Oh, but the Dark Lord does not trust anyone, Snape!' Mulciber said turning round to face him, 'Loyalty is a big thing with him, and he has been betrayed before! I heard a certain Prewitt met a sticky end not so long ago. He was a traitor, you see?'

Mulciber observed him closely, but if Snape knew anything about Prewitt he did not give himself away.

'So I was told to keep a lookout for you while you investigate that Gryffindor Mudblood: that's your job, isn't it? Well, you don't seem to be taking it seriously enough!'

'And if my 'job' as you call it, really was to investigate Evans or any other student, I suppose you would have a better idea, how to go about it?' Snape answered, his voice dripping sarcasm, 'I suppose you'd go about it in your typical troll-fashion: clubbing information out of them! Or perhaps you'd simply _force_ them to tell you – perhaps you think another modified Imperious Curse would do it? Well, you're wrong, Mulciber! You especially, do not have an inkling how to get information out of a brain-damaged flobberworm, let alone one of the cleverest witches of our year! You have no subtlety, Mulciber!'

'_Subtlety_? Is that what you call it?' Mulciber answered, feeling the sting of his words and a rising fury. He pushed his broad, swarthy face closer to Snape's thin, pale one, 'Well, I've seen the way you look at Evans, Snape, and believe me, I don't need too much _subtlety_ to interpret _that_ look! What the hell are you playing at, Snape?'

'Good choice of words, Mulciber: 'playing' just about sums it up, I think'

Snape's voice was calm with just a hint of a sneer, but his face was still pale, his muscles taut, contracted, and he looked poised for fight or flight. Mulciber felt himself becoming uncharacteristically calmer.

'I think you know what I mean, Snape' he persisted, '_Un_subtle as you think I am, I can distinguish between the leer of a dog looking at a bitch on heat, or – or - something totally different! You're _in love_ with that Mudblood!'

'Merlin's Bullocks! Don't be ridiculous! Can you just hear yourself -?'

'You're protecting her, Snape! You're in love with that girl, and you would be ready to betray the Dark Lord if the time comes for Evans to be brought before him!'

Mulciber's eyes glittered maliciously, and he fully expected Snape to stammer and find excuses, but to his surprise, Snape just laughed. A humourless snort of derision that was aimed at ridiculing and disconcerting him.

It managed to.

'Well, of course I'm protecting her, Mulciber. She's _my_ Mudblood. The Dark Lord knows that. He also knows that she is very intelligent, and that she will realise she will need someone well-connected like me to protect her, once the new wizarding order is established. That's why I don't want some of those idiots in Gryffindor to undermine the trust I've built-'

'You mean you don't want anyone else getting in on her, like those Marauder idiots you were so sore at earlier! You're jealous!'

'I'm just saying the way things are!' Snape, hissed back, the amusement fading from his face, 'You're a Slytherin, you should understand! Potter and Black are Pure-blood, whereas I'm half-blood, so you can see the attraction there…'

'Yes, and they're also handsomer, richer, and more popular than you are, Snape, at least among their other blood traitor friends and simpering Gryffindor fools!'

Snape glared at him for a second, but kept his temper.

'Exactly. So what's it to you if my 'investigations' on Evans, as you call them, turn out to have some side benefits someone like me would hardly expect to find otherwise? Not having your rugged good looks, Mulciber, you can hardly blame me for exploiting Evan's charms!'

Mulciber looked at him doubtfully. Was Snape just being sarcastic again? He felt irritated. This conversation was not going in the direction he had planned

'As long as you don't double-cross the Dark Lord…' he mumbled finally, unsure of what Snape meant, but feeling he ought to let him know he still had some power over him.

'No-one double-crosses the Dark Lord and lives, Mulciber, I thought you mentioned that yourself. And now, since you haven't really convinced me he actually gave you anything special to do, I would rather return to enjoying myself with Lily Evans.'

And he turned towards the greenhouses.

'I'm watching you, Snape!' Mulciber shouted after him.

Severus Snape turned back to him once more, and there was no mistaking the amusement in his voice now.

'Very flattering, Mulciber. Watch away, and _do_ please send in regular reports to the Dark Lord about my goings-on. I'm sure the greatest dark Wizard of our times will be _riveted _with the news that Severus Snape, insignificant underage wizard at Hogwarts, has been spotted by you, making doe-eyes at Lily Evans, Muggleborn Gryffindor in the same year! Why – the Dark Lord might even take a break from his campaign just to read your report on a teenage snog between the unlikely pair!'

'You may laugh, Severus Snape, but you don't know who you're dealing with!'

'Why, another underage wizard like me, I suppose. Are you going to include you and Cassiopeia's sordid love story too in your report?'

Mulciber felt his rage return with a vengeance. How dare this ugly git of a Muggle drunkard's son speak to him that way? After what he'd just told him? 'You'll be laughing on the other side of your face, Severus Snape! My reports are taken seriously by the Dark Lord! Why do you think Gartak the Goblin met his end with a dirty great Dark Mark over Gringotts?'

It was a shot in the Dark. Mulciber did not know why the Gringotts Goblin had been killed by the Death Eaters, but it had happened exactly after he had told his uncle about what he overheard Snape and the Mudblood saying in Diagon Alley that fatal day Snape had threatened him.

And it seemed to work. Snape's cynical smile slipped momentarily off his face. He recovered immediately of course.

'What does a Gringotts goblin have to do with this?' he scowled.

'Oh, I'm sure you know more about it than you let on, Snape,' he retorted gleefully 'That day in Diagon Alley I overheard you and the Mudblood arguing about something one of you had found. She warned you that Death Eaters might come looking for you or Gartak. The Dark Lord seemed very interested in what I overheard. Gartak was dead within the week!'

He had only reported the fact to his uncle really, but there was no need for Snape to know that.

'That Goblin died because he was leaking inside information of Death Eaters vaults,' Severus replied, but clearly he did not believe it.

'Or perhaps because he was after whatever you and the Mudblood found. Perhaps some special_ magic spell_ the Mudblood got her hands on….' Mulciber was guessing wildly now: fitting bits and pieces of what he knew together in the most plausible way. Snape had halted in his steps towards the Greenhouses, his thin lips white with cold, and, could it be? A touch of apprehension?

'Lily Evans has nothing to do with the Goblin,' he said finally, through tight lips, 'You must have misheard.'

'Oh, no, I didn't, Snape, and you know it! The Dark Lord knows it, or he wouldn't have asked me to keep an eye on you! To see if you placed your loyalties where you said you did… Perhaps he thinks that, unlike me, your professed loyalties do not lie with our Cause. Perhaps he thinks your loyalty to that Mudblood is far greater than your loyalty to Him!'

'You're talking rubbish, Mulciber! You know nothing about me!'

'Oh, but I'm learning a lot, Snape! And if I'm the one to find out what the Dark Lord wants from the Mudblood, he'll be pleased with me...'

Snape's wand was in his hands and pointing straight between his eyes before he even had time to realise what had happened. Its tip was glowing menacingly red, barely six inches away from him, and he felt his eyes go cock-eyed as he tried to keep it in focus. But he was not going to back off this time! This bloody half-blood Slytherin had to get it into his head that he had met his superior!

'You leave her alone!' Snape hissed, 'She's _my_ concern, not yours! And if you think whatever the Dark Lord told me about Lily Evans is a sham, then why don't you go tell him?'

'Take your fucking wand out of my face, Snape, or by Merlin, you'll regret it! The _Mudblood_ will regret it!' he snarled, his eyes blazing with anger at Snape's audacity. This was the second time he was looking at the tip of that damned ebony wand!

But this time, the tip of the wand wavered slightly, and Snape slowly lowered his arm.

Seth Mulciber drew himself up to his full height, feeling a heady rush of triumphant glee that he had got one over the elusive Snape. That viscid half-blood was looking at him in silence now, his expression closed and unreadable. But Seth Mulciber didn't care: he'd just shown Snape how 'subtle' he could be and the lesson worked!

'I'm glad you're beginning to see sense, Snape!' he said, with a malicious smile 'and I'm glad we cleared this little matter up before I leave you here with Evans for your Christmas Holidays. You might just get a bit drunk with Christmas spirit, and forget what you promised the Dark Lord to do, for you see, Snape, I always get my way, and if you slacken, I could always ask the Dark Lord to take over where you left off …'

This time Snape did not rise to the bait, but Mulciber thought he saw his closed expression waver a bit.

'….and if I am too _unsubtle_ for it,' he continued, his iron-grey eyes boring viciously into Snape's dark ones, 'or else she is uncooperative, I know about more direct means of investigation, such as those I persuaded the Dark Lord to use on Gartak!'

'Persuaded the Dark Lord? _Persuaded_ the Dark Lord? Will you hear yourself Mulciber?' Snape answered derisively.

Mulciber scowled, realising his mistake. He shouldn't have exaggerated, or Snape would call his bluff, but it was partly true, nonetheless.

'You watch your step, Snape!' he shouted, as the skinny Slytherin turned once more to the green houses, 'Or Lily Evans will end up like the goblin!'

Snape did not even turn round as he shouted over his shoulder: 'Enjoy your holidays, Mulciber, and you can tell whoever will bother to hear you, that I intend to enjoy mine too, _with Lily Evans_!'

And he disappeared into the misty-green humidity of Greenhouse five.

lll

The Christmas party was in full swing and the house tables had been removed and replaced by one long table, which was laden with silver platters bearing festive fare, flagons of pumpkin juice, and mulled wine for the teachers. Slughorn was very much in his element and was raising his glass to Dumbledore for the third time, his walrus moustache quivering with pleasure. Even Professor algor Magus, the Divination teacher, seemed less morose than usual, though perhaps that was because he was sitting next to Professor Sinistra, who, despite teaching Astronomy, was actually a very down-to-earth witch and the youngest on the staff, so no doubt, she made old Magus forget all about his doom-and-gloom omens.

Enchanted snow fell from the ceiling and Flitwick had bewitched Christmas baubles to float above the table emitting multi-coloured twinkling lights and Christmas carols.

Severus counted the students sitting at the table: there weren't many, about ten in all, even less than in previous years. The war had scared many parents into wanting to have their children with them for as long and as often as possible.

There were some Ravenclaws studying of their OWLS and NEWTS and Barty Crouch Jr was among them, even though only a Third year. The boy was regularly left behind at Hogwarts in Christmas, since his parents had important Ministry Functions to attend, both in Britain and abroad. Then there was Sirius Black, lounging back in his chair at the other end of the table and looking at his goblet of pumpkin juice with a brooding expression on his face. Reg said his brother had refused to go home for the holidays this year. Two of the Ravenclaw witches close by were batting their eyelashes at Black, and giggling loudly, hoping to get his attention. Severus shook his head in disgust as snatches of their whispered words reached his ears – apparently, Black's petulant, brooding expression was considered as 'groovy' as the tight jeans and muggle sweaters he chose to wear instead of the richly–embroidered dress robes he was sent from home!

A few first-and second-years completed the side of the long table where the students sat. At least the rest of the Marauders, and Potter in particular, had not stayed for Christmas. They never did: they all had nice homes to go to and parties and balls to attend.

For once, however, Severus did not feel even the slightest twinge of jealousy: Lily was sitting besides him at the table and he would have her all to himself these holidays, without the added burden of having to face the upheavals of life in Spinner's End!

Well, actually, Lily was not sitting next to him right now. He glanced down at the other end of the table where she was bending over a small first-year Hufflepuff girl who had been sitting alone near the end of the table. Apparently, the little Hufflepuff had been overcome with a fit of homesickness and Lily, of course, had to rush over and comfort her.

The little girl was wiping her eyes and giggling through her tears at something Lily had whispered in her ears. Pushing her curly brown hair out of her eyes the little witch glanced guiltily at Filch who was wearing a spangled party hat and a scowl. The little girl giggled harder behind her hand, her tears forgotten. Lily looked up then, and, catching him looking, winked at him.

Severus did not wink back of course, but he loved the confidential smile Lily threw in his direction, together with the wink. It was a joke between them that Filch would look even more daunting in a party hat, and today they had been proved right.

But he was not the only one looking at Lily: Dumbledore was twinkling benignly at her from behind his half-moon spectacles, and McGonagall, who was looking on with approval at Lily and the tiny curly-haired Hufflepuff, leaned over towards Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear that made the tall Headmaster nod benevolently. Even the Gamekeeper, Hagrid, had been cajoled by Lily into giving the tiny Hufflepuff something that he had pulled out of his pocket. They looked like tiny Dormice or Puffskeins, and now the little Hufflepuff was squealing in delight.

Lily's magic worked, and the little girl dried her tears and pulled her plate of Christmas pudding towards her, feeding the small creatures part of her pudding. Then she held up a Christmas cracker for Lily to open and Lily laughingly acquiesced.

She laughed even more heartily at the ludicrous wig that popped out of it with a loud bang. The Hufflepuff took one horrified look at the wig and pushed it away, but Lily took the brilliant red curly wig, complete with flowers and glitterbugs, and stuffed it onto her head, still laughing.

Severus loved the way Lily laughed: her head thrown back, her almond-shaped eyes crinkled up almost closed, and her hands holding her sides. Once she got started, it was usually hard to stop her. She was doing it now, for she had caught sight of her own reflection in a teaspoon.

Other students joined in the infectious mirth, for Lily Evans' laughter was open and frank: she laughed _with_ you not _at_ you (though there were some exceptions, like Filch). It was completely unlike the polite and false tinkling laugh of some of the purebloods in his house, like Narcissa, and far removed from the hysterical giggling of most other girls he knew, though perhaps, that was partially his own fault, for Lily tried to control her exuberance when she was with him, and kept her giggling to a minimum.

She was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes now, the ridiculous red curls of the wig bobbing in front of her face. Crinkling up her nose and looking cock-eyed at the offending curls tickling her nose, she pouted her lips, trying to blow them out of the way.

Severus' eyes were glued to her face, observing how her nose tipped slightly upwards at the tip, how soft and full her lips looked. Lily rarely bothered with make-up from what he could tell, yet the red brilliance of the wig falling about her face had painted her lips carmine red, and her normally pale cheeks, with their smattering of freckles, had a rosy glow, also brought on, no doubt, by the laughter and the glowing Christmas lights.

He realised that he had a wide smile plastered on his face. Lily, who had started back on her way towards her seat next to him, was waylaid by a Ravenclaw seventh-year boy, who beckoned to her and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh once more. That wiped the smile off _his_ face immediately and he scowled. Was that pimply-faced Ravenclaw trying to chat her up?

He then noticed that someone was observing _him._ Dumbledore's piercingly blue eyes were trained on him, and twinkling benevolently above his half-moon glasses. Severus composed his features into a blank, expressionless look, and determinedly tore his eyes away from Lily Evans. He was not going to allow that damned old Muggle-loving fool of a Headmaster to draw any further conclusions about his friendship with Lily. Bad enough Mulciber had.

He had not forgotten Mulciber's words: their echoes, like a cold shower, effectively dampened his spirits and he pushed his plate of Christmas pudding away from him, suddenly feeling his stomach clench uneasily.

For the last few days Mucliber's words had haunted him. Even his nights were troubled by horrific nightmares in which he and Lily stood before the Dark Lord, and Mulciber, laughing evilly and pointing his finger at each in turn, accused them of betrayal, of conspiring against Lord Voldemort.

It was always the same nightmare: a scenario that repeated itself in his dreams every night, with little variation. Every night, his heart hammering in his chest, he heard Mulciber's accusing words:

'_The Mudblood', Mulciber shouted, 'is in league with Dumbledore, she lets him read her mind! And he - Snape- is in league with _her_' _

_Every time Severus had protested vehemently, but always, to his horror, Lily was defiant, and spat at the Dark Lord's feet. _

'_I have extended a hand of friendship and salvation to you , Severus Severus, a half-blood, and this Muggleborn, against my better judgement,' the Dark Lord's cold, disappointed voice always replied in his dreams, 'I thought I saw something special in you both that I would have preserved and respected after I win this war. I see I was mistaken. Your allegiance lies with her and therefore, with my enemies. Mulciber's words are true, for I can see it in Lily Evan's mind. She is an open book. There will be no place for blood traitors and muggle-borns in the new wizarding order!'_

And the Dark Lord raised his wand, and it was at this point that Severus always woke up, tangled in his bedclothes, a silent scream trapped in his throat. It had been four days now, and the same dreams, over and over again awoke him in the early hours of the morning, in a cold sweat. Thank Merlin, his dorm was empty now, for all the Slytherins in his year had gone home for the Holidays.

He really had to do something about it! That wretched Mulciber was not worth losing sleep over! But a niggling voice at the back of his mind told him: it couldn't have possibly been _all_ a bluff! After all, the Dark Lord himself had told him that he'd be keeping an eye on him. His words came back to him _'...__I need you to keep your ears open for my word, should you hear it, and I will keep an eye on you too,' _the Dark Lord had said,_' I believe you know Mulciber and Lestrange: they have been set similar tasks too...'_

Did that really mean that Mulciber had been set to spy on him? But then, what could he report back? That he was failing to persuade Lily Evans to join up? He still had almost three years to do that. That he and Lily were more than best friends? Well, Voldemort had actually seemed to expect it. That he loved Lily Evans?

A shiver of painfully bittersweet excitement passed over him, as it did whenever those words formed in his mind, and he risked a glance at Lily. The Ravenclaw seventh-year was still talking to her, looking rather flushed and gesticulating exaggeratedly. He could see that Lily was trying to edge away from him without appearing too rude.

Severus glanced dully down at his uneaten food. What did a troll like Mulciber know about his true feelings? What did _anyone_ know, after all? Most assumed it was just a friendship due to the fact that they both came from the same town. Most in Slytherin House disapproved, but let him get on with it – he was only a half-blood after all.

But his fears were clearly revealed to him in his own nightmares: If Mulciber suspected that he loved Lily, then his position became more precarious. And he had given himself away to Mulciber the moment Mulciber had threatened Lily! He mustn't let that happen again! He had tried to remedy the situation of course, tried to make out that he fancied Lily because of her obvious charms!

Charms he could see were fast becoming noticed and appreciated wherever she went in Hogwarts! He glared angrily at the Ravenclaw seventh-year boy, who had been joined by another Ravenclaw, someone in their year called Clarence Boots. Both were puffing up their chests and attempting to make her laugh.

Mulciber's threat had unbalanced him. He had never suspected that it was Mulciber overhearing them that had brought about the Goblin's death. The swarthy Slytherin sixth-year could have been exaggerating, certainly, but he couldn't have been lying: not about _that_! He knew something, of that Severus was sure. He himself was still puzzled as to why exactly the Death Eaters had killed Gartak, but he knew that his book was involved: either his Great-grandfather's or Riddle's. In either case, Mulciber's parting words: '_You watch your step, Snape!_ _Or Lily Evans will end up like the goblin!' _had struck terror into his heart, and were probably the reason of his recurrent nightmares.

'Will you open this cracker with me?' said a squeaky voice to his left.

A small, delicate-looking Slytherin first-year with large blue eyes called Elvin Mortlake was tentatively holding out a large green cracker. It wavered a bit as Severus turned a baleful look in his direction.

Elvin was sandwiched between himself and a sullen Gryffindor Seventh-year whose name Severus did not know. The small boy had sat quietly throughout the meal. Except for Severus, he was the only other Slytherin, and thus had no-one to talk to. Probably that was why he was sitting next to him, though Severus had ignored him. Evidently, the boy was feeling just as homesick as the sniffling Hufflepuff girl Lily had gone to comfort, but, like a true Slytherin, the boy had said nothing, and just got on with eating his food.

'Give it here,' he answered, gruffly.

The boy placed one end of the cracker in his hand.

There was another reason why he felt obliged to condescend to Elvin's request, though the boy did not know it. It was on Elvin Mortlake that he had practised his first Memory Charm. He had persuaded the boy to play wizarding chess with him in the Slytherin Common-room and again and again had surreptitiously whispered '_Obliviate_!', after each of the boy's moves, moving thee pieces back each time to see whether the boy remembered, and whether his spell, accurate. It had worked to perfection, and he was fairly sure that for short-term memory at least, he was fairly capable of making anyone forget whatever he wanted. Perhaps he could use the spell on Potter next time he got anywhere near Lily, perhaps he could make him forget his latest Quidditch scores, perhaps -

The cracker went off with a spectacular bang (he had been pulling too hard) and several white mice, as well as a tiny, bejewelled, baby fire-crab fell onto the table.

Elvin gasped in delight and grabbed the glittering tortoise-like creature, as the mice made a beeline for Severus's plate. He was fishing them out of his uneaten pudding by their tails when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and Lily leaned over him to look at the little creatures.

'Playing with your food, Sev?' she grinned putting out one hand between him and Elvin to pick up one of the mice. It curled up in the palm of her hand and bright black eyes regarding her calmly through twitching white whiskers. 'They're really cute, aren't they?'

'Very,' he answered sardonically. But her curly wig was tickling his cheek, and the warm, gentle pressure of her hand on his back was suddenly sending shivers of pleasure through him that were fast dissipating his black mood of moments before.

'Nice fire-crab, Elvin,' she said, nodding to the small boy at his side.

Elvin Mortlake looked up at her, but said nothing, and just nodded in confusion. His face flushed with a comical mixture of pleasure and dismay. He probably knew Lily was both a Muggle-born and a Gryffindor; but he could not really manage to scowl convincingly as he had been brought up to do. Perhaps because he did not expect Lily to know his name, or perhaps the outrageous curly wig Lily was wearing had something to do with it.

Lily's hand unconsciously slid down his back, making Severus' breath hitch, but then its warmth was gone as she went round his chair, and slid into her own on his right hand side.

'Like my curls?' she grinned, shaking her head and setting the false curls bouncing wildly to then fall in front of her eyes again.

'Er….' he bent down, trying to see her face beneath the flower-studded red tangle of curls covering half her face. Only her lips were visible, and they were stretched in an irrepressible smile. Her lips were distracting enough, but he caught a glimpse of a bright green eye peeping at him from between the curls '… I prefer your own hair, it smells nicer!'

_What on earth had he said?_

'Smells nicer?'

'I mean – that thing on your head smells like mice,' he explained, hastily.

'The mice you smell are right in front of you! They've gone right back into your food,' Lily remarked, pointing at several of the white mice he had forgotten about. They had gone right back into his plate, and were steadily demolishing the dark crumbs.

'Those Ravenclaw blokes seemed to like your wig!' he muttered grumpily depositing the now-fat mice down on the floor at their feet, 'They couldn't take their eyes off you! Bloody swine!'

Lily put her hands up to her face and parted the crazy corkscrew curls in front of her face to look at him better. He expected her to remonstrate with him about calling other people names, especially at Christmas. Lily took the Christmas spirit very seriously indeed.

However, there was a strange smile playing around her lips and beneath the wig, her bright green eyes were regarding him with such warmth that he was sure that some of that unlikely feeling she described as the 'Christmas spirit' must have rubbed off on him, unlikely though it may seem.

The feeling of warmth made even the lurking threat of Mulciber's words seem far away and improbably far-fetched. He realised he was staring and blinked, breaking contact with those brilliant green eyes. It was bad enough she was getting so much attention from boys who didn't deserve to breathe the same air she did! He wasn't going to be caught doing the same thing, though.

'Actually, I was dying to get away!' Lily was saying, still with that curious half-smile on her face, 'I have enough of Potter bragging about Quidditch in Gryffindor common room without listening to further blow-by-blow accounts of Ravenclaw scores! I don't even _support_ Ravenclaw! Boys definitely DON'T know the way to a girl's heart!'

He looked back at her quickly as she said this, and she blushed furiously, but met his gaze even though he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. What had she meant by that? He felt the stirring of something like dread within him. For Severus' mind, honed by long experience of serial disappointments, always thought of the worst. Did it mean she liked Quidditch stars who did not brag about it, or did she mean something else entirely? And how, in Merlin's name, was he supposed to know the way to a girl's heart? He had a vague idea it must involve compliments and flowers, but he, Severus, was completely inadequate at that sort of thing.

And more important still, he shouldn't be thinking along those lines…

Lily had shaken her false curls in front of her face again, but beneath that her lips were smiling gently. Severus breathed easier. But as he looked past the mass of red curls he saw the tall Ravenclaw seventh-year boy was trying to get Lily's attention. He had managed to sneak a glass of mulled wine from beneath McGonagall's nose, and unless he was mistaken, the blithering fool meant to toast Lily! He scowled at him above Lily's tousled wig, wishing he could magic the wine in his cup into Bubotuber pus!

'Take that ridiculous thing off, and let's get out of here!' he said, standing up suddenly.

Lily peeked out at him from between the curls, the glitterbugs twinkling in the light of the Christmas baubles. She hesitated a moment and then pulled the wig reluctantly off her still-flushed face.

'Feast's almost over, I suppose,' she said, glancing down the long table and ignoring the Ravenclaw boy who was waving to her, 'Where d'you want to go?'

She got up and picked up her cloak and scarf.

'I'd like to show you something,' he muttered, eyeing the Ravenclaw belligerently, 'Last night I couldn't sleep and I heard this noise, and then I'd remembered I'd promised to show you a spell …. I don't know if you'll like it, but, anyway… Would you – would you like to come with me?'

'Of course I do, Sev. Anywhere.' she replied with conviction, and flashing him a smile that completely made him forget all the resolutions he had, minutes before, made to himself. With Lily at his side, he turned round and left the Great Hall.

**A/N: I'm afraid next week I will be on holiday, and won't be able to post the weekly instalment, so next Chapter will be posted in two weeks' time. Sorry about that. But I hope to be back on track after next week.**


	120. Chapter 120

**Chapter 120: Souls Laid Bare.**

'Where're we going?'

Severus glanced at Lily, who was trotting at his side as he strode purposefully across the Entrance Hall towards the corridor that led to the ground floor classrooms.

'Sprout's classroom. The one she uses on the rare occasion she gives a theoretical lesson. It's practically abandoned.'

Lily did not answer him, but the rosy glow on her face from the Christmas feast deepened, and her eyes shone with excitement. It reminded Severus of their first years at Hogwarts, when the suggestion of clandestine trips to the Forbidden Forest or the underground Lake – 'adventures' she used to call them – would make her eyes shine in the same way. Or well, not quite the same way – there was a nervous excitement now in the furtive glances she cast at him that was not there previously.

Severus suddenly felt uneasy, and more than a bit puzzled. He had just wanted to get Lily away from those leering Seventh-year boys, but now he wasn't quite sure it had been a good idea. Before he could think any further, they had arrived in front of a small classroom door in the beginning of the corridor.

'Here we are,' he said, pushing the door open to let Lily through.

With a flick of his wand he lighted the large lamp hanging from the ceiling above. Lily was standing beneath it, wrinkling her nose at the smell of dragon manure that infiltrated the room. She gave a perfunctory glance at the mismatched, but robust cupboards filled with gardening implements that lined the wall, and the labelled diagram of the internal organs of an adult Mandrake that was on the board, then she bent her head and silently contemplated the tips of her thick boots, letting her hair fall across her face.

The lamplight caught the coppery tones of her hair in a distracting way, and he found himself observing how it glinted like a fiery cascade around her shoulders, contrasting vividly with the pale grey of her thick jumper. She was in Muggle clothes, unlike him, and was fiddling with some loose strands of her red-and-gold Gryffindor scarf ,which she carried in her hands together with her cloak (he had reluctantly promised her a snowball fight after Christmas lunch).

Severus' uneasiness grew. Why wasn't she looking at him? And he had to stop staring and say something before the silence became awkward. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Lily looked up, her face as flaming red as her hair, and said softly:

'Well, what is it you wanted to show me, Severus?'

'I – I found it this morning,' he stammered, feeling an answering flush rise in his cheeks.

A puzzled look crossed Lily's face, but then a sudden a rattling noise behind her made her jump.

'That,' Severus answered, pointing at a large, old-fashioned chest beneath the snow –covered window of the classroom. As he spoke there was another rattling noise, and the chest, heavy and robust though it was, actually wobbled on its thick feet with a dull scraping sound that was faintly ominous.

'What - what is it?' Lily gasped, eyeing the chest apprehensively.

'A Boggart, Lily. You said you wanted to practice the Boggart-Banishing Spell, remember?'

He could not be sure, but he thought he saw a fleeting look of disappointment on her face. A second later, however, her lips twitched upwards and she actually chuckled, shaking her head.

'Merlin's pants, Sev! I should've known! No other boy would offer me a Boggart for Christmas!'

Severus stared at her in bewilderment for a second, unsure whether he should be offended or not. Lily seemed to find it disproportionately funny, however.

'You've been pestering me often enough to try your hand at Boggarts,' he retorted, petulantly.

'Well, yes, I did. It's just that I didn't think… I mean, not on _Christmas Day_…'

'The Boggart might not remain here long. It could go somewhere else and we'd never have the opportunity again.'

'I guess you're right. It's just that … well … I don't know if I feel like facing monsters or demons on Christmas day. Boggarts change into your worst fears, don't they?'

'We've read all the textbooks, Lily. Time to try out the incantation.'

The chest gave another ominous wobble and Lily looked at it, frowning.

'What d'you think'll come out of it, Sev?'

He shrugged. 'Dunno. But it can't be that difficult to get rid of it. Especially for you. Apparently you've got to have a sense of humour.'

'What if a Dementor comes out? I can't think of anything scarier.'

He glanced at her. Her previously flushed face had turned quite pale now, and she was still staring at the chest apprehensively.

'Well then,' he said quietly, 'if so, the Silver Doe will come to you again as it did once in the forest. You've got nothing to fear.'

She looked at him as he said that, and then, giving him a wan smile, she withdrew her wand from the waistband of her jeans. He noted with grim satisfaction how she always carried her wand with her these days. He put his hands in his robe pocket, drew out his own, and stepped forward.

'Shall I go first?' he asked observing with some concern her still-pale face. 'I just need to unseal the lock and the Shape-shifter'll come out. You take your turn after me.'

Lily nodded, and stepped close behind him, as he pointed his wand at the thick iron key poking out of the rusty lock, but something in her eyes made him hesitate.

'You sure you're okay?' he asked, looking back at her.

'Of course. I'm a Gryffindor, no? It's just that…'

'What?'

'Well, I came in here not expecting to find myself facing Zombies or Grim Reapers or what-have-you on Christmas Day… I thought you'd be showing me something else…' Her green eyes came up to look into his, and this time, they held his gaze.

Severus could not move, even if he wanted to, for those eyes were looking into his with a meaning that was becoming increasingly clear.

'What…else?' he managed in a voice that sounded hoarse even to his ears.

'I thought, perhaps… the spell you wanted to show me was the one you mentioned last summer in that sea-cave beneath the cliffs, remember?'

Remember? Of course he remembered! To his dying day he would not forget. It was the day that he had wanted to show Lily what he felt for her. It was also the day when the Dark Lord had entered unexpectedly into their lives, though Lily did not know it.

And the Dark Lord had insisted that she must remain ignorant of it.

He must look away, look away _now_ or all was lost! He was losing himself in those green eyes looking up at him… green eyes filled with a mixture of emotions he could just see there beneath their liquid green surface – emotions he knew he could feel as his own if he touched her now . _That _was the spell he had wanted to show her that stormy day by the sea, and that was what she had been expecting now!

It was only a second, but it seemed to stretch into eternity in the absolute silence of the room. The softly falling snow outside seemed to deaden every sound within and without – even his heart had stopped beating.

Thus, the tiny sound: a long-drawn-out, scratchy, _click_ of metal on metal seemed magnified a thousand-fold in that room. They both jumped guiltily around and stared at the chest containing the Boggart.

The large iron key in the lock was moving all on its own.

Suddenly, Severus, who had been holding his breath, heard his heart pounding again, as adrenaline surged through his veins.

_Click_! Another creaking turn of the rusty lock. Severus knew these the keys in these old chests were usually turned three times.

'Get behind me!' he whispered urgently to Lily.

'Sev, they – they're not supposed to do that, are they?' Lily's breathing was fast and shallow.

He shook his head. No, they were bloody well supposed to wait until somebody opened the door of their hiding place! That's what the damned textbook said! But if they could move from hiding place to hiding place, then presumably, they could open locks too!

'Perhaps this one likes a bit of variety!' he tried to lighten the moment, 'Add a bit of drama to the title of 'household pest'!'

_Click!_

Suddenly they were plunged into darkness and the door of the classroom behind them slammed shut. He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, but Lily was otherwise quiet. His heart was thudding painfully against his chest, as he waited for whatever monster it was to come out of the chest, wand at the ready. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw that the chest lid had been flung open and something was standing silently silhouetted against the snow-white light coming in through the window.

Something he hadn't expected.

A witch with silvery grey robes that fluttered in a ghostly breeze, floated, arms outstretched in a sacrificial position, in front of him. Her head hung down on her chest so that her face was in shadow, but the wintry snow-light from the classroom window behind her, pale like moonlight, fell coldly on her long, sleek, black hair. Dark red blood flowed freely from a black wound over her heart.

Severus felt his own heart grow cold. Yseult!

But no, it was not Yseult. Even as he looked on, horrified, the hair was no longer sleek and black: it was slightly shorter, thicker, and its colour was exactly the colour of the dark red blood pulsing out of her heart.

Severus' mind froze. No… No, _no_! Not Lily. It must be Yseult, not Lily!

But he knew that the young, pale figure in those silvery grey robes was Lily's! He couldn't breathe: all the air seemed to have been sucked out of his lungs, and he watched in petrified horror as the last of her life's blood fell darkly down her white, lifeless chest to stain the silvery robes the same colour as her hair. A mindless scream formed in his head, and somewhere, in the icy core of reason that still dwelt somewhere among his brain cells, a voice was telling him that this was nothing, a dream, _a nightmare_ and he should be doing something to get rid of it!

Someone _was _doing something to get rid of it:

'_Riddikulus!_' he heard a trembling voice in front of him.

Yes, that's right. That was the incantation! This is just a Boggart! Just a bloody _Boggart_!

Lily stood in front of him, her wand pointing at the dying image of herself, her eyes wide and terrified. Severus slowly and painfully unclenched his muscles and brought his wand up too. Lily's spell, however, had not worked, for the Boggart, still masquerading as Lily's body, and magically held up in the eerie sacrificial position, floated solidly before them, dead.

Then Severus noticed with a thrill of horror (and an unreasonable twinge of relief), that the Boggart 'Lily's' chest was moving. Slow, calm breaths made her breast rise and fall, despite the ugly black wound above her heart. He heard Lily – his own flesh-and-blood Lily, who stood in front of him, wand still raised, give a gasp of disbelief and horror at the unmistakeable sign of life – or whatever it was.

He peered over Lily's shoulder at the Boggart, whose chest was straining against the low-cut neckline of her robe as she drew increasingly deep breaths. The Boggart's head still hung low, her face hidden in the cascade of dark red hair. He had expected anything but this. He did not know what to do now, and raised his wand tentatively, for Lily was still gazing in dismay at the spectre before her, her wand now held limply at her side.

He had to do something: he had to think of something funny and the incantation would work. Something _funny_? With that kind of image in front of him, even his sharp, sarcastic sense of humour had completely deserted him.

She was raising her head. The Boggart was slowly raising her head! The outstretched arms came down to her sides and finally her face was revealed.

But it was masked. Brilliant green eyes stared out of the eyeholes of a skeletal white mask – a Death Eater Mask - that covered half-covered her face. Beneath, full red lips were twisted into a sneering smile. Severus heard Lily give an audible gasp and step backwards, bumping into him.

Slowly, the Boggart lifted one pale, freckled hand to her face and lifted the mask off. Severus stared, forgetting entirely what he was supposed to do, for he had eyes only for the Boggart.

It was Lily beneath the mask, as he had known it would be, but it was a different Lily: terrifyingly beautiful and graceful, but her face, instead of being alive with countless different expressions as was her wont, was composed and still, and her eyes, though clever, looked cold and hard. It was Lily and yet not Lily. She was stranger even, than the Lily Karkaroff had impersonated using Polyjuice potion, for the face with its calculating, cunning expression was hers, and yet somehow, weirdly distorted. She was frightening and exciting at the same time.

Then the Boggart threw back her head and laughed. It was a chilling laugh: cruel, full of mocking ridicule aimed at all and sundry, but with an undertone of despair and hatred.

It was shocking.

Severus involuntarily backed away from the Boggart, but at the same time he heard what sounded like a low hiss of anger and he saw Lily's willow wand point at the Boggart.

'_Riddikulus!_' she spat out angrily, and the Boggart's flimsy silvery cloak flew up over her head, extinguishing her laughter in a choked sound that sounded like a sob, and the Shape-shifter seemed to collapse downwards in a silvery mess.

Severus sprang forwards and grabbed the heavy oak lid of the chest, forcing it down onto the Boggart. It took him a few seconds to close, but finally he managed it .Then he pointed his wand at the rusty old lock and muttered the incantation that would seal the Shape-shifter in. He wasn't going to let this damned Boggart out in a hurry again! His mind was still reeling from what he had just seen! And he wasn't even quite sure of _what_ he had seen, and why he had seen it!

And what would Lily make of it? The Boggart had turned into her, after all!

He turned round, trying to gather his scattered thoughts and expecting to find Lily wearing an astounded look, asking for an explanation, but the darkened room was empty and the classroom door hanging wide open.

'Lily?'

He ran to the door, but she was nowhere to be seen in the corridor beyond. On impulse, he ran to the Entrance Hall and towards the great Oaken Front Doors. He had a feeling he knew where Lily would go. The deep footsteps in the snow across the lawn outside confirmed his suspicions, for they turned sharply to the right, towards Hagrid' empty hut and the Forbidden Forest beyond.

He could see her in the distance, a small figure running awkwardly through the deep snow, her black cloak and dark red hair in vivid contrast with the white blanket that covered Hogwarts grounds.

He stuck his wand in this belt and took off after her, knowing she would seek refuge in the Forest when upset. Hell – she was not the only one: his heart was still racing from what the Boggart had just revealed, and the many wild, and not-so-wild, explanations that came to his mind. Explanations that he determinedly thrust away, as now it was more important that he find Lily.

She had just disappeared beyond Hagrid's hut and he ran to catch up with her, his breathing sounding unnaturally loud in the silence of the blanketing snow. He reached Hagrids' hut and followed her footprints into the sparsely growing trees at the edge of the Forest, his feet crunching in the pristine snow. She couldn't be far now.

The snow had started to fall again, not heavily, but gently-floating snowflakes that settled on his hair and shoulders in a frosty white coating. He was only wearing robes – he had not brought his cloak or scarf, and his fingers were numb with cold, yet he drew his wand from his belt and cast a spell to obliterate both their footsteps as they passed the Gamekeeper's hut: it would not do to get into trouble again for entering the Forbidden Forest.

Sticking his wand back in his belt he followed Lily's deep footprints a bit further, where the trees started getting denser and older, and suddenly he found himself in a small clearing where a few felled trees lay like icing-covered Christmas logs. He knew she would come to this place: She often did. It was where they had ended up when they had once ventured into the forest from behind Hagrid's hut. It was where he had given her the two-way mirror on her thirteenth birthday.

She was standing very still at the far end of the clearing, with her back to him, a light dusting of snowflakes on her hair and cloak, her red-and-gold scarf trailing uselessly from one hand.

'Lily?' Severus stopped, his breath hanging mistily before him as he tried to catch his breath.

Her head came up slightly, but she did not answer.

'Look, Lily, back there –.' he took a deep breath 'It was my fault. I shouldn't've insisted we tackle Boggarts. I – I don't know what happened –'

'Oh, don't you?' she turned to face him finally, and her voice was as cold as the Boggarts had been, 'But I think you _do_ know, Severus! That Boggart's shape and form was _your _doing!'

'Yes, but-'

'Well, let me just tell you, Severus, that I'm not as ignorant of the Dark Arts as you think I am! I know what that – that- _thing_ was!'

'You – you do?'

'Oh yes, I do. I have been reading a lot of Dark Arts books lately, hoping to see...' she paused, throwing him a dark look, '... well, hoping to see what you find so damned fascinating about them!'

Severus stared. Never, in all his years of knowing Lily, had she willingly sought to read anything to do with Dark Arts, unless it was something that had to do with countering their effects! Had his words on Lord Voldemort's policies started to have some effect on her, finally? Or did she do it for some other reason? She couldn't have possibly done it to please him. That would be absurd! She had always adamantly refused to before, so why now?

The thought, however, caught hold of his mind, and crept insidiously through his veins, spreading a warmth that defied the cold weather and his even colder reasoning. The silence stretched between them as his eyes fixed on Lily's face, searching her face. She reddened and looked down at her booted feet, scowling slightly.

'Anyway,' she continued, glancing at him again with a defiant look, 'I know exactly what that Boggart turned into, Severus, and it's Dark Magic – Dark Magic of the worst kind! The Boggart recreated a Blood Sacrifice Spell, and I was the victim!'

Her voice shook as she said this and her eyes looked accusingly into his.

'I'm – I'm sorry you had to see that, Lily. It's – I –I didn't know that could happen! The textbooks only spoke about monsters and such rubbish.'

'Probably because textbooks are aimed at school-age kids, who shouldn't have such dark stuff in their minds!'

'Look – that was just a nightmare, that's all! Merlin, Lily! How the hell can I help what I dream about?'

She glared at him for a moment without answering, but he held her gaze defiantly. Yseult's death had haunted him for weeks, but ever since Mulciber had threatened him, those dreams had become increasingly jumbled up with his fear for Lily's safety.

_His worst fear_.

_Damn!_ He never realised Boggarts could pick your fears from your nightmares too!

'You can't help what you dream about, because your dreams are rooted in reality!' Lily said, with a choke in her voice, 'Why the hell was I strung up like a Blood Sacrifice? And who was that dark haired witch that turned into me? Are Blood Sacrifice rituals something else that Madeira taught you, apart from Legilimency?'

'No! No, of course not, I- '

'Or perhaps you learnt sacrificial blood-letting from your Death-Eater friends?' Lily took a step closer, her voice rising, 'Perhaps you consider it an interesting variation on traditional Muggle-baiting?'

'Leave Death Eaters out of it! They have nothing to do with it!'

'That boggart was wearing a Death-Eater mask, Severus!' she hissed, fixing him with a blazing look, 'And everyone knows that Death Eater's favourite sport is Muggle-baiting!'

He felt nettled at the sudden accusations.

'I don't know where that mask came from… Bloody hell, Lily, can't you see that your death is my greatest fear? Why're you taking it this way-?'

'Because it's the _way_ you think I should die in your nightmares, Sev, like some – some…' her voice cracked with emotion, and she blinked rapidly, '... dark magic _sacrifice!_ I know what Death Eaters think of the likes of me: I am practically a Muggle in their view: nothing better than a beast! Fit for nothing else but to spill my tainted blood in the interests of a dark variation on Muggle-baiting!'

Severus' head filled with a strange angry buzzing sound. What on earth was she _thinking_? But her beautiful green eyes were fixed on his and they were swimming with unshed tears.

'My miserable fate at the hands of Death-Eaters is your worst fear, Severus' she continued, her voice becoming as hard and cold as that of the Boggart had been, though her eyes never left his face, 'I'm just a Mudblood with no claim to magic…'

He was not aware of doing it, but he crossed the couple of yards of snow that separated them, his mind seething with rage, and a bitter something that was constricting his throat painfully.

'You've got every claim to magic Lily! More than Death Eaters – more than anyone else I ever met! You and your magic are one and the same thing, Lily! And I should know, because I …' his voice sounded strangulated, and he realised he had grabbed her by the shoulders, for he was feeling her warmth even through his cold-benumbed fingers.

Lily did not flinch, but looked up into his face, and he saw the hurt there, the insecurities that had so upset her. But he also saw that something had changed subtly on hearing his words, and her face had lost the hard look that so resembled that of the Boggart's. There was a softness now in those green eyes … a softness that was sending his mind spinning out of control. She was so close, so very close, that he could see each tiny snowflake that settled on her upturned face …and there were so many unspoken words behind her green eyes, so many _emotions_…

The silence in the Forest was such as only snow could produce, deep and still, as though time stood still, as though nothing mattered but the eyes that were looking up at him.

'Because what, Severus?' she asked her voice a mere whisper, as if she too felt she should not disturb the silence around them.

He could feel her trembling slightly through the hand he still had on her shoulder. His heart was thudding wildly out of control now, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. Couldn't think of anything else…

'Close your eyes,' he whispered his heart in his throat, 'and I will show you. The spell you mentioned. I never have...'

And he shouldn't. There were a hundred reasons why he shouldn't, one of them being that he didn't know for sure how the spell worked, except that it was rare wandless magic, was erratic at best, and occurred between bonded souls, under particular circumstances….

And there was another important reason for stopping right now, but Lily's eyes were closing, and he forgot what it was. He forgot everything, except how close to him she was standing, eyes trustingly shut, her upturned face with its smattering of freckles and snowflakes, almost as pale as the snow surrounding them, her lips half-parted...

So _trusting_…

He raised his other hand to brush the snow off her face, his cold white fingers feeling with pleasure the unexpected warmth of her white skin. Then, a second later, as though they had a will of their own, both his hands were cupping her face, his thumbs gently caressing the softness of her cheeks. He was horrified yet excited at his own audacity, but he knew he was powerless to stop himself.

He felt a shiver pass through her - whether of disgust or cold he could not tell - but it was then that it happened: her eyes flew open at his touch, and suddenly, he seemed to drown in their green depths and a swirl of images, wild confused thoughts and feelings invaded his mind, so that he staggered at their intensity.

The snowy forest around him dimmed and swam in his vision so that he could barely stand as he tried to sort out the stark intensity of feelings that were his and yet not his. Feelings of rejection, of not belonging to either the Muggle world or the magic world; fear that her best friend, no – not her best friend – something more than a friend – would never realise what he meant for her; fear that she was not good enough, her blood not pure enough; fear that they were growing inexorably and irreversibly apart; feelings of hurt and despair at his lack of trust, and fears and worries about the fate of her Muggle parents; hurt then anger at Petunia's cruel words; outrage at the injustices suffered by the weak and helpless …

Severus felt all this raw emotion as though it were his own, - a Legilimency of feelings, interspersed with vivid flashes of memory…and he could understand some of it, but not all. Instances when he struggled to put name to what he was feeling: happy, exhilarating emotions that were foreign to him; a compassion for those left behind when loved ones died, that felt so strong it actually hurt; but also feelings of unexpected pleasure at her best friend's rare smile, or a gesture kindly meant, his eyes seeking hers first when in a crowd; and something else,… something he dared not put a name to…

And she was there with him also, sharing his mind – no, not his mind - his _feelings_… The raw emotion swung back and forth between them, some his, some hers, some that belonged to both .The infinite wells of hatred and pain were his: festering resentment of the lousy fate life had dealt him; the shame of his Muggle wreck of a father; the poverty-stricken hovel he refused to call home; the barely-controlled rage at the snide remarks, whispered just loud enough for him to hear, about his mother's disgrace; the triumphant feelings of his discoveries about his famous Great-grandfather; the heady rush of vengeful pleasure when he saw grudging respect shuddering out of the eyes of those who saw the power of his dark curses; the jealousy eating away at his insides whenever he noticed Potter's eyes wandering in Lily's direction...

Lily Evans was too beautiful, too good for the likes of that big-headed, Quidditch-playing bastard! He, Severus, had long adored her from afar, for no-one deserved to even breathe the same air she did! But she was an inextricable part of him, just like magic was... he could feel the love for her swell inside him, preventing him from breathing ...Was it only his? He could feel his hands trembling now as he held her face, the green eyes swimming slowly into view again, tear-streaked and wide, the warmth of her body against his...

This was what he wanted to show her, wasn't it?

And yet, there was something he had forgotten, a niggling doubt at the back of his mind, that he shouldn't be doing this, that it was dangerous, that it would complicate matters when the Dark Lord summoned him...summoned both of them...

Everything suddenly swept back into sharp focus as Lily pulled away from him, breaking contact. The snow-covered dark trees at the edge of the clearing , the fallen logs, the bright whiteness all around, and the grey-white sky overhead came into view, clear and cold, but most of all he could see Lily, her breath coming fast in a frosty mist in front of her face, a face that was tear-stained and deathly white.

She knew.

She knew, as he knew, that he loved her.

But she was backing away from him, her face a mask of confusion and yes - horror. It was not the reaction he had expected.

'Lily?'

His voice broke, and his face paled as a feeling of dread settled like lead in his chest. Had he interpreted her feelings wrong? Could he possibly have mistaken her warm affection for something more? Was she disgusted by him?

But no – it couldn't be! He's put his hand on fire, that what he had felt in her soul was real. It had to be, or he was lost.

'Lily – what's wrong?' he could no longer feel her emotions directly now, but there was no mistaking that look.

'For a moment, I – I thought that you ...' her voice was low, hoarse, '... I thought that you lo -that you _liked_ me, Severus. I thought you felt as I do…' to his horror, her voice was lost in a sob, and she brought her hand over her eyes.

'I _do_ like you – more than like you, Lily! You've – you've seen that!'

And he took a step towards her, but she held up her hand warningly, backing away even more. Severus stopped, shocked. This was going nightmarishly wrong!

'What I've seen is a pair of red eyes looking at me! Oh God, Severus _– him_! Voldemort!' Lily choked out his name as she would a swear-word, and Severus felt his mind go numb.

'I felt your admiration, your awe of his power and respect for that immense knowledge – nothing that didn't shock me, Severus – I've known for some time what you think about him,' her words came tumbling out fast now, her voice rising, verging on the hysterical, ' But the _plan _Severus? Oh, I saw that, too! You're … you're in league with him! I felt your anxiety about a plan that could go wrong… a plan that involves me, somehow!'

'Lily, I'm not a Death Eater! I - I had no choice! It's the only way I can protect you! You don't understand- !'

'Don't understand? I think I understand perfectly well! You intend to take me to Voldemort! All this –' she gestured at both of them, '- this _spell,_ whatever it is that you have cast, is nothing but a sham! Part of an elaborate plan to – to trap me into revealing – into _trusting_ you!'

'That's not true!' Severus felt his face drain in shock, 'Trust _yourself_, Lily! Do you really believe I could have invented – that any spell in existence - can create what you have just felt?'

She gazed at him in silence for a second, and then brought her hand over her mouth, choking back a sob. His heart was bleeding at the disillusionment in her eyes, the hurt and pain. What had he done to her? What kind of monster was she seeing him as? How could he undo the horror she had just seen and felt?

She had backed further away from now, coming up against the rough bark of one of the trees that surrounded the clearing. Her eyes never left his face however, and he could see something else beyond the pain… something like understanding…

'You've called me naïve before, Severus…' she said finally, making a visible effort to control herself, but failing miserably, 'And I think now you were right. I shouldn't have trusted you. How can I now?' her voice shook, and rose higher, 'I never imagined you working for Voldemort, in spite of your obvious infatuation! Bloody hell, Severus, you're not even sixteen yet! How can I believe what you say? How do I know that I'm not intended, just like your Boggart, as just another stupid Muggle, offered up as a sacrificial pawn in Voldemort's war? You know I'm a Muggleborn, after all! You can't possibly see anything worthwhile in me; I'm just a Mud- !'

But he didn't let her finish the word. He couldn't. Before his mind had caught up with what he was doing, he closed the space between them in two swift strides, placed his hands around her face and sealed her lips the only way he could think of – he kissed her!

He tasted the saltiness of her tears, dimly aware how soft and warm her lips were against his, before he realised what he was doing. He fully expected Lily to back away – to look horrified – to slap him even – he'd deserved it! But she didn't. True, she was backed up against a tree, but after the initial shock, her eyes slid shut and he felt a tremor pass through her, as her lips moved against his and he felt her hands travel to his chest – not to push him away, but instead to draw him closer. Her warm body seemed to melt against his and into his.

His mind stopped thinking, and he strived with every fibre of his being to show her what he had originally intended to with that spell, in a way that was unequivocal and unmistakeable.

And she was kissing him back. Simply, unashamedly, kissing him back in a way that was making his heart race, his mind dizzy and his body tingle with heat. His hands slipped down from her face, his arms encircling her body. Lily Evans was kissing _him_, Severus Snape! It couldn't be! Things like this did not happen to _him_! It was unbelievable! It was a moment he would treasure forever! No-one could take away the memory of this first kiss … _their first kiss_… no-one…

And it couldn't last.

It shouldn't …

Somewhere in the icy core of reason that had temporarily been banished to the furthest corner of his mind, Severus found the strength to pull away from Lily. To pull away when his body screamed for the close contact, for _more_…!

Lily's beautiful green eyes were open now and they were looking at him with something like wonder.

'Oh, Sev, I… I didn't know,' she breathed, 'I'm sorry I doubted …'

'Hush!'

He put a finger gently over her lips, wanting to imprint this moment forever on his brain. Her upturned face was flushed now, though the tears still shone on it, and her evergreen eyes were shining brightly… just for him. This would last him a lifetime he knew that, but now…

Her hand had come up to curl softly around his, gently removing his finger.

'I – I need to know, Sev,' she said, her voice faltering slightly, 'I can help- whatever it is you fear. I have to know. You can see that now, can't you? I can help. Please.'

One hand was still on his chest and he felt it close tightly around his robes as if she physically needed to let him know she would stand in the way of anything and anyone that created his fears. Her face looked up at him trustfully…

To his horror he felt a lump in his throat and a tingling behind his eyes. Lily _was_ his fear. He couldn't let her… she didn't understand…

'Sev…?'

She had seen his fear; it was mirrored in her eyes. Her hand came up to touch his face - a light caress that spoke volumes. _Share with me_… it said … _share the burden_…

'I'm sorry, Lily!'

His voice broke as with one fluid movement he pulled the wand from his belt and pointed it at her.

The pain and responsibility of the burden had to be his and his alone to bear.

There was an infinitesimal space of time when her green eyes focussed on his, frozen in a look of shock that went straight to his heart. Then he uttered:

'_Obliviate!'_


	121. Chapter 121

**Chapter 121: The Hidden Fear.**

Lily was sitting in the library, head bent over an old book with faded gilt scrollwork along its spine, its title embossed in its worn brown leather cover: '_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures and Beings'_ by Rubeus Belby.

It was a rather unorthodox book to find in the restricted section of the Library, Lily mused. She had, last term, become a rather frequent visitor to this roped-off back-section, and she had realised early on, the reason why it _was_ restricted. Most books dealt in Dark Magic, or Dark Creatures, and they went miles beyond the simple descriptions Professor Jacobs covered in their DADA lesson. Details of dark magic spells or cursed objects were not glossed over or skimmed through, as in their textbooks, but fervidly described. Meticulous and precise instructions were given on the accomplishment and use of the most gruesome of dark spells, the most bloodthirsty of dark creatures, and the most agonisingly slow poisons and maledictions.

Thus, '_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures and Beings'_ surprised her with its light-hearted – even loving - descriptions of Gnomes and leprechauns; fairies and Imps. Unlike their school textbook, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, it did not take the naturists' view of these creatures, presenting only the bare facts of life cycles, habitat, and feeding habits, but instead the author had an unorthodox way of extolling hidden virtues of the magical creatures, endowing them with an almost human-like character and a slightly xenia-lovegood type of unbelievable magical properties. Cubs resulting from cross-breeding transformed Werewolves with the common wolf, for example, were declared 'as harmless as puppies' and possessed of saliva that could affect a cure for those affected with Lycanthropy.

Lily shook her head. With such wild statements, perhaps it was a good idea to relegate the book to the restricted section. She looked up at the mullioned windows. It was Friday evening of the 9 th of January, it was dark and snowing outside, and the Library was practically deserted (most students knowing they could postpone their work for the weekend).

She glanced round in the direction of Madam Pince's desk, but the Librarian was not visible from where she was sitting. She had chosen that particular spot, near the restricted section, because she did not want to be disturbed. Nothing could guarantee that of course, for Madam Pince had a habit of prowling around the bookshelves, intent on catching any student who dared vandalise her books. Usually Lily was never in trouble with the Librarian, for she had a carnal affection for books, and was extremely careful with the older and more fragile volumes (though her own textbooks were another matter).

She did not want to be disturbed because she wanted to read a particular chapter of '_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures and Beings'_ in peace.

It was about Boggarts, and Belby went beyond dismissing Boggarts as nothing more than household pests. It went into detail about the nature of a Boggart, and the type of fear it engendered in witches and wizards.

And the worst fear she had seen a Boggart transform into, was something that had haunted her thoughts since Christmas day.

She flipped over the yellowed pages until she came to the chapter on Boggarts, and bent closer to decipher the books' tiny script:

'…_. The common Boggart is a being that resembles the worst fear of the witch or wizard confronting it. _

_A common misconception is that the Boggart will pick the worst fear that the witch or wizard is actively thinking about: Thus, many expect a zombie, a giant, or a Lethifold to appear, since indeed, most people actively think about what they __imagine__ they fear most…. But on many occasions, the vision or shape they see in front of their eyes when the Boggart appears, is nothing like what they expected. Instead, they encounter a fear that is entirely different, but nonetheless even more terrifying._

_This is because_ _a Bogart can pick someone's fears directly from their subconscious. It can also pick out the fears from the worst of nightmares._

_Usuall,y it is the rare Occultimer Boggart that is adept at this. The Occultimer Boggart is an aggressive Boggart found in the most ancient of dwellings – usually castles, fortresses and similar buildings that have known many centuries of warfare and bloodshed._

_The Occultimer Boggart still has a propensity for dark cramped spaces such as chests and cupboards, but is more likely to issue forth from such places, and not only when its hiding place is disturbed or opened._

_Despite its aggressiveness, the Occultimer Boggart is as easily fooled as is the common Boggart, by the presence of many witches and wizards, and is thus best tackled in a group, as it will otherwise pick on the most debilitating subconscious fears of the witch or wizard in its direct line of vision…'_

Lily felt a cold chill pass down her spine, and her hand passed trembling down the yellowed page, covering the small, old-fashioned script. Rubeus Belby's book had just confirmed what she had long suspected, but was reluctant to verify.

When she had faced the Boggart on Christmas day with Severus at her side, it was she herself who had caused the Boggart – probably an Occultimer Boggart – to take on the shape and form of that terrifying Lily: with her cold, empty eyes, chilling laugh, and even more horrifying Death Eater Mask!

It was almost two weeks ago now, but she could not help going over and over the events of that day, as though she was missing something, somehow. It had started off well enough, with a Christmas feast that had met all her expectations of Hogwarts, but then things had gone rapidly downhill when Severus had taken her into the deserted classroom to tackle the Boggart.

Her mind had been on an entirely different track – perhaps aided by the euphoria brought on by the festivities – and she had hoped that perhaps – just perhaps – Severus would say something – _do_ something – to let her know what he thought about her, for months had passed since that summer day by the sea, and on their return to Hogwarts, he had been immediately, (though unwittingly, perhaps) embroiled in the murder of Karkaroff and Madeira. She had thought that with the sinister witch and wizard dead, and most of the school away for the Christmas Holidays, he could relax, and perhaps things could go back to what they were between them ... or perhaps develop into something even better….

She had even gone as far as to bluntly ask him to perform that spell he had once wanted to try out, the rare spell that would work only for them, and make them share emotions and feelings, just as they could so exceptionally share their magic through one wand. She would have known then...

And he had hesitated.

For one infinitesimal second, he had hesitated, and she had seen both fear and that intense fire in his eyes that so excited her, but he had remained silent. Silent until they were both startled by the Boggart.

Perhaps he had been _glad _to be interrupted by the Boggart, so that he would not need to refuse her request, as he had probably intended to do. Perhaps he _did _like her, but not enough to overcome the increasing prejudice against Muggleborns he faced within his own house. Or perhaps her mule-headed opposition of all his arguments in favour of Voldemort in the beginning of last term still rankled. They had quarrelled enough about it, after all.

He had left off assailing her with Voldemort's propaganda quite abruptly, just as she had, conversely, secretly started to look up books about the 'Ancient magic', just so that she could, perhaps, find a common ground on which to bridge the increasingly wide gap between them.

But she was quick to find out that 'Ancient magic' as he called it, was nothing but Dark Magic, inflicting unnecessary pain and torture on many for the gain of one witch or wizard. She could never understand why anyone would want to inflict such pain and humiliation on any fellow human being: especially on innocent Muggles, who were completely defenceless against magic, and her stomach turned at the evident relish with which the authors of the darkest tomes on the subject described the consequences of their curses and poisons on their muggle neighbours, (even though many of the books were written before the Statute of Secrecy, and thus during times of open warfare on witchcraft).

However, she had to admit that many of the spells and potions were indeed, powerful and technically very demanding, so that she did gain a grudging respect (at least from the academic point of view) of Dark Magic.

A long time had passed since, as a child, she had first glimpsed Severus' Great-grandfather's book on Dark Magic one summer's day by the river, and she had been shocked and even scared at what she had glimpsed inside.

She would never have imagined herself immersed in books of dark Magic in the restricted section of the Library, as she had been for many weeks now.

The image of the Boggart masquerading as herself in a Death Eater mask rose before her eyes and she shuddered, closing Belby's book with a snap. She did not want to dwell on what the Boggart revealed her worst fears to be….

Was she turning to the Dark side in a disillusioned attempt to make herself more worthy of Severus' interest?

She had realised this of course. She had realised this that very day, though she had refused to acknowledge it. That was why she had run out of the classroom that day, pale and shaken.

The Boggart had turned first into Severus's worst fear – and that had been shocking enough – seeing her dying self strung up in sacrifice in some dark spell – but then she had stepped in front of Severus and shouted the incantation to banish the Boggart, and instead, it had turned into something her mind had absolutely refused to believe, and she had run away from the classroom, away from the castle, and into the Forbidden Forest, to where she knew she could find some solace.

It was the small clearing some way into the forest where she always went when upset. It was where, three years ago, on a similar wintry day, she had first seen the tracks of the beautiful Doe in the snow, and she had recognised the signs of the Spirit of the Forest. It was where Severus had given her his first Birthday present, the Two-way Mirror.

The Doe was dead now, killed by the Karkaroff, and her mirror was in Potter's possession.

She drew in a shaking breath, silently resolving to herself that she would not enter the Restricted section again unless she had a valid reason to. No more browsing among the old leather-bound volumes on Ancient magic. It seemed to her that even the barely-audible rustling whispers of some of the old books was resentful – resentful that she, a muggleborn, dared open their hallowed pages and read the words of their ancient, undoubtedly pureblood, authors. She still remembered the reaction of the Tom Riddle's bewitched Diary, when she had held it in her hands, and so she knew she wasn't only imagining things.

Drawing in a rather shaky breath, she pushed '_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures'_ away from her as she watched the snow piling up on the mullioned windows of the Library. It was Sev's Birthday today, and her eyes travelled to the small gift-wrapped package in front of her, wondering if he would remember this time. He rarely did. Her fingers played absent-mindedly with the thin silvery cord she used to tie the small present up.

For the umpteenth time, her mind wandered back to what happened two weeks ago, after she had ran out to the Forest. Severus had followed her there, and she had lashed out at him, wanting to know who the strange witch was, why she had turned into her, Lily, standing in a Sacrificial stance with a gaping hole over her heart from which the last of her life-blood was draining…

And he had said it was just a nightmare, something he couldn't help. But she had read enough about Dark Magic to know that such sacrifices were rarely used on a witch or wizard - they were usually reserved for the far more expendable Muggleborns.

He had denied it vehemently: '_You've got every claim to magic Lily!' _he had said_ 'More than Death Eaters – more than anyone else I ever met! You and your magic are one and the same thing, Lily! And I should know, because I …' _

After that everything went a bit muddled.

She had found herself backed up against the rough bark of one of the trees, not knowing how she got there. Severus was close to her, holding her steady, and he had said she had come over faint. Her face had felt flushed, her heart beating as though she had run a mile, and there was a strange, fluttery feeling in her stomach.

She had also felt confused and disoriented, and she couldn't understand why she fainted. She rarely did. Severus had looked worried, his eyes fever-bright, and his usually pale face was flushed too, despite the now heavily-falling snow. Probably he was blaming himself that their quarrel had upset her too much. It had, but there was something else, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Feeling slightly ill, she had not protested when he suggested they should go back inside.

Severus had then picked up her discarded Gryffindor scarf, and wordlessly wrapped it around her neck with a gesture she could only describe as tender. It had brought a lump to her throat and inexplicable tears to her eyes. Then he took her unresisting arm and led her through the snow back towards the castle.

After, she had lain down on her bed, glad there was no one else in the dormitory, and given way to tears. Why – she did not know. It was not the first time they quarrelled, and over more sinister things than a Boggart, but somehow, she had this feeling of disappointment, the reason for which she could not trace. Perhaps it was the effort of denying what she had made the Boggart turn into; perhaps it was her own guilt at accusing Severus of something he couldn't help having nightmares about, given the kind of pureblood snobs he was surrounded by, and the books on dark magic he insisted on reading. Books she, too, had been reading. Hoping to please him. Hoping for… she did not know what, now.

The Christmas holidays were over and ever since that day in the forest, Severus had been uncharacteristically subdued. She did not know what to think anymore, but she had to accept the truth about what the Boggart meant: not only was she failing to turn Severus away from the dark side, but she was being swallowed up by it herself! That is what her subconscious fear was all about: she was afraid of treading the path that lead towards joining the Death Eater rebels! Not that they would ever accept her as a Muggleborn, but she would be considered a 'collaborator' - there were plenty of those, too - and allowed to keep her friendship with Severus. A shiver of fear ran down her spine.

She couldn't do this anymore.

Just as she didn't know what to think about Severus any more. After that day, he insisted on spending the rest of the holidays quietly studying, and firmly stirring the subject of their conversation away from what happened that day. But her thoughts about it whirled round and round in her mind, each idea, each explanation, tossed about on the restless, stormy sea enclosed in her head, unwilling to let her rest, as she searched for answers. Well, Belby's book had given her some, though it did not explain why Severus was being so ... well... almost cold with her, refusing to discuss anything to do with their friendship, carefully treading around her loaded questions with words and phrases designed to get the conversation back into the cold realm of their studies, or even mundanities.

Perhaps he was eager not to quarrel again, afraid she'd faint or something. Perhaps he realised that she was the one responsible for the 'Dark' boggart Lily and was still offended she had blamed him. And she was ready to apologise, if he only gave her half-a-chance to discuss it. She shook herself angrily, wondering what had come over her that day, and wishing he'd snap out of this attitude. She'd rather suffer another quarrel, than this cold distance she felt growing between them.

And then yet again, at times, she'd catch him staring at her with an expression of such exquisite sadness, such longing, she'd wonder if she had seen right. He'd turn away just as quickly of course, and be extra brusque with her for the next half-hour, if she dared ask him what was wrong.

A few days ago, when the rest of the students returned to Hogwarts from their Christmas Holidays he disappeared inside the Slytherin common-room in the company of Rosier and Wilkes, and rarely saw her except for lessons.

It was driving her mad with frustration and confusion, especially at night, when she would dream, strangely enough, not of dying Death Eater Boggarts in her own shape and form, as she had fully expected would happen under the circumstances, but instead, she dreamt of the still and quiet forest clearing, snowflakes falling gently on her upturned face; dark eyes that swept her away with an intensity of emotion that frightened, as well as excited her; cold hands with long fingers gently cupping her face; the feel of cold lips against hers, snow swirling against long black hair; her own body trembling, melting, into that of Severus as he pushed her back against a tree, not roughly, but urgently, _hungrily._

But then, suddenly, the dark eyes would turn red, with narrow, slit-like pupils, sheer evil leering out of them, and she would wake up in the middle of the night, her heart racing and her eyes wide open, feeling the last dregs of a painfully sweet excitement intermingled somehow, with an incomprehensible fear.

For several times a week since Christmas, it was always the same dream, over and over again. She didn't know what was bringing it on. Perhaps the Boggart had joggled her unconscious desires, as well as fears…

A tap on her shoulder made her jump and she whirled round, only to be met with the same pair of dark eyes that haunted her dreams, only this time, they looked faintly surprised at her wild reaction.

'Got your note, Lily,' Severus said, holding up a small, crumpled square of paper.

To her mortification, Lily felt herself blushing as though her dream was actually written all over her face. She remembered uneasily how he had admitted to having twice practiced Legilimency, and her blush deepened.

'S- sorry, I was daydreaming,' she mumbled in confusion.

'I thought you'd come down to the dungeons. Why here?'

'I had to look up something in the restricted section. Since Ancient Runes was cancelled this afternoon, I had no way of seeing you, so I slipped you the note.'

And she had done it quite discreetly too – stuffing it into his hand right under the eyes of Seth Mulciber, who, for some strange reason, was clinging to Severus like a limpet ever since he came back from the holidays.

''_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures and Beings,'' _Severus read over her shoulder, his eyebrow raised quizzically, 'Are you into fairies and gnomes now? Belby's views are highly unorthodox – downright rubbish, in fact'

'There's a chapter about Boggarts that's very illuminating.'

She expected him to change conversation immediately, but instead, after a moment's hesitation:

'You don't have to worry about that Boggart anymore. I destroyed it.'

'What d'you mean? You went back there again? And you don't destroy a Boggart – you just banish it to someplace else, don't you?'

'With the Banishing spell, yes. But I know a few spells that are more…effective.'

'So you _destroyed_ it?'

'Of course. What d'you expect me to do? Lovingly feed it on chocolate frogs and nightmares?'

'Well, no, but-'

'You don't have to worry about it. Anyway, you _did_ manage to banish it that day, and if we get another Boggart in our OWLS, it won't be as aggressive as this one, so we'll be fine.'

It was the first time he had willingly mentioned that day again.

'But when did you go? Why did you face it alone?'

'I needed to see whether I could get rid of it. I did it the day after we –'he paused, and then changed track 'Anyway, your note said you had something to show me?'

He held up the small crumpled note, bearing her brief, unsigned message. '_Meet me in the Library at six.'_

She was being extra careful when writing these messages, leaving them vague and unsigned, which she passed to Severus whenever for some reason they could not speak openly. There were increasingly frequent incidents between students who supported different factions of the War - incidents that were becoming even more frequent than the traditional battling between the houses over Quidditch. The school was coming so polarised that even normally insignificant notes could be held up, by some, as examples of 'fraternising with the enemy'.

'I do. It's right here,' she said, indicating the small package in front of her, 'Now sit down before Madam Pince notices those books you're carrying!'

He slid in the seat opposite hers, dumping several books he held under his arm on the desk, and eyed the package with the faintest hint of a flush to his face. Lily grinned.

'I see that after long years of effort on my part you are finally beginning to remember that the 9 th of January is something you should celebrate.'

'I do remember, when there's anything worth remembering my birthday for.'

'Such as?'

'Well, when I was 11, and I knew my letter was coming. And today, because in exactly twelve months time I'll be of age, and finally able to use magic wherever the hell I want.'

'Lily made an exasperated noise. 'And there I was, thinking my hard work had finally paid off. Here's your present,' she shoved the small package towards him, feeling rather disgruntled. 'Merlin, Sev, you're 16 now, aren't you happy just because it's your birthday?'

'I'm happy because my birthday is almost over and I thought you'd forgotten it, but now I've found you haven't, ….' he said with a fleeting smile and a quick glance in her direction, as he unravelled the thin cord around the package, 'So you see, your unreasonable attachment to the rituals of this birthday celebration thing must've rubbed off on me, and I found myself expecting what I shouldn't.'

'Why shouldn't you, Sev?' she asked softly, and a bit more seriously than she intended.

He gave her a quick look but did not answer. He had opened the tiny package and a watch had slipped out, gleaming silver and bronze in the light of the Library lamps.

'It's not a muggle watch,' Lily explained unnecessarily (the small watch was a marvel of many tiny hands and dials showing moons and stars as well as runes and other strange numerals and symbols) 'I'm told that it is customary to give wizards this on their coming of age, but you're already miles ahead, academically speaking, so I thought you should have one now.'

She searched his face, hoping that he liked it. Her previous Birthday gifts to him were decidedly muggle in flavour, so this was a bit of a departure from usual.

'It's – it's beautiful, Lily!' he stammered, gazing at the intricate design, 'It must have cost a fortune!'

He looked up when he said this, and there was wonder in his eyes.

'Don't worry about it. Since I didn't go home for Christmas, my parents gave me some money to spend. So I did. I bought you that and something for myself too, look.'

She pushed up the sleeve of her robe and the thick jumper she wore underneath. A smaller version of the watch Severus still held in his hand was around her wrist.

'My parents won't know about the coming-of-age thing, since they're Muggles, so I bought myself one, too. I have to admit it's far more useful here at Hogwarts, than my old wristwatch. But there's another reason why I got one too…' she looked up at him then, and held his gaze, 'I placed a Protean Charm on the watches. It's nothing as good as the Two-way-mirror, for it can only alert you and pass on a simple message. Here see –' she took the watch from him and pointed to the third metallic ring from the edge, '- the runic symbols will rearrange them selves into a simple massage, and the underside of the watch will become warmer and –'

'You're amazing, Lily!' Severus voice interrupted her. She looked up, flushing with pleasure at his praise - a rare thing with Severus.

'You really know your Charms,' he continued, 'I had only used a modified version of the Switching spell, and I was lucky to find the right pair of mirrors.'

'And you were barely thirteen then, and already experimenting,' she countered, 'Anyway, go ahead, put it on and let's see if it works.'

Severus pushed back the sleeve of his robe and the frayed jumper he wore underneath, and placed it around his wrist, then shook the sleeves back down again over it, while Lily, grinning broadly now, twiddled the dials and hands on her own watch.

A few seconds later and she saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise as the watch grew suddenly warmer, as she knew it would. His eyes grew even rounder in surprise as he pushed up his sleeve and saw the message she'd sent him: - the soppiest, sickliest birthday greeting she could think of. She laughed out loud at his expression and his lips twitched upwards, too.

'If _that _is the type of message you intend to send me, Lily, ….' But he did not finish his sentence, for a muffled click –click of footsteps was coming their way.

'Oh damn, it's Madam Pince!' Lily cried in alarm, 'She must've heard me! Quick hide your books!'

Severus grabbed the few books he had dumped on the table and stuffed them hurriedly under his arm. She had recognised '_Advanced Potion-Making'_ among his other textbooks and Severus was using that particular book almost as a diary of sorts, nowadays. A repository for ideas and suggestions about potions, or even stuff that had noting to do with potions.

Madam Pince, who had always disliked Severus since he had broken into the restricted section in his second year, had caught him scribbling in a book early in December and had had a fit.

Sure enough, the pinched face of the Librarian peered round the nearest bookshelf at them, and a scowl appeared on her thin face as soon as she recognised Severus. Her sharp eyes swept hawk-like over Severus and the books he was attempting to hide beneath his arm. He scowled back at her defiantly, and Lily hoped he wouldn't say anything rash, for it was not the first time Madam Pince had forced students to empty their bags in an impromptu search, and if she saw what he did to his textbooks ….

However, the Librarian must have recognised that the books under her friend's arm were not Library books, though this did not sweeten her sour temper.

'Library closes in 10 minutes' she said 'And since you appear to be doing nothing but giggling, I suggest you leave right away!'

With a sigh, Lily packed her things and carefully replaced '_Marvels of Mundane Magical Creatures'_ back on its shelf under the watchful gaze of Madam Pince, then made her way to the library door where Severus was waiting for her.

His right hand was unconsciously clasped around the wrist of his left, and a vague smile hovered round his thin lips. Lily hadn't seen him smile for days, so feeling slightly more reassured, she followed him out of the Library, determinedly pushing the morbid thoughts engendered by Belby's description of the Occultimer Boggart out of her mind.


	122. Chapter 122

**Chapter 122: A Pendant.**

'Wake up, Sleepy-head!'

A soft something thumped Lily on the head.

'Whassamatter?' Lily sat up blearily in bed, removing Mary MacDonald's pillow from off her face. Something small slid off her bed and fell with a soft tinkle. She blinked, and Mary's grinning face came into view in the bed next to hers.

Lily glanced at the window opposite, near Alice's bed.

'It's still dark,' she protested, 'Why did you -?'

But then she remembered as her eyes fell upon a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed.

'It's your birthday, silly!' Mary said impatiently, 'I put mine on top of what the house elves delivered. Hurry up, before we have to go down for Breakfast! We have Herbology at nine. Open mine first!'

'Sweet Sixteen, Lily!' Jenny called from the bed next to Alice's. She got out of bed and rummaged in her drawer for a while, and then came over to add her present to the pile.

Thanks, Jen,' Lily grinned, as the Muggleborn sat down at the foot of her bed, yawning. Alice was the only one missing. She had already gone downstairs on mysterious errands of her own – perhaps prefect duties, but Thalia slept on, only the top of her dark head visible above her bedclothes. Lily grinned as she reached out for her parent's card from beneath the pile, for she recognised both Thalia's expensively-wrapped gift among them, and Alice's roughly- wrapped one. She felt so lucky to have so many friends. It was a bitterly cold Friday morning, yet they had all woken up early to give her presents.

'I asked James to nick some Butterbeer from the kitchens, so we can celebrate tonight,' Mary smiled conspiratorially, 'he said it's no problem at all for him – he assured me he never gets caught!'

Lily rolled her eyes with a laugh, 'I wonder why!'

None of the other girls knew about the invisibility cloak of course. Just then, Mary's present emerged – a Zonko's product in the form of a miniature figure of Stubby Boardman, the lead singer of the Hobgoblins that sang rude parodies of the group's well-known songs. The howls of laughter and giggles roused Thalia, who joined them as Lily opened the rest of her presents.

It was over an hour later that Lily was left alone in the dormitory, picking up torn wrapping paper and putting away her gifts. The others had already got dressed and went down for breakfast, for they had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs in half an hour. She started with the miniature Stubby, who was swinging his hips provocatively and singing a suggestive love-song. Stifling a giggle, she shoved him inside her drawer and bent down to pick up some colourful wrapping paper off the floor.

It was then that Lily saw the small package. It was under a torn wrapping paper on the floor near the side of her bed. It must have slipped off her bed when she woke up.

She picked it up, and sat down on her bed, a small smile playing about her lips, for she had a fair idea who it was from, even though there was no card. It was roughly packed in brown paper with a thin silvery cord around it. The same cord she had used to wrap up another present three weeks previous.

She pulled at the knot in the cord impatiently. Typical of Severus to leave her presents like this. Except for the two-way mirror, he rarely gave her presents in person, but always left them in the dungeon hideout for her to find. But they were always fantastic presents: carefully thought out, and always, without fail, magical in nature.

The cord finally fell away and the brown paper crinkled open, and there, in the palm of her hand, Lily found the most beautiful pendant she had ever seen in her life.

On the brown paper itself, in cramped handwriting, were a few laconic words:

_Happy Birthday,_

_S_

She looked at the pendant again: it was not much more than an inch across, but there was something ethereally beautiful in the design of the silver that surrounded the central stone: sinuous and graceful strands curved in immensely complex spirals and whorls, circling round the central stone in never-ending flourishes vaguely reminiscent of ancient celtic symbols or Runes, and seven tiny green emeralds – exactly the colour of her eyes - were set at each point where the silver trails crossed each other.

Silver and green: Slytherin colours too, Lily mused. But as she turned the pendant in her hand the central stone caught her eyes. She had initially thought it was a large opal, but now she could see that it was a crystal: perfectly round and transparent. What was giving the impression of whiteness was a substance that was enclosed inside the round transparent stone. She moved it slightly and the white substance shifted gently, fluffy white and almost weightless. It reminded Lily of those plastic souvenir globes her sister had got back from her skiing holiday: you shook them and artificial snow whirled around the liquid contained within the globe, giving the impression of a snowstorm over the plastic figures inside.

The only difference was that this really _was_ snow!

Lily held it closer to her face and she could actually see the individual snowflakes, imprisoned in the smooth crystal. She was holding the small pendant so close to her face that her breath had misted the surface of the crystal. She rubbed her thumb over it to clear the condensation and was surprised to see that it glowed briefly – not glowed actually, but the substance inside which the snowflakes were floating seemed to shimmer translucently.

It was very strange: like air made liquid, or liquid somehow woven into something unsubstantial like air.

Lily stared at the small softly gleaming pendant in the palm of her hand: it was so inconceivably beautiful … and it was quite unlike Severus to give her jewellery, so she was hardly surprised to find it was an enchanted object. It _had_ to be magical, for she was cupping it in her hands, and the snow would have long melted otherwise. Probably that strange liquid or whatever it was, was keeping the snow from melting. A long, thin, silvery strand was threaded though the pendant. On closer observation she saw that it was not a silver chain but actually Unicorn hairs woven in a minute, but immensely strong, plait.

It seemed very expensive, and she wondered whether it had any other magical properties, and felt a twinge of regret thinking that perhaps she had obliged him to do this in return for the expensive watch.

Her watch.

She scrambled at her bedside table and picked up her watch.

_It's wonderful! And this __must__ have cost you a fortune! _She wrote, twiddling the dials on her watch, and echoing his own words of three weeks ago.

_Not really. Made it myself. _The runic letters on the third inner circle of her watch face shifted and reformed quickly, forming new words.

_See you in Ancient Runes, You can explain its magical properties then'_ she wrote.

_I think you'll find them out for yourself._

And with those cryptic words, her watch grew cold, and there were no longer any messages from Severus.

She stood up and slipped the unicorn hair necklace over her head, the pendant looking even more brilliant and intriguing in contrast to the black material of her school robes. With a small sigh, she stuffed it down the neck of her robes, for McGonagall did not tolerate jewellery, unless very small and inconspicuous.

It rested against her skin, surprisingly warm for an object that contained snow. It felt as though it were something she had worn before, or was familiar with, somehow. And it wasn't heavy or awkward as she had half-expected, but feather-light, giving her a barely-there, comforting sensation which was odd for an object so new and impressively beautiful. She wondered again why Severus had so uncharacteristically given her a pendant this year. Her mind drifted to the snowflakes that they had produced when they had first discovered their ability to share magic, and their hands had closed over one wand….

She caught herself in time, refusing to allow her mind to wander in _that_ direction again. Bad enough her dreams kept recurring, though less frequently, and Severus was making it quite clear with his prosaic, business-like attitude, that he would not appreciate another fainting scene like that of Christmas day.

Probably the pendant was just a pretty example of a Freezing Charm, or a metal-bending spell. Or perhaps the well-worn, familiar feeling was all part of the magical properties Sev wanted her to find out for herself. With a start she realised that her Herbology lesson was starting in10 minutes. She hurriedly grabbed her books and tore out of the dorm. She'd have to skip breakfast now.

That afternoon she found out that Ancient Runes had been cancelled again, for old Professor Clynderwen was still unwell and had been transferred to St Mungo's the night before, so she did not get to see Severus. Later still, Mary, Jenny, Alice and Thalia kept her up late into the night, talking and laughing and celebrating her birthday with more than Butterbeer, for somehow Potter had managed to sneak several cakes and bagfuls of sweets from the kitchen.

It was late Saturday morning that she finally found Severus brewing Wit-Sharpening potion for the seventh-years in the dungeon hideout.

He looked at her suspiciously as she came into the low-ceilinged dungeon and threw herself heavily down in the old Windsor by the fire. She probably looked a mess, for she had been up till 3 or 4 in the morning, her eyes felt bleary with sleep, and she hadn't bothered with her hair.

'I came down to thank you for my birthday present,' she announced, 'I would've come yesterday, but the girls organised a bit of a party for me. Potter nicked some stuff for us from the kitchen-'

She saw an ugly scowl furrow his brow at the mention of Potter.

'And what did he want in return?' he asked poisonously.

'Dunno. Mary arranged it,' she replied calmly, but changed track immediately as she saw his thunderous look. The mention of James Potter these days would be enough to set Severus muttering curses under his breath, for his animosity towards her fellow Gryffindor hadn't diminished a bit since the holidays.

'And is the party the reason why you look as though you're barely awake, though it's almost noon?'

'Is it?'

'You need a dose of this!'

He lifted a ladleful of the potion. Lily sat up straighter.

'No. It's okay. Wish I had the reserves of energy you seem to dig up out of nowhere, though!' she said, curling up like a cat on the old Windsor, 'That way I could keep on going without sleep for days, the way you seem to do.'

'So you could stay up at parties longer?'

'You make me sound like a party animal. It was just us girls having a laugh. We rarely do, what with the OWLs coming up, and all the depressing news about the war…'

She stopped and bit her lip. Neither of them had mentioned the war since Christmas and she didn't want to be the one to start. Not again. She knew he hadn't given up on any of his ambitions, for he was always surrounded by what she called the Death Eater group: Nott, Rosier, Wilkes, Avery, Mulciber and Rabastan. Most of them either leered at her if she passed by, though none of them spoke to her. However Mulciber, who seemed to be hanging around Severus even more than his own sixth-year friends, always scowled at her obnoxiously, his expression one of pure hatred. It probably stemmed from the time she had gone to Mary's aid when the swarthy sixth-year had cursed her. She returned Mulciber's dark looks defiantly and with interest, but she found herself avoiding going near Severus when he was in Mulciber's company.

In any case, she wasn't going to be the one to start any political arguments. She had also finally given up browsing in the restricted section of the Library, trying to find something to like about Ancient Magic. Her experience with the Boggart was still fresh in her mind, and she wasn't likely to forget it in a hurry, even though Severus apparently hadn't learnt his lesson from _that_ experience.

'Exactly. OWLS,' Severus was saying, 'You know that's the fourth week in a row that we've missed Ancient Runes.'

'Sev, you know your Runes way beyond OWL level. You even _speak_ the language beautifully. Just like old Professor Cynderwen. So what're you worrying about?'

'Madeira taught me,' he said quietly, keeping his eyes on his cauldron.

The blood-orange colour of the bubbling potion that preceded the final stage gave his eyes an unusually warm glow, and Lily sat up straight on her chair on hearing the name. Madeira was someone he rarely volunteered any information on.

She did remember a time in their third year, when the desk behind her was littered with books on ancient languages. It did not fit in with the sinister character of the old witch. Teaching Sev languages? Either she had painted a blacker picture of Madeira than the old witch deserved, or else the knowledge must have been vital for dabbling with whatever else she had taught Severus.

'You, on the other hand, are missing some vital lessons,' he was continuing, glancing up at her from the cauldron.

'Alice said they'll find a substitute teacher, if Professor Clynderwen doesn't come back by next Friday,'

'I could teach you if you want,' he replied carefully keeping his eyes on the potion, 'We'll go to the Library and I think I could fill you in on what Clynderwen hasn't covered.'

'Would you? That'll be great, Sev! But why not here? Madam Pince'll probably shush us every five minutes, and-'

'The Library,' he repeated emphatically.

Lily did not pursue the argument; instead she withdrew the pendant from beneath her robes, admiring the perfection of the reflected dungeon torches on the smooth whiteness of the snow crystal.

'Whatever,' she answered, 'But I didn't come here to talk about Ancient Runes, Sev. I came down here to thank you for this.'

She saw his eyes shoot up as she spoke, fixing themselves immediately on the bright pendant on her chest. She grinned as she saw a fleeting, worried look.

'Don't worry – I'm not going to jump on you and shower you with hugs and kisses, I know you'd hate that ...' she paused (was she hoping that he'd deny it?) His face was suddenly very white, with an oddly frozen expression, and he stopped stirring the cauldron.

Just as she suspected. The grin slid off her face. Probably that was why he'd insisted on the Library: she was acting like the giddy school girl he often told her she was...

She sighed inwardly, and tried to remind herself that she had resolved to try and accept his attitude philosophically, but try as she might, it was hard. Sometimes, inexplicably, tears would prickle behind her eyes and she'd feel a lump in her throat. Like now. She hurriedly bent her head and pretended to examine the pendant.

She couldn't understand why she was being so emotional, for Severus was as friendly as he'd ever been when they were alone together. In fact, he was friendlier and much warmer towards her, now that he had stopped talking about that wretched Voldemort. Perhaps it was the pointed way he ignored her desire to talk about what happened on Christmas day, or anything to do with their friendship, that upset her, even though he had reassured her, that day, that she had every claim to magic, despite what the pureblood zealots were saying. But when she saw him with the gang of Slytherins he was increasingly surrounded by, there was a hard, cold look in his eyes that made her fear the reasons why he avoided her questions. She had been almost sure he considered her more than a friend, and now she could only conclude that she was either grossly mistaken, or else her blood status had something to do with it. Her instincts screamed otherwise, but her brain could only point out the only logical explanation...

She looked up to see Severus had started stirring the cauldron again, for the potion was in its last stages.

'But I _do_ insist that you show me at least how you managed to create such a beautiful pendant,' she continued, bravely, 'even if I have to find out its properties by myself. You have an artistic soul, Sev, and I won't have you denying it!'

His previously pale face flushed slightly.

'Not really,' he retorted, sardonically 'the pattern in the silver is made by my wand's residual resting magic. So before you go on extolling the virtues of my latent artistic talents-'

'Resting, residual, what?'

'Magic. Each wand has a unique pattern. It's invisible, but sometimes when a resting wand is placed over a substance like Quicksilver, or Orichalcum, you can see it in the form of patterned ripples.'

'Well, the wand chooses the wizard, doesn't it? And according to books on wandlore, wand and wizard learn from each other, so I guess the unique pattern you spoke about is partly your doing, Sev,' Lily felt even more inordinately pleased with her gift now. That pattern made it a more personal gift.

He shrugged, bending further over the cauldron. 'I found some bent and broken silver cutlery in a drawer in one of the dungeons a while ago. House elves never bother to clean this far down, so I nicked them. Thought I'd see if the wand's resting magic worked on molten silver, and it did, that's all. Then all I had to do was let it solidify in its natural pattern.'

'What about the stone, Sev?' she asked, gazing intently at him.

For a second his hand stopped stirring the potion, but he did not look up. 'Made of crystal and enchanted snow,' he mumbled.

'Well, I figured _that_ out, of course. But what are its properties? You're not going to tell me it's just _pretty_, are you?'

'No.'

The potion was ready and Severus poked the fire beneath the cauldron, reducing its size to a ring of tiny bluebell flames, then he bustled about gathering an odd assortment of bottles and flasks to pour the violently purple potion into.

'Here, let me help,' she got up and with a spare ladle, started pouring potion into an empty butterbeer bottle. They worked in silence for a while, but Lily wasn't one to give up easily.

'Well?' she asked, 'What does the central stone do? Or is that what you want me to find out for myself?'

'Perhaps.'

'Oh, stop being so mysterious, Sev! Why can't you just tell me?'

'Because I can't right now. The enchantment needs …uh…time to mature. It may grow stronger over time, see? Oh, and yes, and you need to be of age.'

'What? Another _year?_! I don't want to wait another year! Why d'you do that for?'

'For the sole purpose of seeing you suffer your usual insatiable curiosity.'

'No, really, why?'

He did look up finally from the cauldron, and there was an unreadable expression in his eyes. He spoke slowly, as though weighing his words carefully.

'Because you might like its properties very, very much, or else hate them in equal measure, and at 17 you'll be able to better deal with such surprises, assuming you ever _do_ find out what they are, even when you're of age.'

She looked at him uncomprehendingly for a minute, unsure what to make of his words. Then a thought entered, unbidden, into her head.

'Hey, this isn't one of those enchanted necklaces that change your appearance, is it? Jenny was given one anonymously, and it caused her to sprout antlers, and Thalia had one that made the wearers skin smooth and blemish-free…'

'That pendant does NOT carry a Curse, a Hex, or even a Jinx, Lily!'

'Well, thank goodness for that!'

'Did you really think I could ever give you something like that?' Severus asked quietly. He was looking at her now, his dark eyes questioning, probing.

'Well, not a cursed one,' she said with a nervous giggle, 'But I wouldn't mind one like Thalia's to get rid of my freckles!'

'Well, no. I wouldn't give you something like that, either. Your appearance is perfect the way it is.'

He said this quietly, his eyes still on hers, and she saw the strange fire in them again. She tried to blink but couldn't. She half-opened her mouth to say something silly, but found she had forgotten what to say. A kind of déjà-vu feeling passed over her as she gazed, mesmerised, into those liquid black eyes, like trying to remember something at the edge of her memory, something important …

But Severus moved away abruptly and she found herself staring at the torch in the bracket on the wall opposite, with a puzzled frown on her face.

'We should get these bottles sorted,' he said, stoppering the last flask, and giving no indication he'd just called her 'perfect'.

'Wh – what? Oh…yeah, sure.'

And she joined Severus near the store cupboard, pointing her wand at the mismatched bottles so that they all flew neatly in a row on the uppermost shelves, feeling slightly bewildered, but considerably happier.

…

lll

Marcus Wilkes got up ponderously from in front of the fireplace, his massive form outlined against the blazing fire. The windows of Slytherin common room threw a dim grey-green light over the student's heads. It was mid- February, and the lake had finally unfrozen, allowing the dim light to penetrate through the green waters as rain inexorably pock-marked its surface.

Severus was in his usual alcove, writing by the light of a small, green lamp. From the corner of his eyes he could see Wilkes knocking off two second-years from the marble bench they were sitting on, as he made his way through the elegant chairs and seats crowded round the fire. He glanced shiftily over in his direction and then crabwise, started off towards the other end of the common-room.

Severus rolled his eyes impatiently. You could see so easily into the minds of simpletons like Wilkes. He had probably forgotten his Potions Essay again, and wanted to ask him to do it for him – they had Potions with Slughorn in half-an-hour, but Severus knew the less-than-welcome expression on his face was keeping that moron from coming over.

Well, Wilkes was right to keep away from him, for he was in a foul mood. He'd been working on a really interesting modification of the old Levitating spell, which, if it worked, would be an even more useful way of rendering your enemies helpless than the traditional Jelly-legs or the Leg-locker Jinx. Perhaps if he tried a non-verbal approach, coupled with the vertical wand movement… he crossed out what he had written and re-wrote the spell, when a shrill voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked up, irritated. Cassiopeia Clearwater stood in at the entrance to the girl's dormitory, hands on hips and yelling shrilly at Seth Mulciber who was slumped in a carved wood chair, looking sullen. Several Slytherins were looking up from what they were doing, listening appreciatively.

Interesting. Apparently Mulciber had chosen a Monday morning to dump his girl friend, with typical vindictive cruelty. From what he could gather amidst the hysterical shouting, it was because Cassiopeia had too much of an independent mind to suit the domineering character of Mulciber.

Good.

Severus carefully hoarded away the knowledge amongst the already considerable store of information he was gathering on Mulciber. The swarthy sixth-year would be easier to handle without that sharp witch noticing things her blundering, insensitive git of a boyfriend was too thick to see. For weeks now, Mulciber had hounded his footsteps, but he had reluctantly concluded that it would be better he did so, for he could manipulate exactly what Mulciber knew, feeding him the right information, information that was not likely to anger the Dark Lord should it reach his ears., and at the same time, keeping his interest focussed on himself, rather than Lily.

Furthermore, now that he had ditched her, Cassiopeia might be a bit more amenable to manipulation than before, and might spill the truth about how far Seth's influence with the Dark Lord went, and what he knew about Voldemort's interest in Lily.

''Levicorpus_! Non- vrb''_ a gruff voice said.

It was Wilkes, and he had appeared at the entrance to the alcove and was reading what Severus had scribbled in the wide margins of his _Advanced Potion Making_ book.

'Is that a spell?' Wilkes continued, ignoring Severus thunderous looks 'What does v- r – b mean?'

Severus shook his head in amazement, forgetting his anger for a moment. How could the lumbering fool be ignorant of what non-verbal meant? Even though such spell-casting was NEWT level, Wilkes came from a wizarding family, for Merlin's sake! He must have heard the term!

'That's 'non-verbal', right?' Regulus Black had joined them, muffled up in cloak and gloves, for the Fourth years had Care of Magical Creatures. Severus snorted derisively, not bothering to answer Wilkes. Well, at least, Reg knew.

'_Liber– Liberacorpus_.' Wilkes read slowly and laboriously, for Severus handwriting was small, and squashed tight in a corner of the page. 'Hey, can you show me what the spell does?'

Severus had had enough. He snapped his book shut and pointed his wand at Wilkes. There was a flash of light and Marcus Wilkes was dangling from one ankle near the greenish lamps of the common-room. He yelled, struggling futilely to get back down, his long Gorilla- arms tangled in his robes that were now hanging off him. There were shouts of laughter, most raucous from the two young boys Wilkes had just shoved off their bench, and two third-year girls were hysterically pointing at the voluminous and old-fashioned, woollen britches Wilkes wore under his robes.

'Thanks, Marcus, I'd been working on that for ages, and I'd doubted if I'd ever get it right!' Severus drawled, 'And yes, I'll sort out your potions essay tonight. That's what you wanted to ask me, right?'

Ignoring the incomprehensible spluttering coming from beneath the robes, Severus gathered his books and dumped them into his bag. Then he made his way to the door, turning round just before he left to point his wand at Wilkes once more. Another flash of light, and Wilkes tumbled heavily to the floor.

'You have to correct a month's worth of my essays for this, Snape!' Wilkes shouted angrily after him, 'Or else!'

Severus just smirked and passed through the door to the torchlit corridor outside. He found Regulus had followed him through, still grinning widely at Wilkes' discomfort. As Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, Regulus had often been the victim of Wilkes' Beater's bat, when he mis-aimed (sometimes inadvertently, and sometimes not so inadvertently) and hit members of his own team during Quidditch practice.

'That's a great spell, Severus. Marcus looked positively charming in that position! He didn't even think of using his wand!' Reg laughed.

'Marcus doesn't _think -_ at all.'

'No. Others do it for him. He prefers to use his fists like a common Muggle. Bertie Rowles got his teeth knocked out when he pointed it out to him, though,' Reg said, frowning slightly.

When they arrived at the upper levels of the dungeon, at the level of the corridor that led to Slughorn's Potion class, Regulus hitched his bag higher on his shoulder and turned to the steps that led from the dungeons and up to the Entrance Hall.

'See you later, Severus. I think I'll practice that Levicorpus spell of yours myself. I'd love to try it out on my brother soon's I see him!' Reg declared, 'Vertical wand movement, and the incantation's _Levicorpus,_ right? And _Liberacorpus_ to undo it.'

'It's non-verbal, Reg. You can't do that yet!' Severus replied tersely.

He hadn't wanted anyone else to use it. It was _his_ invention and it had given him trouble enough to finally get it right. This was the last time he'd let anyone pry inside his book _Advanced Potion Making_ again!

'But _you_ can! Even though it's NEWT level. You can teach me, Sev!'

'Don't call me that!' he snapped, his voice far angrier than the occasion warranted.

'Okay, _okay_. What's the big deal? _Severus _then. Well, how about it? Sirius'll be so surprised if he ever dares hex me again!'

'Oh really? Let's see you surprise me then, Pipsqueak!'

To Severus' dismay, Sirius Black and James Potter had just materialised half-way down the steps that led to the dungeons. They had been under that bloody Invisibility Cloak! He hadn't seen them all weekend, but now that he did, he was rather surprised at their bedraggled appearance. Black's hand, already clutching his wand, was filthy with mud, and Potter's hair, untidier than ever, was damp, and had what looked like festoons of cobwebs adorning it. Even in the dimly-lit passageway, he could see that they both had dark circles around their eyes, as though they hadn't slept all night.

Severus knew they must have been out in the Forest again. He glanced down at his watch, at the tiny, moving stars and planets, searching for the most important symbol of all. There it was - round and white: the full moon. Last night had been full moon. He scowled up at Potter and James, who were moving towards Regulus belligerently.

But Regulus was defiant. 'Where the hell've you been Sirius? You're a bloody mess! But perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to find you covered in mud, given the muggle-loving Blood traitor company you keep!' His grey eyes flickered to Potter, who moved down the last steps towards him,.

'You say that again and - ! Oy!' Potter was forcibly held back by Sirius, whose face had gone deathly white. People were coming up from Slytherin Common-room, and others going down to Potions started gathering round, sensing a fight with the unerring instinct of students. Severus surreptitiously curled his hand round the wand in his robe pocket.

'You stay out of it Prongs! _I'll _deal with my little brother. It's time he let go of his mother's apron strings!'

'Don't you dare mention mother, you – you filthy blood-traitor!' Reg's voice was low and hoarse, and his wand was in his hands, 'You may've broken her heart, Sirius, but you're not going to push _me_ around anymore! I - I know some good curses now!'

Severus stared at Reg. Many knew there had been a huge family row, but it was unlike the young Slytherin to mention it publicly. Slytherins took extreme care to wash their dirty laundry in private. But he hadn't seen how deathly pale Sirius had become, and when the Gryffindor spoke, his voice shook with rage:

'You know _nothing_ about me_,_ Reg! And there's nothing I can't beat you at!'

Suddenly there was a flash of light that caught Severus completely by surprise, and Regulus Black was dangling from one ankle beneath the vaulted ceiling of the dungeon corridor, his wand flying from his grasp and falling with a clatter to the floor. His yell of anger and surprise was echoed by Severus. The _bastards_! The bloody, sneaking, bastards! They had overheard everything about his new spell when under that damned cloak!

'Unlike you, Regulus,' Sirius was saying, gazing up at the red, furious face of his younger brother, 'We've been busy learning non-verbal spell-casting'

'Yes, indeed,' Potter concurred, with a brief venomous glance in Severus' direction, 'It was Lily Evans who gave us the idea, actually. I noticed she's becoming good at non-verbals'.

Something snapped inside Severus. Perhaps it was the idea of that arrogant berk's four-eyes following Lily around, but he was casting the _Constrictus_ or Anapnea spell – non-verbally – at Potter before he could stop himself.

However, after the deliberate provocation, Potter had been waiting for him, and ducked, so that the spell hit Sirius Black instead.

Black doubled over, clutching at his constricting windpipe, silently and desperately gasping for the air he could not draw inside his lungs. Potter whirled round almost at the same time, a bright orange light glowing from the tip of his wand, aiming straight at Severus, but Regulus, with the swift reaction of a Quidditch player, managed to strike his arm with a clenched fist, his face red with the effort and his upside-down position. Potter's spell bounced off the wall violently, sending sharp shards of stone flying in all directions. People screamed and Reg yelled, being closest to the wall, for some of the flint-like shards had penetrated even the thick Quidditch knee-guards and shin-guards he wore under his robes.

Potter was aiming his wand for another attempt, when a booming voice echoed from the corridor leading to the Potions classroom.

'What's going on over there?'

Slughorn!

Severus hurriedly muttered the counter curse to the Anapnea spell, ignoring Sirius Black's spluttering threats and swearing, as soon as he could breathe. It was the second time he had cast that curse on the Marauders, and, judging by his enraged face, Sirius Black had taken even more exception to it than his brother's insults. Severus turned to release Regulus from his upside down position, but before he could do so, Slughorn's enormous figure hove into view, his walrus moustache quivering slightly with amusement as his eyes quickly took in what had happened.

'Not another fight with your brother, Regulus?' Slughorn said, looking up at the dangling figure overhead, 'Really, you two should've both been in Slytherin - then you wouldn't waste your considerable talent hexing each other. Slytherins always stick together, you know.'

He turned to Sirius. 'I think you should put your brother down, Mr Black, he's getting uncomfortably red in the face.'

Sirius looked mutinous, and looked as though he would refuse, but just then Potter stepped forward and pointed his wand at Regulus. There was a flash of light and Regulus tumbled down heavily on the flagstones.

'Ah - so that unusual little spell is a combined effort, Mr Potter, Mr Black. Well, I'm afraid it will have to be double detention for the use of unauthorised magic in the corridors,' he pointed his wand to the hole in the wall that Potter's spell had caused, and it repaired itself immediately. The n he turned back to them. 'However, I'm a great admirer of innovative ways of using magic and that was quite a neat method of modifying the Levitating Spell. Professor McGonagall also tells me you've become veritable experts at Transfiguration. Tell you what – I'm having a little party of sorts Saturday after next, and I'd be very please if you'd come –'

Severus had heard enough. With a final disgusted look at Potter and Black's triumphant faces, he stormed off down the corridor that led to the Potions classroom, knowing that if he stayed there any longer he'd probably end up non-verbally dangling the whole lot of them by the ankles from the dungeon ceiling, just to show them who was the true master of that spell! He slammed the heavy dungeon door behind him, so that an echoing crash reverberated down the corridor outside.

He was so angry that he didn't notice there was one lone person already sitting at a table, head bent over a book. Lily Evans looked up at him smiling, her vivid green eyes warm and welcoming.


	123. Chapter 123

**Chapter 123:** **Limiting The Damage.**

The bright light in Lily's expressive eyes soon dimmed a bit at the sight of Severus, even though he was trying to keep his face impassive.

'What's wrong, Sev?'

Well, he supposed she'd find out anyway.

'Regulus and Sirius Black started a fight again. Potter was there, too. Slughorn intervened, and now Potter and Black are invited to the Slug Club.'

'They didn't get detention?'

He shrugged. He didn't really want to discuss it.

'Well, it's the last time I'll be going to those stupid parties, at any rate,' he bit out, dumping his bag on the table and fishing out his potion books.

'They're not all that bad, Seveus. Slughorn can be fun, if you steer him away from waffling on about famous ex-students. He's very clever, -'

'Bugger Slughorn! If he thinks those two are worth anything more than the insane practical jokes they're always up to, then his judgement is going awry.'

'Well, he _did_ invite me, even though he's Head of Slytherin, and everyone knows what most Slytherins think of Muggleborns! I've got to give him credit for that!' she retorted defiantly.

'You've got mountains of talent! Slughorn – _anyone _can see that!'

'I'm not so sure anymore,' she murmured in a low voice, fishing out her brass scales from under her desk, 'Anyway, Slughorn's really nice to me. Just now he was telling me about his own student days here at Hogwarts. He's a bit younger than Dumbledore and remembers him as a student. He remembers your Great-grandfather too. Both were geniuses, he said.'

Severus saw her observing him, trying to gauge his reaction. But he did not want to discuss Severus Prince or Dumbledore. He had something more pressing on his mind.

'Have you seen Remus Lupin?'

'Remus? What for?'

'He's sick again, isn't he?'

'I don't know. I – Well, come to think of it, I haven't seen him this weekend.'

'Of course you haven't! Yesterday was full moon!'

'So?'

Severus glanced round at the Dungeon door, where people were trickling in and taking their seats by the desks.

'I think Remus Lupin will be too …uh …tired to attend this Monday morning's lessons. He must've been indisposed all night.'

'What're you talking about? What does the full moon have to do with it?'

'Don't you think it strange he's always taken sick, at Full moon?'

'Does he? I hadn't noticed. He has to visit his mother, sometimes, I think.'

'Same difference. He disappears. At full moon. You'll see - he won't be here for potions!'

Lily frowned. 'What are saying, Sev?'

Severus hesitated a second before answering. He knew Lily was friendly with Lupin, ( and that in itself, was reason enough to dislike the Gryffindor Prefect, without the added fact that he was one of the Marauders) and would definitely protest at what he was about to say.

'You know the answer, Lily. What magical illness appears regularly at the Full moon? Lycantrophy! Lupin is a werewolf, Lily!'

'_What?_! A werewolf? Remus wouldn't hurt a fly!'

'Not in an untransformed state, though I have my doubts even about that, but when transformed a werewolf can be lethal, and certainly, its bite is infectious. You know that!'

'I refuse to believe Remus is a werewolf, Sev! It's ridiculous!'

Lily's chin was sticking out and a stubborn expression was on her face. Severus knew that she got like that at any perceived insult to her friends, and it was pretty much useless arguing with her after. But if his hunch was right…

He looked once more to the back of the classroom where the last students were being ushered in by Slughorn. The last students were Potter and Black, their previous tiredness gone as they spoke animatedly to the Potions teacher. Once inside, they made their way to the table they shared with Pettigrew and Lupin, and threw their bags down by their cauldron. Lupin's place was glaringly empty, but Slughorn did not seem to expect him either, for he closed the dungeon door with an air of finality, and wound his way among the cauldrons to the front of the class.

Severus glanced at Lily and saw that she, too, was looking at the table usually shared by the Marauders, and at the vacant seat at the end of it. She caught his eye and she shook her head slightly,

'I can't believe that Dumbledore and the other teachers would allow a werewolf amongst the students,' she whispered vehemently, 'They'd all have been savaged by now!'

But she was frowning, and Severus knew the idea had taken hold, even though she determinedly looked away from the Marauders table, to where Slughorn was writing that day's potion on the board.

Sirius Black however, noticed him looking pointedly at Lupin's empty place. A scowl marring his handsome features, he scribbled something on a small piece of parchment, pointed his wand at it and sent it flying straight into Severus' cauldron, its edges smouldering.

Glancing down at his cauldron, Severus saw a crude drawing of a stick figure with long limp hair and a hooked nose being repeatedly attacked by a black dog with exaggeratedly long, sharp teeth. _I'll get you for this, Snivillus! _was scrawled beneath the moving figures.

Severus smirked, careful to allow Black to see he was uncowed by his stupid, childish threats. Apparently, Black had resented his Anapnea spell even more than Potter had back in their first year.

He should use it more often. It was a curse that did not leave a mark, if carefully applied. The only snag was that if not lifted quickly, the victim would suffocate. The small piece of parchment went up in smoke and Severus turned his back on the Marauders table.

A perfunctory glance at the Blackboard told him they would be brewing Draught of Peace, something he could do with his eyes closed. He had even improved upon it.

'Today, we will be brewing the Draught of Peace,' Slughorn was saying 'it will be done in two stages. You will complete the first stage today, and the second in two weeks' time. It is quite a fiddly potion, but I expect my star pupils, at least, to produce an excellent first stage brew…' Slughorn looked over at their table as he said this, smiling into his walrus moustache. Severus's face was impassive, for he knew that Slughorn was looking at Lily really. He saw her squirm uncomfortably from the corner of his eye.

'…but the second stage of the potion,' Slughorn continued, 'Will be something you won't find in your textbook. As one of you here may be pleased to find out…' ( this time, Severus was sure Slughorn was looking directly at him, an amused twinkle in his eye) '… the second stage of the potion will contain ingredients and methods available only every four years. This year is leap year, boys and girls, and in two weeks time, the 29 th of February will also be the night of the new moon, therefore the potency of several of the ingredients of the Draught of Peace will be enhanced and longer-lasting…'

Severus focused on Slughorn. Despite his hero-worship of talentless gits like Potter and Black, the fat old wizard _did_ know his subject, if he kept to it long enough without being sidetracked by anecdotes of famous ex-students, or bombastic name-dropping exercises designed to make the more impressionable of his slug-club members gawk. Leap year. Yes it would make a difference, he had forgotten.

Pushing his book _Advanced Potion Making_ back into his bag, he drew out his Fifth-year text book, which was almost as heavily scribbled as the more advanced one, and opened the page on 'Draught of Peace'. Today he would concentrate on Slughorn, for a change, and wished that he had not persuaded Lily to sit so far back in the class. He did not want to miss anything Slughorn said about the affect of the leap year in potion ingredients.

He glanced over to where Lily was already weighing out ingredient s for the Draught next to him. She worked deftly, her hands flying over the ingredient bottles, her movements quick and precise. She had come a long way since those summer days by the river, years ago, when he used to explain the properties of the berries and leaves in potion-making. Under his guidance, she had become a confident potion-maker, for she had a natural talent. He shuddered to think what would happen if he had to have a blundering fool like Wilkes, or that insecure fool Trimble, working anywhere near him! He couldn't stand seeing anyone make stupid mistakes when brewing potions: Potions were so complex, so entrancingly magical and they offered such a multitude of possibilities in the infinite variety of their ingredients, that Severus was firmly convinced brewing should be reserved only for those with the right aptitude. Potions contained a subtle power, an immense potential that should only be unleashed by those who deserved to do so, for the results were disastrous in the hands of the ignorant.

Even for common and simple potions: though it was relatively easy to follow instructions, if brewed incorrectly the consequences could be devastating (though of course, sometimes one had to take risks to improve upon a known formula).

He wondered if Lily would remember the improvements to this potion he had suggested. They had brewed the Draught of Peace last year in his dungeon hideout. She was crushing dragonfly-nymph exoskeletons with cicada wings and moonstone dust, a papery, crunching sound coming from her mortar.

She was holding herself rather stiffly, and keeping her eyes firmly on her mortar and pestle. He knew he had offended her by his suggestion that Lupin was a werewolf. Even for someone with a Muggle background like Lily, she could hardly be unaware of what a serious accusation he had just made.

That was why he decided to say nothing more about it. He would make sure first, come the next full moon, and then present her with the facts. He was almost sure of it himself. It would explain Lupin's periodic disappearances, the mystery and reticence about his sickness; the strange lacerations on his skin he could not always hide; why Brocklehurst, their DADA teacher in first year had so disliked him; why his friends called him 'Moony'... There were so many little things that pointed to only one possible conclusion.

Lily would not be able to deny it then.

She would also see what an old fraud Dumbledore was! For there was no way that Lupin's Lycantrophy was not known to the Headmaster. Perhaps if he could prove their Headmaster was just as harsh and uncaring when it suited him, as Lily always insisted the Dark Lord was, then perhaps she'd change her mind about him. For Lily trusted Dumbledore blindly, and thought him the epitome of whatever was bright and good in the magical world, her faith in him absolute and unshakeable, as he had found out during their many arguments last term. Even when presented with proof that Lord Voldemort had the best interest of the magical world at heart, she would still deny it, many of her counter-arguments ending with a stubborn: "because Dumbledore said so".

He needed to shake her faith in the twinkly-eyed hypocrite, or he would never make any headway in convincing her of the need to place her beliefs someone like Voldemort. At least the Dark Lord always called a spade a spade, and did not pretend to be a benign saint, campaigning for Muggle rights over wizarding rights; protecting the defenceless against Dark magic. If the Headmaster was knowingly harbouring a Dark Creature like a werewolf right in the heart of the largest, and most vulnerable, congregation of young witches and wizards in the whole of Britain, Hogwarts, then all his speeches against Dark magic would fall in ruins about him, and Lily would be convinced.

Hopefully, not only Dumbledore and Remus Lupin would be denounced, but Potter and Black would be in trouble, for he had no doubt that they were in on the secret too, and their night-time wandering in the Forbidden Forest under the full moon had something to do with Lupin's Lycanthropy, for the four of them were as thick as thieves.

He saw Lily glancing at him, a quizzical look on her face. He realised he hadn't even started weighing his ingredients. He grabbed his brass scales and carefully placed the tiny counterweights in the pan. The nymph skins weighed next to nothing, but if you exceeded the right dose, the first stage potion would be ruined.

Lily was bending over her cauldron now, starting a fire, and the level of noise had risen as it always did in Slughorn's class: the crunching of the mortar and pestles; the sharp sound of silver knives; bubbling potions; all intermingling with whispered conversations. It was like a more subdued version of Flitwick's noisy practical Charms lessons.

Leaning over his mortar, Severus felt a twinge of pleasure as he saw the contents of Lily's. She had added a sprig of Bergamot and some shrivelled Toadstool caps that would counteract some of side effects of the Draught Of Peace. He had taught her that, and she had remembered.

He looked at his friend closely. She was still bending over the cauldron, her dark red hair falling about her face, ignoring him. Perhaps she was still mad at him, or perhaps she was doing her best to earn Slughorn's accolade of 'star pupil.' Though she protested she hated it, the Slytherin Head of House had managed to find a way under her skin, with his affable, easy manner and unlikely, but evident, favouritism.

He drank in her face greedily while she was absorbed in stirring the contents of her cauldron. He repeated the circular motion over his own mortar and pestle, grinding the moonstone, nymph skins and wings into a glittering pale powder. Her face was slightly flushed now with the heat from the cauldron's flames, but he knew she would keep her eyes on it, for it required counter-clockwise turns after every seven clockwise ones. She would not catch him looking.

What he really wanted to see was whether he could catch a glimpse of a thin, silvery strand around her neck that would indicate she was still wearing the pendant he had given her for her sixteenth birthday. But her head was bent over her cauldron, her long hair throwing her face and neck into shadow.

He could still see a slight frown furrowing her brow, and she looked unusually pensive. Though her eyes were now fixed on the bubbling blue liquid inside her cauldron, he had often caught her looking at him in the same pensive way.

And there was something else in her eyes these days: an indefinable restlessness, a strange sadness that gnawed at his soul every time he saw its shadow in her beautiful green eyes. It had first appeared after that fateful day in the Forbidden Forest, when he had lost his head, lost his very soul it seemed, and kissed her. He had revealed both his vulnerability and hers through that one kiss, and had been forced to erase her memory.

It was something that had tortured his thoughts like nothing else could.

He had wondered at first, whether his spell had worked, and had observed her closely – far more closely than she ever suspected, and he had seen tears spring often to her eyes, sighs suppressed and replaced by wan smiles. Then there was that uneasy, restless questing for information, for what he really thought of her; for the reason behind the Boggart; the reason behind their quarrel... From her questions, he had confirmed that his spell, at least, had worked, and she was completely oblivious to what had transpired between them, oblivious to the fact that for one amazing earth-shaking moment, they had shared a kiss that was even more magical than all the wonders revealed by their shared magic.

He had often dreamed – fantasised – about kissing Lily Evans, but he had never imagined it would be so –so - there was no adjective he could think of, that fully comprised all the feelings that had burned inside him that day; excitement, tenderness, protectiveness, and well, … _love,_… he supposed. And Lily had kissed him back, reciprocated his feelings. At least he thought so. He could still remember her body trembling against his as she drew him closer. It was a memory he would treasure to his dying day! It was something no-one could take away from him, for it was burnt in his mind forever!

But someone _had _taken that memory away from Lily! He, Severus, had stolen something precious, something that should be inextricably linked to her mind and soul forever!

He had no other choice, of course. Her horrified reaction at what she had glimpsed in his mind – Voldemort's plan for them – had convinced him that he couldn't divulge any of that. It was worse than her reaction to his Boggart, and later, when he had gone over, again and again, what had happened in Sprout's disused classroom, he was even more convinced that he had taken the right decision. If he had interpreted correctly what the Boggart had turned into the moment Lily had stepped in front of it, he knew that Lily's aversion to the Death Eaters was still strong, though unjustifiably so.

Just before he had obliviated her memory, she had offered to help him, but though she had not actually said so, he knew she would go running straight to Dumbledore for help. That would ruin whatever precarious chances he had of getting Lily through the war unscathed, when the Dark Lord ruled supreme at the end of it all. Besides, Voldemort had sworn him to secrecy regarding the plan, and Severus had seen enough of Voldemort to know that he wouldn't like to have him hounding them for the breach in confidence.

Still, he would never have imagined he would have used his new-found skill at the Memory Charm on her! It was something that tortured him for days afterwards, and when he was forced to turn Lily's conversation and thoughts away from what happened that day, the hurt look in her eyes at his apparent coldness struck him right to the heart. But he couldn't – wouldn't - undo the spell. It was for her own good!

However, he did find a way of assuaging his conscience. An idea born of what he had seen the night Madeira died: memories could be preserved by other means and not only within one's own head – Madeira's pensieve was one example. He had searched the Library feverishly for any information on such magical objects, but it was as scarce as pensieves themselves, although he did unearth a wealth of information on the preservation of memories.

Apparently, a whole archive existed at the Ministry: memories used as evidence in Wizengamot hearings; memories that recorded special events; memories that preserved certain defunct wizarding traditions... and they were all kept in nothing more glorious than small glass phials! Hogwarts Library provided ample information about how a witch or a wizard could retrieve certain memories simply by pointing their wands at their own heads, using a non-verbal incantation while thinking about the memory they wanted to extract. Simple enough.

The idea had taken hold of him, and even before the Christmas holidays were over, he decided to risk going through the secret passage behind the mirror in the fourth floor corridor to Madeira's old house, hoping her pensive was still there.

It was not. Looters or other Aurors had gone through the place again, and it was an even greater wreck than before. Madeira's portrait was gone too, but he knew that had been consumed by the Black fire after he had stabbed it. However, the debris that littered the place was not as useless as he had first assumed. There were some very useful books on the Mind Arts, charred and torn by the flying spells of Madeira and Karkaroff's final duel, and considered too unimportant by Aurors or looters to be carted off as evidence. That was because they carried uninteresting titles like '_Philosophy of the Magical Mind'_ and '_Compendium of Magical thoughts'_, but inside, Severus recognised the work of obscure authors on dark arts, specifically, the Mind arts. Both Aurors and looters tossed them aside, not even bothering to open the front cover of the books.

Severus had managed to gather quite a few books and other odds and ends from Madeira's place, forcing himself the whole time into the calm detachment of the Occlumency state, for he would rather not relive what he had done and seen within these walls.

Days later, when Lily had given him the watch as a Birthday gift, he knew it would only be fitting if he, in turn, gave her something that was equally precious, and like her gift, would have more to it than what was apparent at first glance.

He would give her back her memory, but preserved in such a way that she could only retrieve it when the time was right.

He had wrought a pendant for her, fashioned from silver and emerald scavenged from the richly-decorated, but forgotten, knives he had once found. That had been interesting enough, but he knew that the central crystal would be the focal point: there he would preserve the lost memory, and fittingly, he would restore it to her, albeit she wouldn't know about it.

The night before Lily's sixteenth birthday, he stayed up late to perform the last enchantments on the pendant: the ones wherein he sealed the memory of that snowy Christmas day in its crystal container.

Lifting the ebony wand to his own head he had closed his eyes, letting the memory of that day wash over him in a bittersweet flood, and when he drew away his wand there was a silvery thread-like strand attached to it, shining as bright as the moon in the gloom of the dungeon. It curled round his wand and he lowered it gently to the middle of the tiny open half-sphere of the crystal, where it settled, like a liquid vapour, around the enchanted snow already in there.

Somehow snow was always pleasantly associated in his mind with Lily – now more so than ever, but the snow had a reason for being there. It would insure that if the crystal was opened by someone other than he himself or Lily, the memory would dissipate and fade immediately like smoke in the wind, and none else could see it. It was an enchantment that the Dark Lord himself could not break, and Severus was rightly proud of it. The enchantment came from one of Madeira's books, but it was very complex, and part of it depended on the individuality of the castor of the spell, and the intended receiver of the sealed memory. The snow even disguised the presence of the silvery substance – neither air nor liquid – that made up the memory, and only he himself or Lily would be aware of it ( and Lily, having never seen such substance before, would not guess its true nature)..

Severus had laid the two halves of the spherical crystal together, pointed his wand at the them and breathed out the final incantation – the one that would seal the memory permanently within. It would lie there safely until the day he showed Lily how to open the crystal, when the time was ripe.

He did not know when that day would be, but certainly, when he could finally be assured of her safety from Mulciber, from the Ministry, or from the Dark Lord's new wizarding order. Probably, when the latter won the war, as he was bound to do. He had purposely distracted her by saying she would have to be of age before she could open it, so she wouldn't insist.

However, he fervently hoped it would not be that long before he could safely show her what's inside, for he did not think he could resist taking her in his arms again if the opportunity ever presented itself. Now that he had experienced that intensity of feeling that had engulfed him when she had embraced him, he had lost all of the nervousness, the inhibitions and awkwardness that his previous insecurities had saddled him with. Now that he knew what it felt like to have Lily Evans in his arms, it was increasingly difficult to stop thinking about it, when they were alone together! Just as he had found how natural, how right it felt to hold her, he also realised the many reasons why he should restrain himself!

Of course, he could pretend it was a casual fling, like many of the shallow, meaningless dates his housemates were embarking on - even the Dark Lord seemed to expect something of the sort between him and Lily. But the idea was repugnant and abhorrent to him: it was the one area where he could not hope to keep up a convincing facade. And besides, how could he possibly fool anyone if he held Lily Evans in his arms again? Even a crass idiot like Mulciber had noticed, and that was before she had kissed him!

So he had come to the conclusion that he had better firmly keep his distance from Lily: _best friends_: that is what they must be for now. Then one day, with Dumbledore discredited, Voldemort triumphant, and he himself in the role of ...well... not a conquering hero... that would be ridiculous... but certainly, something more impressive than his current position of Death-Eater-in-waiting, Lily would capitulate, and he would show her how to open the pendant, and she would see what they had both known and felt for so many years...

He had told her that she would either like what she found inside the crystal, or else she would hate it. In truth, he assumed it would be a bit of both, for he realised she would be hurt and angry that he'd wiped her memory - he had to expect some resentment, but he would explain, and she would forgive him, as she had done several times before, when he kept things from her... and he would take her in his arms again, and...

'Sev?'

Brilliant green eyes were looking straight at him from between the thick dark red hair shading her face. A face now as brilliantly red as the potion she was stirring.

_Damn. _

He dragged his eyes back to his mortar and found he had ground the ingredients too fine, so that it resembled a white dust.

'Another improvement on the book? Grinding it twice as fine?' Lily asked. She seemed slightly flustered.

He shook his head. 'Got distracted,' he mumbled.

Lily did not comment further but lowered her eyes to her cauldron, and stopped stirring. Then she bent down to put out the fire from beneath her cauldron, for the potion had turned the perfect apple-blossom red described for the first-stage.

As she bent down her hair fell forward, and a small triangle of pale skin showed at the back of her neck, and there, nestled below the nape of her neck, where her robes dipped slightly downwards, Severus saw the bright silvery thread of the unicorn hair chain of the pendant. A wave of relief and, yes, pleasure, passed over him. She was still wearing his pendant beneath her school robes!

'Severus, m'boy! Why on earth are you grinning foolishly at that mess?' Slughorn's voice boomed suddenly in his ear, 'You've ground them too fine! I hope this isn't another of your experiments?'

'No. it isn't. I'm sorry, Sir.'

'Well, you'd better start again. You only have half an hour left!' Slughorn was looking at him in a faintly disappointed way, and Potter was peering round Slughorn's bulk from the next table, an appreciative grin plastered on his face. Severus felt his mind focussing coldly and clearly on the problem, as it always did when his knowledge of potions was challenged.

'I could add crumbled pumice instead of starting again, Sir. It would absorb the sudden release of architinous fumes from the nymph wings when it's added to the potion and balance the ingredients out again.'

Slughorn was silent for a moment, then he gave a sudden chuckle.

'Trust you to come up with _that _short cut, Severus. Yes, it would certainly balance the ingredients again, but it would make your potion that much more expensive and time consuming, than it would have been had you ground it to the right size in the first place. Not like you to be so careless, Severus.' And with that he waddled off again to look at other cauldrons, smiling broadly at the apple-red potion in Lily's but wrinkling his nose at Wilkes' congealed mess in the table in front of theirs.

Lily gave him a small sympathetic sign, mutely asking him if he needed help, but he shook his head and made his way to the store cupboard for some pumice. He could get Slughorn's potion done in less than half an hour, and he must stop thinking about what was enclosed in that pendant.

Lily was no fool of course. She had immediately realised that there was something more to the pendant than met the eye. She may have seen the strange substance enclosed in her pendant ,but to anyone else, it would appear as merely snow, so Severus wasn't worried about the pendant, but he was worried about what a powerful wizard would do if he suspected a memory Charm had been placed on Lily Evans. He had read that certain wizards ( and he was sure both Dumbledore and Voldemort fitted that description) could break through Memory charms to get at the hidden truth beneath.

It was a risk he had to take. The deed was done, and all he could do was limit the damage he had caused. At the moment, after all, no-one had any reason to suspect what had transpired, and he hoped it would remain that way until such time as he could safely restore her memory and all would be well.

He turned from the store cupboard, intending to hurry back to his cauldron and make up for lost time. There was a flurry of desperate activity on all the tables, but he noticed one person was being remarkably still on the table shared by the Marauders. Ignoring Pettigrew's whispered pleas for help, Sirius Black's muttered curses at a spluttering potion, and the congealed mess in his own cauldron, James Potter was slumped across his desk, head resting on one arm and eyes fixed on the dark red hair and slender figure of Lily Evans in the adjacent table.

Severus felt his blood boil and a buzzing sound filled his ears. He felt the pumice grains clutched in his hand grind together dustily, while his other hand was already reaching for his wand. He wrenched his hand back. It would not do to hex Potter in front of the whole class, but a mad desire to beat that smug, four-eyed face into a bloody pulp took hold of him, and it was with difficulty he regained control. Lily, who had noticed nothing, was carefully stoppering two sample bottles of her first-stage potion.

Grabbing a few Porcupine quills and some Billywig stings from the store cupboard, Severus surreptitiously threw them on top of the mud-coloured, congealing muck at the bottom of Potter's cauldron as he passed by. Minutes later he heard with smug satisfaction a loud, ominous hissing noise erupting from Potter's cauldron, that immediately got the Gryffindor's attention, for it sounded like something about to explode. _That _had certainly taken the stupid berk's eyes off Lily!

Smirking with satisfaction, Severus found his place at Lily's side and started to add pumice to the fine dust in his mortar, while Potter frantically tried to put out his seething cauldron with his wand.

If he was careful enough come the next full moon, or even before that time – he would find a way to remove Potter's opportunity of ever looking upon Lily Evans again!


	124. Chapter 124

**Chapter 124: Duels and Moonlight.**

A very dim sun penetrated the chilly corridor of the fourth-floor corridor on the first week of March. It was doing its best to dispel the frozen air from the high vaulted spaced, but the blustery wind and scudding clouds spitefully blew its warmth away before it reached the high, pointed windows.

No students were around, for it was lunchtime, and most of them were down in the Great Hall.

One lonely boy, was however, regretting exactly how cold the corridor was, and urgently wishing someone would come along and help him.

Barty Crouch junior looked up at his feet, which were hovering at the level of the highest torch bracket, glumly contemplating the pointed tip of his expensive dragon hide shoes. He was dangling upside down some distance away from the Library door, his face red, his teeth chattering with cold, and his straw-blonde hair barely visible beneath the robes hanging off him.

He was not the first to be caught in such a predicament, and tried to accept it philosophically. Recently, not a day went by without coming across one or more students slowly revolving in an upside-down position. He, Barty, had never been caught out before, but he had made the mistake of cheeking some Gryffindor fifth-years- Potter, the Quidditch player, and his gang. They had laughed at him even when he mentioned who his father was, (or perhaps _because_ he mentioned who his father was, now that he thought about it) and Sirius Black had pointed his wand at him and he had found himself looking down at the ceiling.

They had all left him there, laughing heartily as they went down to lunch. Even that Lupin who was supposed to be a Prefect, hadn't lifted a finger to help him, though he hadn't laughed at all.

A giggling noise made him twist around, but it was only two small first-year Ravenclaw girls, passing by the high mirror down the fourth floor corridor, their glee doubled by reflection. All thoughts of taking it calmly flew out of his head, and Barty Crouch fumed silently in humiliation. Well, at least he was wearing a proper wizarding long-hose beneath his robes: it was doing nothing much to stop the cold, but at least it gave him a bit of dignity. Had it been summer, those girls would have been regaled with the view of more flesh than was decent for the son of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!

The girls passed giggling out of sight towards the Ravenclaw tower. He didn't speak to them for he knew it would be useless: only the senior students could pull this hex off, or its counter-spell! Rumour had it that it was Black, Potter and their gang who had started it: they had actually invented it, many said. Well, if that was true, and he had been hexed by the creators of that jinx, it was likely to be even more difficult to undo.

The murmur of voices made him twist round towards the other end of the corridor. A red-headed girl was coming out of the Library door, talking to someone over her shoulders. He remembered he had shared a compartment on the Hogwarts Express with her once. Evans, a fifth-year Muggleborn witch, and a Gryffindor.

He froze, hoping she wouldn't notice him.

'… and you speak the language so meaningfully, Sev, that I find it easy to understand the written runes. Even the older stuff,' she was saying.

To his relief, she was followed out of the Library by the thin, tall form of Severus Snape, his long lank hair falling down to his shoulders as usual, and four or five well-worn books clutched in his arms. Snape was Rosier's friend, and Rosier had been unexpectedly kind to him, even though a Slytherin with dark family connections. Perhaps Snape could release him…

'Oh no, not again!' to his dismay, it was Evans who came towards him, her voice sympathetic, 'This is the fifth time this week! Who did this to you?'

'Black, Potter and their gang' he bit out tersely from his upside-down position.

Evans made a noise of exasperation and turned to her companion.

'Of all the inane, stupid pranks and spells they've come up with, this is one of the most sick they've ever invented! They always go off and leave them dangling!'

'Perhaps they didn't invent it!' Snape spat out, sounding unreasonably irritated, but the red-head ignored him.

'Everyone says they did, Severus. And they made it non-verbal so only they could use it. But it seems the secret leaked out anyway. I've seen your friends, Rosier and Avery use it on whoever annoys them, and even Hortense Abbott from Hufflepuff turned her brother upside down after their last Quidditch match for jeering her scores! Anyway, d'you have any idea how to take this off him? Crouch is turning blue!'

Barty Crouch saw Snape's dark eyes flicker up towards him. He didn't want a Muggleborn witch patronising him. Rosier had told him some very nasty things about Muggleborns and where they got their magic from, but he really needed to get down, for he was feeling dizzy now. His pale blue eyes pleaded silently with the tall Slytherin fifth-year boy. From what everyone said, Severus Snape could lift a curse off anything!

Putting a hand in his robe pocket, Snape pulled out an ebony wand and suddenly there was a flash of light and he tumbled to the cold floor below, his benumbed muscles barely feeling it.

'So you know the spell?' the red-head was saying.

'I make it my business to know Curses and Hexes, Lily, '_sick'_ though you may think they are!' the Slytherin fifth-year snapped at her sarcastically.

The Muggleborn's angry retort was cut off by the sound s of yelling, followed by some bangs and crashes from the direction of the stairs leading to the third floor corridor. He stood up shakily, feeling dizzy, pins and needles prickling his arms back to life. There was more yelling and the sound of running footsteps. He thought he recognised one of the voices, and made his way towards the stairs, limping slightly. Snape and the Muggleborn were already running in that direction.

As he reached the stairs, he saw them duck behind the railings as a red flash of light passed right over them. He came up and cautiously peered over the banisters at the third floor staircase. As he suspected, there was Evan Rosier, halfway up the first flight. At his feet was the stunned form of Avery, spread-eagled dramatically across several steps, his pinched face devoid of expression for he was unconscious. It was one of the moving staircases and it had apparently just detached itself from a landing near some suits of armour along the third floor. Pointing her wand from behind one of the suits of armour was a Gryffindor Prefect. Barty couldn't remember her name, but despite her soft, round face and petite figure, he knew her to be a bit of a firebrand, and she was duelling Rosier.

Another flash of light hit a large portrait of monks above the suit of armour, sending its occupants running for shelter in neighbouring portrait. Rosier had the advantage of a higher position and he was well- protected by banisters. Barty could see his Rosier's dark blue eyes flash in icy fury as he shot hex after hex at the Prefect, for she was holding out well, despite her not-very-strategic position.

'Alice! Alice, stop!' the Muggleborn yelled, but more bangs and flashes followed, drowning out what Snape was now saying to his companion. He was trying to urge her not to interfere, perhaps hoping, like he did, to see Rosier triumphing over the bossy little Gryffindor Prefect.

Just then, the Armour she was hiding behind was hit by a spell which brought it down with a loud clanging and clattering, and a ghostly moan. The Prefect, Alice, dived for cover but tripped over a gauntlet. Barty saw a triumphant grin on Rosier's face as he raised his wand behind the balustrades, and he knew the girl had lost the duel, even though the Gryffindor Muggleborn, Evans, had started running towards her, wand drawn.

He leaned over the staircase eagerly. For some strange reason, even though he did not know her well, he wanted to see the authoritarian Gryffindor Prefect humiliated. A red flash of light flew across the moving staircase towards the girl, but it did not reach its mark. Out of nowhere it seemed, a fifth year Hufflepuff boy had appeared near Alice and cast the Shield Charm over both of them. Barty recognised him as Frank Longbottom. The Longbottoms were a pureblood family and acquaintances of his father. Alice was soon on her feet again, arguing with the Longbottom boy to remove the Shield Charm, so she could fight back, though another flash of light flew past them from Rosier's direction. Longbottom's Shield Charm wavered.

'_Finite incantatem!'_

The cry came from the bottom of the stairs and Barty felt the spell rush past him, light as a breeze but inexorably powerful. Minerva McGonagall stood at the bottom of the stairs, her lips in a thin line, and the eyes behind her square specs were giving off angry sparks as they swept up the staircase to the duellers.

'Mr Rosier, Mr Longbottom – could you please tell me what in heaven's name is going on here?' Professor McGonagall shouted as she came up the stairs to stand between the duellers, 'Ms Walker, you're a _Prefect_! This is the kind of behaviour you should be preventing, and not encouraging!'

'It's not her fault, Professor,' Longbottom interjected, 'Rosier insulted us and I lost my temper. Alice had nothing to do with it.'

Barty gaped at the outright lie. McGonagall was very strict and likely to blow his head off for this.

'Longbottom, I'm surprised at you. Since when have you- ?'

'Professor, Rosier insulted my family,' Alice Walker said in a strangulated voice, looking daggers at Rosier, who was eyeing the proceedings with a cold detachment Barty thought was quite admirable, under the circumstances, 'Frank wasn't even –'

But McGonagall had heard enough 'I don't care who insulted who first!' she snapped, 'Nothing can excuse this disgraceful behaviour! You're a _Prefect_! Fifty points will each be taken from Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and you will accompany me to my office, Ms Walker. Now, the rest of you will hurry along to your lessons please. Lunch hour is over.'

And with that she turned to the spread-eagled form of Avery and restored him to groggy wakefulness, and then to the broken armour. With another wave of her wand it sprang together again. Rosier, his eyes glittering strangely remained silent, then helped Avery to his feet.

Barty watched as the crowd of students that had gathered to watch the outcome of the duel, dispersed. Lily Evans rushed to Alice Walker's side for a few hurried words of consolation, before McGonagall took her away. The Longbottom boy hovered indecisively nearby until the Gryffindor Prefect turned round and gave a small nod in his direction. Whether in gratitude for his attempt to take the blame, or in understanding that she would clear his name, Barty did not know.

What he _did_ know was that his house, Ravenclaw, was the only one to have escaped McGonagall's slashing of points. There were less than four months to go till the end of the school year, and Ravenclaw was still ahead of everyone else in house points. If Ravenclaw won the House Cup this year, it would be something to boast about back home. Well, probably his father wouldn't even notice, but his mother might offer a word of encouragement ( given that he had won some of the contributing house points himself) and their House-elf would, as usual, be overly-exuberant with praise he'd have preferred to hear from his parents.

He sighed and turned to go, for most of the students had dispersed now. Only Snape and Rosier stood half-way down the moving staircase, Avery having stalked off looking distinctly peeved. In spite of the charged atmosphere lingering on after the duel, the two seemed to be taking it quite calmly. Rosier was glancing every so often at the place where the Gryffindor Prefect stood, probably explaining what happened to Snape.

He started off down the stairs. Rosier's eyes had lost none of that icy fire in their dark blue depths, but other than that, he might have been discussing the weather. He even nodded in recognition as he passed by them on his way down. Snape didn't, but he had a smirk on his face that clearly said he was enjoying hearing whatever Rosier's side of the story was.

Barty returned Rosier's nod awkwardly. He couldn't understand how they could remain so calm. But they were Slytherins after all, and Slytherins tended to ignore what they considered to be foolhardy or unprofitable reactions, and to overanalyse every situation - even unpleasant ones, just to see what was in it for them! Barty frowned. He was not like that. He was an 'all or nothing' type, and would have put his entire self on whichever side of the duel he was on. He definitely wouldn't be so calm about it.

…

The pale moon shone through the high windows along the second floor corridor, laddering the entire length of it in a blue-grey pattern of light and dark. One shadow darker than the rest flitted silently from window to window. A teenage boy, his dark robes and hair rendering him almost invisible, peered discreetly through one of the windows at the castle grounds. The moonlight fell upon the thin face of the young wizard, highlighting his pallid skin, which seemed to shine whitely in contrast to the inky blue-black of the long limp hair that framed his face, and the even darker eyes that were observing the night so penetratingly.

Severus Snape withdrew again into the shadow between the windows, the paleness of his face fading into a bluish narrow shape and barely discernable once more. It was Monday night, mid-March, and the moon was almost full. Severus had spent the previous two days prowling the corridors at night, especially around the Hospital wing, for Lily had said that that was where Lupin went off to when sick,( even though he, Severus, knew that at least on one occasion, when he had to go to the hospital wing himself, Lupin was supposed to be there but wasn't). He hadn't seen Lupin at all that weekend, but in the morning, he had appeared for Potions and even, later on that same afternoon, for Care of Magical Creatures. He seemed pale and nervous however, and Severus had spent most of the lesson keenly observing him, to Lily's annoyance. He'd been so careless, that he received a nasty bite from one of the Crups Professor Kettleburn had brought for them to study. Potter and his cronies had gloated, Lily had said he'd deserved it for keeping his eyes on Remus Lupin instead of on the dog-like creature, and he had fumed silently throughout the rest of the lesson.

His hand was still swollen and throbbing painfully, but he ignored it, glancing once more down the corridor. He hadn't had time to heal the bite because he had tailed Lupin doggedly after the end of their lesson on Care of Magical Creatures. He lurked near the corridor that led to the Gryffindor tower and was finally rewarded at around six o'clock, when he saw Lupin emerge and head in the direction of the Hospital wing.

After supper most students returned to their dormitories, and at curfew the corridors had become deserted once more, abandoned to the white moonlight and the pale ghosts that drifted by occasionally.

Severus knew that something was bound to happen tonight. Tomorrow night would be full moon, and even Pomfrey wouldn't want to face a transformed werewolf. He could only surmise that she either she had him locked up somewhere in the infirmary, or else took him out of Hogwarts and into the Forbidden Forest. He favoured the latter theory. After all, rumours about dark creatures in there had always existed. His own experience with the Acramantula was convincing enough.

He looked out of the window once more, but all was still and quiet as was the second floor corridor. He had come to this particular place because it was close to both the Hospital wing, and the windows overlooked the lawn in front of the main door. If anyone left the castle he would see them. He had given up on tailing the Marauders: with that Invisibility Cloak of Potter's, it would be difficult to catch them.

He was reminded that he too had brought along something similar. His old stealth cloak was roughly bundled up under his arm, for he thought that today it would serve him better than a Disillusionment Charm, especially if there was a flurry of illegal activity involving the matron and possibly some other teachers. He was fairly sure some of the staff were in on the secret, though judging by Brocklehurst's attitude back in first year, not all were in favour.

He unfurled the long stealth cloak fashioned out of a musty old curtain and threw it reluctantly round his shoulders. Though he liked the complete concealment it provided, it hampered his movement and vision. But he had had a couple of close shaves with Mrs Norris, the cat Filch sent around to do nocturnal patrol duty while he slept, and he did not want to ruin this one chance to catch Lupin, otherwise he would have to wait a whole month for the next full moon.

He had decided to go and have a look around the grand staircase just in case there was somebody about there – perhaps he could _hear_ those morons under their invisibility cloak, even if he couldn't see them – but suddenly he noticed something from the corner of his eye that drew his attention immediately.

It was a long sliver of light that struck out across the lawn, as though someone had opened the large oak front doors. He ran to the nearest window and peered out, his vision slightly obscured by the thick material of the stealth cloak.

The front door _was_ opening! He couldn't see the doors themselves but the sliver of light widened, dark shadows were thrown into relief by the torchlight of the Entrance Hall and Severus heard two footsteps: one that made sharp clipping sounds on the steps and the other more muffled, like trainers. Two people came out. Severus recognised the matronly frame of Madam Pomfrey, and next to her, head bowed and clutching his cloak around him, was the figure of a boy. Slightly taller than Pomfrey, he walked in a hunched way, dragging his feet slightly.

Severus pushed his face against the window excitedly. He could not see his face but he would put his hand on fire that this was Remus Lupin! However, the two figures did not go towards the Forbidden Forest or even towards the main gate. Instead, they aimed their footsteps towards the Whomping Willow!

Severus stared uncomprehending. Had they taken leave of their senses? That tree was irascibly bad-tempered – lethal even! He clearly remembered its lashing branches when he'd dived after Lily to save a stupid first-year who had approached it on a dare. The first-year, Davy Gudgeon, had lost an eye on that occasion.

However, both Madam Pomfrey and her companion ignored the ominous creaking of the branches and barely slowed down as they approached .To his complete surprise, the tree did not attack them. He couldn't be sure what happened, for they were far away, but though Pomfrey had her wand in her hand, he did not see any spectacular magic that could suppress the tree. Instead, she stepped back and Lupin walked in front of her beneath the Willow's branches, which remained frozen still. Then Pomfrey bent down slightly, passed under the trees branches and disappeared from view too. Severus stared. It seemed as though they had dissapparated, but he knew no-one could apparate or dissapparate from Hogwarts grounds.

It could only mean one thing. There was some sort of entrance to a hideout beneath the tree. Perhaps within the tree trunk itself – it was wide enough to contain a Werewolf!

He tore off his Stealth Cloak, to see better, but even though he pressed his nose against the window, he couldn't see anything except the oddly-still branches of the Whomping Willow!

His heart pounding in his chest he took off down the corridor towards the staircase that led to the lower floors. He had no idea what he could do, but he was elated at his discovery. Lily could not deny there was something going on when he told her about this!

But he had to make sure it was Lupin.

His mind worked rapidly, jumping ahead to possible ways and means. Madam Pomfrey would be sure to come back. Perhaps he could observe the tree closely, determine where exactly, and how, they could have gone in.

He was already half-way down the first-floor corridor, when he realised he had forgotten the Stealth cloak upstairs where he had dumped it in his excitement. Swearing under his breath, he knew he had no time to go back for it before Pomfrey returned: a simple Disillusionment Charm would have to do! He raced towards the Grand Staircase, taking the steps three-by-three, and skidded to a halt near the large front door of the castle. He was about to put his hands in his robe pocket for his wand, when the sound of a hated voice made him whirl round:

'Off for a night time stroll, Snivillus?'

Sirius Black was leaning on the wall next to the door that led down to the Hufflepuff common-room calmly eating an apple, but his wand was already trained on him, and its glowing tip, together with a slight shake of his head, told Severus that Black would hex him if he drew his wand. Potter's invisibility cloak was draped over Black's arm, and a cloth bag full of something lumpy was slung over his back.

'Where're the others?' he spat, hating Black for foiling his plan, and cursing himself for having forgotten his own cloak, 'Are they out there, enjoying the _moonlight,_ Black?'

As he suspected, Black did not miss the slight but sarcastic emphasis on the word. The half-eaten apple stopped half-way to his mouth and his eyes narrowed.

'No, as a matter of fact they're back in the common-room. I just popped down to get some snacks' he indicated the corridor behind him that led down to the Kitchens too, 'But I'd love to hear what you were rushing out the front door for, Snape! Got more secret appointments with your Death Eater friends?'

'Not today,' Severus retorted calmly, 'But I was hoping to shed some light on a little mystery going on around here, Black. You seem to disappear quite regularly to the Forbidden Forest or beyond. Being self-proclaimed Marauders, no doubt you must live up to the title! Is that what the snacks are for? Perhaps you're planning a little picnic by the light of the full moon?'

'It's not the full moon!'

'Surprising you know the phases of the moon so well, for someone who spent the last astronomy lesson throwing dungbombs from the Astronomy tower each time Sinistra wasn't looking!' Severus sneered.

He noted with satisfaction that Black had lost his cocky attitude, and there was the barest shadow of alarm in his narrowed eyes and grim mouth.

'What d'you mean by that, Snape?'

'Will Remus Lupin be invited to your moonlight escapade, or will he be considered _persona non-grata_? I have a feeling you'll be avoiding him tomorrow night, Black, and not because he's a Prefect – he's cut you a lot of slack just because you're his friends! I think tomorrow night, Lupin will be too unpleasant as company even for you morons!'

'Why should he be? Living in the dungeon has rotted your brain, Snape!'

Severus allowed himself a smile of triumph. Black's reaction confirmed his suspicions. He was scowling angrily, teeth bared, and his handsome face twisted with hatred as he realised that he was cornered by the truth. His half-eaten apple was clutched limply in one hand, but his wand was grasped in a white-knuckled fist, sparks actually coming off its tip. But Severus was used to hatred. He understood it, having been raised from an early age to feel waves of it engulf him in Spinner's End, just as some other kids might feel waves of love and security in their homes. It did not bother him anymore, for he had become used to detaching himself from it, and, where necessary, use it. Like now. But there was no need to goad Black any more. Both knew the truth was out, but just in case Black had any lingering doubts:

'Remus Lupin disappears regularly every full moon! He comes back covered in scratches that he tries to hide! He's a Werewolf, Black, and you can't deny it!'

Black, face contorted with rage, took a step towards him, his wand raised purposefully.

It was a step too close. Severus hand closed vice-like around his wrist, pushing his wand away. A spell burst from its tip, hitting the grand staircase, as Severus grappled Black, trying to throw him. It was difficult, for Black was somewhat taller, though hampered by his bag and cloak, but Severus correctly surmised he hadn't had much experience with muggle-fighting, whereas he, on the other hand, had grown up around the slums, and had often faced a full-grown man in a drunken rage. He fought dirty.

Black was pushing him back, still trying to wrest his wand away, but Severus twisted his body round suddenly, so that Black almost toppled over, and at the same time dealt him a vicious blow to the solar plexus with his knee. Black dropped on all fours, momentarily winded, but was up again in a split second, only to find himself looking at the tip of his own wand, which was now in Severus' grasp.

He froze, but his expression was not one of fear but of pure hatred and defiance. Severus took a step back, realising that any logical reasoning had completely abandoned Sirius Black, and he was just on the verge of attacking him again, wand or no wand. But he needed whatever remnant of reasoning power the Gryffindor had, if indeed, the dunderhead had ever been possessed of that particular virtue. He needed information.

'I've just seen Madam Pomfrey lead Remus Lupin to the Whomping Willow, Black,' he said with as much calm as he could muster, 'The tree didn't attack them. They passed beneath its branches and didn't come out on the other side.'

He paused. Black's grey eyes, glittering strangely in the dimly lit Entrance Hall were still defiant, but he thought he saw a flicker of understanding. Or deceit, he wasn't sure which.

'There must be a room or a cage down there were Pomfrey can lock him up. How d'you get to it?'

To his chagrin, a smile crossed Black's face, though the humour in it was as coldly cruel as his own. He straightened up, ignoring the way Severus was pointing his own wand at him.

'And you think that I would ever tell you something like that, you slimy snake?'

'Well, perhaps I'll just ask around, then! I'm sure many people would be interested in knowing where Lupin disappears to beneath the Whomping Willow every full moon!'

Black said nothing, but Severus could see by the working of his jaw muscles, by the mixture of anger and fear that now haunted his eyes, that his words had hit home. If they were mates, Black wouldn't want Lupin exposed, and though he hadn't admitted it yet, he had as good as said so.

Severus drew his own wand from his robe pockets, for he did not like the feel of Black's wand.

'What're you going to do? Hit me with that suffocating Spell again?' Black spat, his voice trembling with hatred, 'Think you could explain away my dead body, or blame it on someone else like your Death Eaters friends do?'

'No. I want you to be alive and present when you're expelled from Hogwarts, Black. And I want you to tell me where Lupin goes, before I have to-'

But suddenly there was the sharp, ringing sound of someone's footsteps on the stone steps leading to the Entrance Hall.

Madam Pomfrey! He had forgotten about her.

Realising he was still holding Sirius Black at wand point – two wands actually, he hastily threw the alien wand in Black's direction. Black grabbed it and a split second later had disappeared under the Invisibility cloak. Swearing fluently, Severus raised his own wand over his head and muttered _'Praestigii'_ just as the great oaken front doors started creaking open. He ran silently to a shadowy corner of the Entrance Hall, hoping the Disillusionment Charm he had cast would be complete before the matron came in. Madam Pomfrey was into the secret of Lupin's Lycantrophy, and would certainly be unsympathetic to anyone trying to expose the Gryffindor's condition, ( and by extrapolation, the Headmaster's dirty little secret!)

He tried to keep perfectly still as the figure of the matron came into view. His heart was beating rather loudly, but Madam Pomfrey was oblivious. Turning round, she closed the doors firmly behind her, and with a slight frown on her face, Severus saw her wave her wand over the large doors, sealing them magically as well as with the usual heavy bolts Filch made do with.

She crossed the Entrance Hall towards the Great staircase and Severus was already breathing a sigh of relief, but something made her hesitate. A half-eaten apple lay on the floor near the door through which was the staircase that led to the downstairs Kitchens witch. Severus' breath hitched, wondering if she'd suspect something and look around. Being under the disillusionment charm wasn't the same as being invisible. He crept further back into the dark corner. However, Madam Pomfrey just shook her head and vanished the apple with a wave of her wand muttering something about 'standards of hygiene'. Then she continued on the way up the stairs.

When the sound of her footsteps faded away, Severus cautiously moved away from his corner and peered around him. Black had the invisibility cloak – he would be half-way up to the Gryffindor Common-room by now.

Cursing his luck, Severus was about to cross over to the door that led to the dungeons when Black suddenly appeared half-way up the steps. Severus tensed, clutching his camouflaged wand tightly, but though Black was looking in his direction, having heard him mutter and seen the distortion caused by the Disillusionment Charm, his wand was loosely held in his hand as though he had no intention of using it.

'Remus Lupin is one of my best mates, and he would never harm us,' Sirius Black said, his voice now oddly cold, 'but if you really want to know what's at the bottom of the Whomping Willow, all you have to do is press the knobbly bit at the base of the trunk where it faces the castle. I've seen Madam Pomfrey doing it. I hope what you find there is … e_nlightening_, Snivilly!'

And with that he turned and continued his way up the stairs, disappearing seconds later as he threw the cloak over him.

Severus stood at the bottom of the steps, wondering what made Black change his mind about telling him, and not liking it at all. However, if he had to prove without shadow of doubt that Lupin was a Werewolf, then tomorrow was his only chance.

Perhaps Black hoped he'd be savaged by the Whomping Willow. Perhaps what he said about pressing the knobbly bit was not true. Severus walked slowly towards the door that led to the dungeons, frowning.

There was only one way to find out, and if he managed to get through the Whomping willow alive and find a cage with a Werewolf in a room beneath the whomping Willow, it would be ample reward. Probably Lily wouldn't believe him, but he'd need only wait till the next full moon and he'd lead her – and others, too, if necessary, to see for themselves the rabid form of the danger lurking in Hogwarts' grounds.

The secret would be out then. There would be a public outcry, a scandal bigger even than the one that had discredited the Slytherin Headmaster, Phineas Nigellus Black over the matter of his Great-grandfather. Just like Dumbledore, as a student, had brought about Severus Prince's disgrace, forcing him to leave Hogwarts, so would he, Severus, descendant of that same man, force Dumbledore to resign in disgrace, and acknowledge that he had placed the entire youth of the wizarding world in Britain in grave peril by harbouring a Dark creature in their very midst, in Hogwarts castle.

Hopefully, he could also find out how exactly how Potter, Black and Pettigrew were involved and have them expelled as accomplices.

He paused at the door to the dungeons and glanced up at the high round window above the huge front door. Long dark clouds, like pointing fingers, were swept aside by a restless wind and the pale, not-exactly-round orb of the moon was revealed, shining brightly and expectantly. Tomorrow, Severus mused, it would shine, full and bright, on what he hoped was a turning point in his life here at Hogwarts.


	125. Chapter 125

**Chapter 125: Lupin's Secret.**

'Checkmate!'

Potter's knight beat Sirius's Bishop with the flat of his sword, sending him running off the edge of the board. The tiny little King dropped his sceptre and sword and toppled down, rather over-dramatically for such a small chess piece.

'Hey, you okay, Padfoot? You look distracted.'

James Potter was not the most perspicacious of the boys in Gryffindor common-room, where the game of chess was taking place, for his life was a collage of dizzyingly satisfactory events, each following the other in cheerful, even euphoric, succession. There had never been any room for doubt or vacillation of any sort in James Potter's world. Life was there for the taking, a tempting, seductive continuum that existed for the sole pleasure of providing entertainment, and limitless opportunities for adventure. Thus, James Potter tended to overlook the small nuances of any negative aspects of life, and nothing could go wrong for him, simply for the reason that nothing had ever gone wrong before.

He recognised something was wrong with old Padfoot, though. It was different for his friend. Sirius Black was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and gazing at the chessboard with what James called his 'brooding' expression. 'Brooding' being as close as James could get to describing certain unpleasant and subtle emotions. But Sirius was his friend and he was beginning to realise that somehow, not everyone's lives was as simple and uncomplicated as his.

It had greatly surprised him at first, and he was only now slowly getting used to it. Being an only child and educated at home, he had had very little intimate contact with wizarding families with children his own age, and therefore with other, less savoury realities. But he knew Sirius had had to face increasing troubles at home with his Voldemort-sympathising family, who could not accept Sirius wasn't interested in their Pureblood-mania.

It was unlike Padfoot to lose the chess game. Usually he always won ('Chess isn't like Quidditch, Prongs,' he used to tell him, 'you need a bit more brains for this!' This was always a signal for a friendly tussle over Quidditch vs Wizarding chess) But now his friend was gazing, unseeing, at the chequered board, his mind obviously far away.

'You look distracted' he repeated, summoning a small box with his wand and gathering the little chess pieces into it.

Sirius shrugged, glancing out of the window of the Gryffindor common-room restlessly. The pale moon was low and orange to one side of the Forbidden Forest. James knew that his friend would tell him soon enough if something was wrong. Perhaps he had received another threatening letter from his parents: that was always guaranteed to put him in a foul mood. Though the Blacks never sent Howlers (they did not hold with exposing family disputes to the public) the tone of disdain in some of the letters Padfoot had shown him had been quite shocking. It was what had first opened his eyes to the reality that some lives were not quite as smooth as his.

And Remus of course. Sirius had first noticed how quiet and withdrawn he was back in their first year. He had joined Sirius in trying to cheer him up, and in their second year they had discovered the truth. Poor Moony had something even bigger on his plate to contend with, than cantankerous old parents! But he, James, was going to make bloody sure that old Moony got the best out of life, too. All of them would.

'Just a few more hours, mate, then we'll be free!' James said, mistaking the restlessness in his companion. He lowered his voice, 'Soon's everyone's gone to bed, I'll get out my cloak. Wonder what we'll do tonight? Hey, Wormy, have you stopped dithering over that essay yet?'

Pettigrew looked up from a nearby table, his small, watery eyes blinking in the lamplight.

'Uh … not yet. Can't seem to think of a conclusion,' he replied, chewing the end of his quill, 'Can't figure out why the Sardinian Sorcerers didn't ally themselves with the Isztrian Vampires. It would've served them better. They made enemies of them instead, and ended up dead. So what am I s'pposed to conclude?'

James Potter rolled his eyes. Pettigrew had such a weird way of seeing things – the easiest way, usually. Well, he was a lazy git sometimes, and he often told him so!

'Cause otherwise the whole lot of them – muggles too - would've ended up as blood-suckers, Peter! Worse than dead. Their sacrifice saved the day. That's why they're so famous. Get it now?'

'Oh right…yeah,' Pettigrew bent over his parchment once more and for a while there was nothing but the noise of busy scribbling. Sirius had watched the exchange with a detached look on his face. James couldn't understand why he was so unenthusiastic. Usually he eagerly counted down the days till full moon, but tonight, though he kept glancing at the pale orb out of the window, and he did not seem too happy to see it.

The sound of laughter from the fireplace caught James' attention. And one laugh in particular rang sweeter than the rest. Lily Evans was sitting near the fire with Mary MacDonald, Jenny Trimble, and Thalia Swanson. Her head was thrown back in a hearty laugh at something Mary said, Jenny giggled from behind a cupped hand, and Thalia was chuckling appreciatively.

He sat up straighter, his eyes glued to the long dark hair falling down Lily Evans' back. The firelight gave it a warm, coppery glow as it swung around her shoulders. Shadow, Mary's black cat, was sitting on her lap, a sliver of green showing beneath his half-closed eyelids, purring contentedly as she stroked him. James would've traded his broomstick to be on the receiving end of those soft caresses.

Soon, she got up, giving Mary a playful pat on the back and whispering something that made the blonde girl giggle, then he saw her eyes travel to where their Prefect, Alice Walker, sat curled up tightly in one of the squashy armchairs, holding a book she was not reading. After the duel with that snobbish git, Rosier, she had had a tough time in McGonagall's office. Remus told him their Head of House had threatened to remove her Prefectship, so it was small wonder she looked subdued. Alice was too much of a firebrand for a Prefect. Remus was more ideal: at least he let you get on with some justifiable rule-breaking and other sundry mischief!

On the table in front of him, Sirius closed the chess box he had been fiddling with and walked over to one of the many windows in Gryffindor Common room that looked out on the castle grounds, but James had eyes only for Evans.

His eyes followed her soft figure as she moved over to where Alice sat and leaned over for a few words. The expression on her face was sympathetic and understanding. He couldn't hear what she was telling Alice, but pretty soon the Prefect was grinning. Lily Evans had that effect on people: a kind of warmth that you responded to immediately and automatically. A warmth that reminded him of the hot pumpkin and blueberry juice, laced with wine, his mother brewed for him after Quidditch practice on a cold day, back home. His eyes were glued to her face, enjoying every one of the many lively and cheerful expressions that chased each other fleetingly across her face. He often found himself on the receiving end of her sharp wit and occasional temper flare-up, but that did not put him off one bit!

He knew he was grinning rather foolishly in her direction, but he had ditched his girlfriend Jessica Bobbin, who was becoming too clingy (she'd been dropping uncomfortable hints that he should meet her parents come summer), and Lily Evans was very, very attractive.

Unfortunately, another girl, Emily, a pretty blonde Hufflepuff fourth-year had taken Jessica's place. She had been so eager for a date, so easy to please, that he had found her hard to resist, but now he was kind of regretting it, as he watched Evan's soft curves as she bent over Alice, coppery strands of hair dancing about her face. Lily Evans was attracting a fair amount of attention from some of the senior boystoo, such as his Gryffindor Quidditch team, judging from remarks he had overheard in the Changing Room. He was surprised she hadn't already been asked out.

Perhaps that slimy git, Snape, had something to do with it. He was always hovering around her, like a dark shadow! Even as cheerful and bright as Lily Evans was, that greasy-haired dungeon bat somehow managed to dampen her spirits, to extinguish the happy light in her green eyes. If there ever was a time when Evans looked worried or uneasy, you could rest assured that Snape would be at the bottom of it! There were times, after the Christmas holidays, when he had seen Evans with red-rimmed eyes, looking sad and pale.

Last year, when he had encountered her together with Snape in the Forbidden Forest, he had warned her about Snape's dark tendencies, and how he'd implicate her in his sinister comings and goings, but she hadn't listened, and turned defensive. James couldn't, for the life of him, understand why she stuck up for him, or what she saw in the ugly git to make her want to hang around with him!

But there was no sign of doom and gloom in Lily's expression now: Alice had uncurled herself from the armchair and was laughing at something Lily whispered in her ear. Something glittery, a necklace of sorts, swung forwards as Evans bent over.

'Nice pendant, Evans!' he said, without thinking.

Both girls looked round at him in some surprise, and he leaned back in his chair, lifting his hand to rumple his hair, and feeling uncharacteristically nervous. But he knew girls liked compliments about their clothes and stuff. Evans automatically put her hand over the pale silvery pendant in a protectively gesture.

'Thanks, Potter,' she said with the faintest hint of a smile, and an odd look, 'Glad you like it. Severus gave it to me.' And she slipped it down the neck of her robes.

James felt the smile slide off his face, and he landed the chair on all four feet with a thud. The girls ignored him, resuming their conversation, as though he hadn't said anything. He scowled, for the effect of Evans words hit him like a punch in the stomach. And James Potter was not used to punches: both real and metaphorical ones. Since when did Snivillus give her jewellery? It was too uncomfortably close to an intimate gift, and besides, Snape didn't have a galleon to his name, so how could he afford it?

Perhaps he stole it. His scowl deepened. He was sure they weren't going out together, or he'd have noticed. Snape never even touched her, to his knowledge, and he, James, had been keeping his eyes on Lily Evans far more often than he should, recently.

The subject of his musings bade Alice a cheery goodnight, and headed towards the girl's dormitory. He was left staring at Alice Walker, who was looking at him with an amused grin on her face. He shook off his disgruntled feelings, stood up and went over to see what Sirius was staring at out of the window.

'What's up Padfoot? It's a clear night.'

The full moon was bathing the Forbidden Forest in the distance in a pale glow, and all was still and quiet. He pushed all thoughts of Lily Evans and the dungeon freak determinedly out of his mind, for he could smell the tingle of adventure already, almost as sharply as when he was in his transformed state. Behind him, he heard the sleepy chatter of the girls as they headed towards the dormitory, leaving the common-room empty except for Pettigrew and some Seventh-years in a corner studying for their NEWTS. Soon now they could sneak off under his Invisibility cloak and go outside, and he would transform into the most majestic animal of the forest, a stag.

It had taken him forever to learn how to do it. It was an amazingly tricky bit of transfiguration, but he knew he would manage in the end. He always did. The first time it happened, he had been thinking of Lily Evans, strangely enough.

About the time when she had saved him from the only dread-riddled moment in his life.

Dementors in the Forbidden Forest, (brought on, no doubt, because of the presence of those sinister wizards Snape had invited there) had attacked them and he had felt helpless as dreadful thoughts invaded his mind, thoughts and fears he had had no previous experience of, and did not know how to handle. But Lily Evans had saved him: she had conjured an ethereally beautiful creature, a Doe, that had driven the Dementors as well as those sinister wizards away.

Perhaps that was why his animagus had ended up a Stag. He wished he could tell her that. She'd be flattered, and he would ask her out…

Sirius shifted at his side, and James realised he still hadn't answered his question. James was raring to go: to feel the cold night air whistling past his antlers, blood pounding, strong muscles pushing him forward as he ran swiftly and silently through the forest, his acute hearing picking up the smallest of sounds; his nostrils the myriad smells on the night air, all begging to be explored...

'The Whomping Willow's not moving.'

James looked at Sirius trying to make heads or tails of the comment that interrupted his musings. He glanced at the moonlit lawn across to where the Whomping Willow stood in the distance. True enough, it looking oddly still, as though someone had just poked the knobbly bit at its base.

'I heard what Evans said, Prongs,' Sirius continued, his eyes still fixed on the distant Willow, 'That Snivillus is getting under her skin, if he's giving her stuff like that. Wouldn't put it past him to have slipped her a love Potion!'

'Nah! She would've been all over him-' he shuddered and hurriedly pushed from his mind the mental image that Sirius' words conjured, 'Anyway, those potions don't last long and Evans doesn't even touch that viscid snake, let alone hold his hand or – or –'

'I met Snape down in the Entrance Hall yesterday, you know,' Sirius interrupted him abruptly, 'He was prowling about, trying to find out where Remus goes every month.'

'What? Why didn't you tell me? I'd've glued the bloody bastard to the stairs! Why doesn't he mind his own business?'

'I told him what he wanted to know,' Sirius interrupted him again, dragging his eyes away from the window and facing him, 'I told him how to freeze the Whomping Willow.'

'You told him _what_?' his voice came out as a strangulated whisper.

Sirius's fine-boned, handsome face flushed slightly.

'He had been prowling around for ages. He saw Madam Pomfrey taking Moony to the Whomping Willow. He wanted to know how to get in.'

'But Moony's dangerous now- he'll be ripped to shreds!'

'He suspects Moony's a werewolf. Threatened to tell people about it, to get others to follow him to the Whomping Willow. Oh, and he hopes to get us expelled in the process, too!'

'The bloody bastard! Why's he got in for Moony? Well, I'm not going to let that –' and he used a couple of adjectives he knew his mother would faint on hearing him utter '- git do anything to harm Remus!'

'That's why I told him how to get under the Whomping Willow. The twerp fell for it, or else he's desperate to hound out Remus, if you'll excuse the pun,' Sirius said, looking slightly more at ease now he'd seen his reaction, 'Maybe he'll find out himself soon enough what it feels like to be a Werewolf! Hope Moony bites him good and proper!'

James suddenly felt uneasy. Any vestiges of sympathy he might have felt for Snape had been driven away by what Padfoot told him of the Slytherin's intentions , but still…

'When did you tell him this?' he asked.

'Last night,' Sirius answered frowning, as though he would brook no interference with his joke. Padfoot had a sadistic streak in him, inherent in the Black family, that showed through every now and again, though he did not seem to notice. But James had just realised something.

'That's _him_ down there, isn't it? That's why you're so edgy all afternoon! You saw him freeze the Whomping Willow just now!'

'So? D'you want Snape to tell the whole school about Moony? He'd be expelled! There'll be a hell of an uproar, and –'

'Bloody hell, Sirius! _We'll_ be expelled! Don't you see? There's no way Snape's disappearance is going to go unnoticed! And if he comes back bitten … well, then Moony'll be in for it, too! And it'll be worse than being expelled, for him!'

Sirius said nothing for a while, but looked at him mutinously, then he glanced out of the window and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

'Look, I wasn't thinking straight, James. He – he provoked me, and I- Where're you going?'

But James ignored him. Hurrying to the table where they had been playing wizarding chess, he dug out the Invisibility cloak from his bag, as Pettigrew looked up at him in bewilderment, and hurried out of the portrait hole, throwing the cloak over his head. He had to be quick: there was only a small chance that he'd catch up with Snape before he got mauled. The tunnel beneath the Willow was very long, but Remus was very dangerous and he had very good sense of smell and hearing. If he sensed someone was in the tunnel, he'd attack in an instant.

He swung the portrait hole shut, ignoring Padfoot's cries. He was invisible now, and he'd do this alone. It made no sense to get the other two into danger. And though he tried to ignore it, his conscience was telling him that the suffering of one werewolf was enough: he didn't need to see someone else with Lycantrophy. Or dead. (Though he was sure this sentiment would evaporate as soon as he encountered Snape).

He tore off along the seventh floor corridor, smashing through the ghost of Sir Nick without even blinking. He knew it would take him at least 15 minutes to get to the whomping willow, even knowing all the short cuts through the castle as well as he did. With such a head start, he wondered if he'd get to Snape on time to prevent him from getting them all involved in an irremediable mess!

If he didn't get there on time, he would probably come upon Remus in a transformed state. At the back of his mind he wondered whether, if Snape was bitten, he'd be transformed into a werewolf immediately, since it was full moon. It was an uncomfortable thought, for Severus Snape's expression often looked uncommonly demonic at the best of times, even though he was not a werewolf!

He was not a werewolf _yet_, he corrected himself as he hurtled down the staircase four at a time!

…..

Severus walked silently along the low, dark tunnel, his wand in one hand and with the other feeling his way along the damp, root-festooned tunnel wall. He walked very slowly, for the floor was uneven and underground roots poked through here and there, gnarled twisted loops that contrived to trip him up, for he dared not light his wand.

He knew that Lupin was somewhere at the end of the tunnel, and if his theory was correct, he'd be transformed and dangerous today, thus he did not want to alarm the creature, for he knew they had an acute sense of smell and hearing.

He had been rather surprised and even alarmed to find the tunnel. He had expected to find a cage or locked cell beneath the Whomping Willow. Actually, he had not even expected Black's hint about pressing the knot at the base of the Whomping Willow to be true. But it had been, and the Willow had frozen itself into complete docility when he poked it with a levitated stick.

This made him more uneasy than ever, but he had ducked beneath the willow's branches, seen the wide opening at its base, and cautiously climbed down the few slippery steps there. He had been walking painstakingly slowly for at least half an-hour now, but his sense of foreboding was growing.

It would have been bad enough to see a fully-transformed werewolf in a cage at the base of the willow, but he had steeled himself for that. It was this slow creeping in absolute darkness down a dank, earthy-smelling tunnel that he was finding more difficult. His heart was beating too loudly, and he wondered if a werewolf could pick up the sound, if that is what there was at the end of this. He could not imagine where it led to, or why it had to be so long.

Finally, the tunnel floor started to slope upwards and he could see a dim light at the end of it. He proceeded as carefully as he could, bent over due to the low ceiling, and saw that the dim light was coming through an opening of sorts. It was partially closed by a wooden gate, bolted from the outside, but with several inches of space both above and below it, through which the light was filtering. He was just about to approach the opening cautiously, when he picked up a sound that definitely was not a werewolf, but it was coming from behind him: heavy breathing and running footsteps.

'Snape! _Snape_! Where the hell are you?' The loud whisper was accompanied by some muttered swearing.

_Potter!_

Probably down here to try and stop him from discovering the truth. Well, he was going about it the wrong way. The footsteps grew louder, and Severus pressed himself back against the damp, rough wall of the tunnel. The fool was blundering by so fast that he would probably not see him in the gloom. Closer and closer the footsteps came, more hesitant and slower now, but they finally came close enough.

Severus acted swiftly as soon as the shadowy figure of Potter drew up to his level. He pointed his wand at the boy's right temple.

'What d'you want, Potter?' he asked, his voice deadly.

The fool was holding his invisibility cloak stuffed under one arm – he hadn't thought of putting it on! But instead of being angry or annoyed at being held at wandpoint, Potter actually looked relieved and somewhat flustered.

'You've got to go back!' Potter declared, completely ignoring the fact that Severus' wand hadn't moved from his head.

'Why? So that I won't find out Lupin's dirty little secret?'

'Look, Sirius just played a joke on you, ok? There's nothing you can do here!'

'Oh, I think there is. I think all the students back at the castle should know the danger they face!'

'They face no danger! And anyway, since when have you ever given a tinker's fart what happens to students?' Potter retorted angrily, 'You're the one to dabble in dark magic! You're the one to sneak Death Eaters into the Forbidden Forest!'

'You speaking about stuff you don't understand, Potter! It's not the same as having a werewolf spread its Lycantrophy infection inside Hogwarts! Contrary to what you may think, I care about what happens to _my_ friends!'

Potter scowled. 'You're not going in there!'

'Well, since I'm the one holding the wand, I think you have no say in the matter, Potter.'

And Severus backed towards the dimly-lit opening, keeping Potter covered with his wand. He was about to cast a full body-bind on him, to make sure he wouldn't interfere, but something in the eyes behind those round-rimmed spectacles made him hesitate. It was something he hadn't seen often before there: fear bordering on terror. And not just fear of discovery of Lupin's secret; this was something more primeval. The cocky, over-confident famous Potter was actually afraid of what lay behind that bolted gate. He wasn't even attempting to get at his wand! But he wasn't going to give up now, he was so close, and after all, Potter hadn't actually admitted anything yet. But his next words surprised him:

'That door won't hold him Snape!' the alarm in Potter's voice was now unmistakeable, 'Not if he smelt humans on the other side!'

'Ah…. so you're admitting Lupin's a werewolf, Potter?'

'Didn't you hear what I said, you bloody fool?' Potter lowered his voice to a strangulated whisper, his eyes glancing beyond him at the opening, 'Remus is upstairs now, but if he smells us… Oh no, you don't!'

Severus had stepped back towards the opening once more, but Potter lunged at him, grabbing his robes and forcefully pulling him backwards, knocking his wand hand away. It was so sudden that Severus lost his balance. He fell against Potter, but immediately twisted free again, firing a spell that hit Potter square in the chest with a loud bang, so that he fell back against the tunnel wall.

Potter was up again immediately, his wand drawn now, but his eyes suddenly fixed on the opening at the end of the tunnel, and a second later Severus heard it too: a low, menacing growl, barely audible, but somehow deafening in the silence of the underground tunnel, drowning out even the sound of his own fast-beating heart. He froze, as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled unpleasantly. A dark shape was silhouetted in the space above the bolted wooden gate, and the growling stopped, to be replaced by a snuffling sound. Then the sound returned –louder, a positive snarl. The dark shape shifted slightly its position so that the dim light illuminated its head. It was only the space of a heartbeat, but Severus recognised the elongated snout, the slit-pupiled eyes: it was a werewolf!

Things seemed to happen in slow motion then; large hairy paws with appeared at the top of the wooden gate, claws ripping the wood apart with a sickening, tearing sound and slavering jaws were pushed through the opening at the top, biting, snapping, as mad red eyes fixed themselves on him. For a second, he felt paralysed, unable to move, then Potter, who was beside him, fired a blinding flash of light in the direction of the opening, and he snapped out of his shock.

He backed away, wand drawn, but knowing at the back of his mind, that precious little could hold a werewolf back when it scented its prey.

'_Move_! Now! The light will blind him for a few minutes!' Potter had grabbed his arm again and was pulling him away. He took the hint and ran pell-mell down the tunnel behind Potter, his breath catching in his throat, and an unpleasant shivery feeling running down his spine as he expected to feel the hot breath of the werewolf down the back of his neck anytime.

Severus ran faster than he had ever done in his life, however, the sound of the snapping jaws faded away and after a while he saw the pale moonlight shining through the roots of the Whomping Willow ahead. Potter reached it a few seconds before him and when he tumbled out of the tree, Potter had already frozen its branches. He clutched a stitch at his side, panting as he ducked out from beneath the Willow. Potter was standing looking at the tree anxiously, his glasses askew. He had dropped the Invisibility cloak back in the tunnel during their tussle, and Severus knew that there was no way he could return for it now.

It was when the Whomping Willow started its creaking and swishing of its branches, that Potter looked satisfied they were not being followed.

Slowly the events of the past few minutes caught up with Severus and he suppressed a shudder. He had actually been half-thinking of opening that gate to see what's inside, perhaps sneaking to the upper rooms Potter mentioned, not knowing the Werewolf was not confined! He would have been mauled to death! He had seen the mad, ravenous look in those red eyes! That werewolf would not have stopped at a mere bite. If it hadn't been for Potter, he would be dead, or as good as dead….

The thought horrified him in more ways than one. And had Potter arrived a few minutes later, he, Severus would be dead, and Potter would have found the bloodthirsty werewolf waiting for him, and cocky though the Gryffindor was, he could hardly know of any tricks to control a werewolf.

'Why d'you come to warn me?' he asked through compressed lips.

He saw Potter's head turn towards him in the moonlight, though his face was too shadowy to read his expression.

'Because you would've been bitten, or more likely, killed!' he said after a while, 'And even I wouldn't want your carcass on my conscience! Besides, you'd've got everyone into trouble, Snape! It was the best thing to do for all concerned!'

Severus felt a cold rage take hold of him as the truth dawned on him.

'Oh, really? How very Slytherin of you to come up with such a neat little compromise,' he sneered, 'However, I think had Sirius' little prank been successful , even Dumbledore would have been unable to find any excuse for you! You'd've been expelled!'

'Well, that's what you were hoping for, Snivillus, weren't you?' Potter retorted angrily, 'You were prowling around hoping to spill the beans on Remus, getting _him_ expelled at least!'

'Potter! Snape! Wha' in Merlin's name are yeh two doin' here?'

They had been so busy arguing that they had not heard Hagrid come up beside them. His huge shape obscured the moon, but even in the pale light Severus could see the Gamekeeper looking from the Whomping Willow and back at them again.

'Uh… it was just a dare with the Whomping Willow, Hagrid,-'

'Don gi' me none 'o that, Potter - I o'erheard enough o wha' yer said to know this is a serious matter!'

'Hagrid, it was just a joke,'

'Sorry, Potter, but this ain't no jaunt to the Forbidden Forest I could close me eye on. The Headmaster would wan to know abou' this partic'lar bite Snape here almost got. Yer were shoutin' so much I overheard tha' bit clearly. Headmaster has clear orders abou' all this, I'm afraid. Now foller me.'

And he stumped off in the direction of the Castle his heavy footsteps muffled by the soft grass of the lawn.

Casting Potter a venomous look, Severus slouched off after the Gamekeeper. Potter followed, not looking unduly worried. The pale moonlight lighted their way back to the castle, and in the distance, from the direction of Hogsmeade, shrill howls penetrated the blue-grey world.


	126. Chapter 126

**Chapter 126: Silence.**

Severus eyed the brass Griffin on Dumbledore's office with distaste. Potter was in there, giving whatever version of events suited him. No doubt, Dumbledore would believe him. He might not bother using Legilimency with Potter: he was a Gryffindor, wasn't he? Gryffindors always wore their hearts on their sleeves, didn't they? Just so that everyone could admire how brave and shiny pink they were!

He growled in frustration, resisting the urge to give the solid oak door a hearty kick. Hagrid had left them waiting outside while he had a few hurried words with the Headmaster. Then he had left and Dumbledore had called in Potter first. Why hadn't he called them in together? It felt like a concentrated effort to plan something against whatever he had to say.

Well, what he had to say was the _truth,_ whether they liked it or not! Let Dumbledore find his way out of this one, if he could! He, Severus, wasn't going to back off! He could be just as bloody-minded and self-righteous as any Gryffindor about the truth now! He had seen with his own eyes the mad, rabid creature Dumbledore was happily harbouring amongst his students! He had almost been its damned victim! And what if it managed to get out of the Whomping Willow? Who would be the next victim?

If this didn't shake Lily's faith in the hypocritical old fool of a Headmaster, nothing would!

Just then the door opened, and Potter bounced out. He was positively crowing, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. Probably he made it look good. He came out of it quite the hero: saving him, Severus, from the slavering jaws of a werewolf!

'What're you so happy about, Potter? Did the Headmaster award you a medal?' he sneered.

'Not exactly,' Potter said, still grinning, 'Detention with McGonagall tomorrow, but I think it went quite well, overall. Dumbledore was very impressed, actually. Your turn now, _Snivillus!_'

And he pushed past him, banging into his shoulder as he went by.

Severus walked into Dumbledore's office, seething with anger. It was an uphill struggle to calm down, but he knew it would be vital to play his part well. He composed his features into a deadpan look.

Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, dressed in a white nightshirt and a heavily embroidered purple dressing gown. The phoenix on a perch nearby was eyeing him with dark, intelligent eyes; strange instruments were sitting silently on a spindly-legged table, (which, under different circumstances, he would have been eager to examine), and old Headmasters and Headmistresses snoozed in portraits around the room, which was exactly as he remembered it. He stole a swift glance at the book cabinet in the shadowy corner where his Great-grandfather's book was locked.

It too, was standing serenely upright among the other books. Feeling twinges of bitterness spreading through him, he looked hastily away to where Dumbledore was beckoning him to take a seat.

He sat down gingerly on the edge of a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk.

'Well, Mr Snape, could you please tell me what happened?' Dumbledore spoke calmly, but there was a slight frown on his forehead that told Severus the Headmaster was worried. Well, he should be. A werewolf had almost attacked two of his students.

'I think you know what happened, Sir,' he retorted, tightly.

'I have heard Mr Potter's version of events, but I would like to hear yours, too.'

'Don't you believe Potter's version then, Sir? Isn't it enough?' he kept his voice bland, carefully omitting any trace of the sarcasm welling up in his throat. Dumbledore would know what he meant all right.

Dumbledore did not answer immediately, then:

'Mr Potter was rather sparing with the details of how you entered the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow-'

'You mean he's hiding something from you! But I'm sure you are well-equipped to find out the truth, Sir,' this time he could not quite manage to keep the sarcasm in control.

There was a fleeting spark of anger in the sharp blue depths of Dumbledore's eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was even:

'I would rather have the truth offered up willingly by my students, Mr Snape, than be forced out by threats or deceitful means. But why are you afraid I will not believe you?'

Severus blinked. That is, indeed, what he had been afraid of. Potter would not have mentioned how Black had tricked him into going into the tunnel. Potter would want to protect Black. Whatever tale he spun Dumbledore, Severus knew Potter'd have made him look bad. If Dumbledore hadn't used Legilimency on Potter to find out the truth for himself, then he had even less hope than before of being believed.

Severus sat in silence, unwilling to answer Dumbledore's question. After all, what could he say? That he was sure Dumbledore would believe the word of a Gryffindor ( and a Gryffindor Quidditch champion) more than a Slytherin half-blood who'd already been hauled into this office once before, and reprimanded for the use of Dark Arts? The Headmaster had made it quite clear then, that he did not trust him, and had refused to give him the Book his own Great-Grandfather wrote, which should have been his by right. Dumbledore had even admitted it had been his fault Severus Prince had been forced to leave Hogwarts, all those years ago – he had acted for his _own good_, of course.

Severus glared at his Headmaster, feeling the old resentment rise up again, but Dumbledore ignored him.

'Well, tell me what happened at least. I do expect an explanation, Mr Snape!' his tone brooked no refusal.

Severus told him briefly what happened.

'Ah. I see. Mr Black's involvement in this is far deeper than Mr Potter would have me believe.'

'Potter's covering up for him!' Severus spat angrily.

'Just like Ms Evans attempted to do on your behalf on a similar occasion last year, when you were found in the Forbidden Forest together,' Dumbledore retorted with a small smile, 'It is not a crime to want to protect your friends, Mr Snape. Which brings me to the matter of Mr Lupin.'

He paused, and Severus braced himself, ready to slam down his Occlumency barriers or protect himself in any way he could think of, for he had half a mind, in spite of all his high-minded talk about not forcing people, that Dumbledore might try to plant a false memory or obliviate what he had seen in order to protect Lupin. But Dumbledore did not reach for his wand, he just leaned back in his chair and fixed him with his penetrating blue stare.

'Remus Lupin was just a small child when he was bitten, Mr Snape. He was deliberately mauled as punishment for his father's perceived wrong. It was not his fault, but when you were eagerly counting down the days till your arrival at Hogwarts, Remus Lupin knew that unlike all other 11-year-old wizards, the Hogwarts express would leave without him, year after year. He would be condemned to a half-life, a twilight existence. Can you imagine how it would feel, not being allowed to come to Hogwarts, Mr Snape?'

Again the penetrating stare, the intelligent blue eyes assuring him that he _knew_, knew without shadow of doubt, exactly how Severus would feel if he were not allowed to come to Hogwarts. This thought only made him angrier, somehow. Dumbledore had no right to know how it would feel! Nobody did!

'That is why I decided to give Mr Lupin a chance,' Dumbledore continued, as though he hadn't expected an answer, 'I allowed him to come to Hogwarts, to have a normal, happy life with the rest of the students-'

'He tried to kill me!' the words were out of his mouth before he realised. The mention of a 'happy normal life' triggered it.

'Yes indeed,' Dumbledore answered severely, 'You were in grave danger, and it was only through Mr Potter's bravery and quick thinking that you came out alive! It was rather foolish of you to go down that tunnel, especially if you suspected the nature of Mr Lupin's illness! Indeed, your determination to venture beneath the Whomping Willow, even though aware of what might lie beneath, makes me suspect you had ulterior motives, rather than mere curiosity, ...'

'I wouldn't've gone down the tunnel if Black hadn't pointed it out! I thought Lupin'd be locked up or something! And yes, I wanted proof that you are harbouring a werewolf among us, _Sir. _That's illegal!_'_

His words rang loudly around the circular room. It was followed by hissing whispers from the portraits lining the walls, for many of the occupants had given up all pretence of sleep at his accusatory words. They glared down at him from their frames, probably shocked at his impertinence in challenging their benevolent colleague. Well, they could all go to hell! He wasn't backing down.

But to his surprise, Dumbledore just brought his hands together, steepling his fingertip thoughtfully, as though discussing some finer point of Academia.

'I am not harbouring a werewolf at Hogwarts, Mr Snape,' he said mildly, leaning back in his chair, 'And as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, you have to credit me with some knowledge of Wizarding Laws. The tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow, you see, leads to the Shrieking Shack outside Hogsmeade, which is therefore not on Hogwarts grounds. I am thus within my legal rights as Headmaster, to accept Mr Lupin as pupil, given the precautions I have taken to remove him from Hogwarts when he is at his most dangerous.'

Severus gazed at Dumbledore's wizened old face in anger and disgust. He was right of course. He should have thought about that, but he hadn't had a chance to see what lay beyond that gate. He hadn't realised it was the Shrieking Shack.

Potter knew though. Lupin would've told him. Sirius Black knew, too. And Black had calmly – eagerly, perhaps – told him exactly how to find his way down the tunnel, knowing that he would blunder through it to the gate at the end, and then explore further, beyond the gate, to the rooms upstairs , to be faced with sure death at the hands of their werewolf friend. They might have carefully planned it all: they were the _Maruaders_ after all. Sirius Black might just have been waiting for him in the Entrance Hall yesterday, for the sole purpose of ensuring he found his way to the Werewolf. Black had played his part well, reluctantly giving up the information, and he, Severus, had fallen for it!

Until Potter had got cold feet and came down the tunnel to stop him, that is. A hot flush of shame as well as anger suffused his face and he stood up.

'You may be within your rights to do this, Professor,' he insisted, 'But I'm sure many students' parents may not be happy to have a Werewolf among their kids. Especially with idiots such as Potter and Black knowing the secret of how to get past the Whomping Willow...'

Dumbledore stood up so suddenly, that Severus was startled and took a step backwards.

'No, most parents will not like to have someone suffering from Lycanthropy among their children,' he said seriously, as he came round his desk and stood facing him, his blue gaze steady, 'But I would like to ask you to keep quiet about the nature of Mr Lupin's condition, Mr Snape.'

There was no trace of his usual twinkling benevolence when he said this, but rather, a quiet purpose and determination that reminded Severus that this was a wizard whose many titles on the Chocolate frog cards clearly indicated that he always got what he wanted.

Severus fumed in silence, still defiant, He thought Dumbledore might at least be a bit worried that he almost got killed, but apparently, the Headmaster was more interested in safeguarding Lupin's secret. What was one Slytherin's miserable skin worth (especially one that dabbled in Dark Arts), as long as the great Dumbledore could carry out his Experimental student werewolf Integration Programme to his heart's content? Severus didn't even really care about Lupin being a werewolf, his whole purpose in risking what he did yesterday was to expose Dumbledore's treachery, show that he was not as wonderful as everyone made out, but now Dumbledore was asking him to keep quiet about it. And why should he?

'Will Sirius Black be expelled?'

Both Black and Potter deserved to be expelled for playing a joke that was clearly designed to result in a students' death! And Remus Lupin, for being the knowing tool of that death! But Severus knew the answer before Dumbledore spoke.

'That will be a matter for his Head of House, Professor McGonagall, to decide, once she has asked Mr Black for details concerning his actions last night. Being expelled is a serious matter, Mr Snape, and only to be used as a last resort.'

'You didn't remember _that_ when you brought about my Great-grandfather's withdrawal from Hogwarts did you, Sir? And I'm not so sure being expelled would've been seen as a last resort had _I_ been the one to play such a prank!'

Dumbledore did not say anything for a moment, and Severus' bitter words hung between them like poisonous fumes. Then he came closer, and there was a strange sadness as well as anger in his blue eyes.

'Not so many months ago, Mr Snape, you stood in this very office wondering whether you would be expelled for placing yourself, as well as your friend Ms Evans, in danger from Dementors and the Karkaroffs. I think you agree with me that on that occasion at least, you were happy to be given another chance. I am not sure you learnt your lesson, Mr Snape.'

Severus bit his lip, scowling at the old face, as guilt stirred within him, threatening to unbalance the precarious protection of his Occlumency barriers even more than his anger had.

'I had hoped that you would have seen by now, what can result from festering resentments such as those you still cling to,' Dumbledore continued, 'This war has given us enough casualties as a result of such hatred. Only today I had to send for Ms Amelia Bones and her brother Edgar, of Hufflepuff, to inform them of the death of their parents at the hands of Death Eaters. Yet I find you still persist in delving into spells and dark objects best left alone! I have seen evidence of your use of necromancy, and I know that wherever you are hiding down in the dungeons, you do not limit yourself to the brewing of harmless potions...'

Severus stared. Had his Occlumency barriers given way? But no – he would have realised if Dumbledore invaded his mind. He was subtle with it, but he could still feel him. How did he know?

'I do not pretend to know all the Secrets of Hogwarts castle, Mr Snape,' Dumbledore said, glancing out of the window at the full moon, 'but I do pride myself on keeping an eye on my students, especially those ill-equipped to resist the temptations of the dark side. And with you, Mr Snape, I'm afraid of history repeating itself. Reanimated corpses, even of mice or rats, are easy to spot; certain ingredients are bought from apothecaries only with the intention of brewing poisons; dark objects may leave magical traces...'

Severus breathed a mental sigh of relief, even as he cringed at the discoveries Dumbledore had made about him - but they were only that: discoveries made by the sleuth work of a clever wizard, nothing else. He'd just have to be cleverer than Dumbledore next time.

But why hadn't Dumbledore punished him if he suspected what he was up to? '_Ill-equipped to resist the temptations of the dark side' _indeed! His nostrils flared indignantly, but he bit the denials that rose to his lips and tried to cling on to an expressionless face.

Dumbledore tore his eyes away from the moonlit window with a sigh. 'Well, it is late now – perhaps too late in both senses - for me to lecture you on the dangers of such temptations. I have sent instructions to Professor Slughorn to speak to you tomorrow to discuss the terms of your punishment – curfew for fifth years is at 9 o'clock, so I'm afraid you did break the same regulation as Mr Potter did. In the meantime, I ask you not to mention anything about Mr Lupin's illness. For the sake of Mr Lupin himself primarily, but also for the sake of his friend, Mr Potter, and the others, who apparently have found out about the Lycanthropy and yet have not let it stand in the way of their friendship... I think it is the least you could do for someone who has saved your life.'

Ignoring the furious look on his face, Dumbledore moved once again behind his desk. Severus recognising the dismissal, and, eager for it, turned to the door.

'Oh, and by the way, Mr Snape -' Severus stopped half-way through the motion of slamming the door behind him, 'Professor Slughorn made me taste a sample of your Invigorating Potion the other day, and I must say, you've done wonders with the addition of Silverweed and Fire shrimps to the traditional brew. I always keep a gobletful handy, now. Goodnight, Mr Snape.'

'G- goodnight!' he found himself answering, as he finally escaped the Headmaster's office and ran down the spiral staircase, feeling as confused as when he had last been there.

Dumbledore had somehow managed to awaken a tumult of conflicting feelings: bitterness at being denied what he had set out to do, anger at being observed so closely by the headmaster, tempered with a grudging admiration at how he did manage to find out so much; fury at Dumbledore's disregard of the dangers of harbouring a werewolf, yet relieved he had said nothing more about his own dabbling in the ancient arts. He was angry with Dumbledore for being so blind to the fact that the Marauders were nothing more than puffed-up, attention-seeking gits, yet he was angry with himself for feeling pleased at Dumbledore's words on his potion!

He cursed softly under his breath all the way down from the seventh floor to the dungeons. He had to find some other way, other ideas of how to go about discrediting Dumbledore in Lily's eyes. Almost seven months had passed since the Dark Lord had set him the task of convincing Lily that she should throw in her considerable talent with the rebel forces, and he had made very little progress. Of course, there was still time, but it would pass, too...

He had more information about the secret life of Potter now, though he still could not be sure how Lupin's lycanthropy and the rest of the Marauder's moonlight wandering were connected. He was sure they were somehow, and in ways which would not be seen as suitable for the brave young hero and Quidditch champion Potter portrayed himself as.

Perhaps the Marauders planned to play this joke on whoever they disliked. Perhaps they sashayed out on nights of the full moon, under Potter's Invisibility cloak, intent on tricking their enemies to go down that tunnel, having a good laugh at their expense when they wet themselves in fear at the sight of the werewolf...

Severus tried to convince himself that this was true, even though he knew the theory was as full of holes as Elisa's bucket. But hating the Marauders – and Potter in particular -felt good at the moment, and went some way in relieving the frustration of the interview with Dumbledore.

Perhaps he could drop some hints – let Lily find out for herself – she'd believe it more that way. He wished he had something more concrete on Potter: though he knew he should be focussing on the Headmaster, knocking Potter off his pedestal would feel infinitely better, for it was from that pedestal that the bastard kept eyeing Lily!

He muttered the password and the door to the Slytherin common-room slid open. The large, low-ceilinged room was dimly lit by the dying embers in the fireplace. Severus was about to cross over to the door leading to the boy's dormitory, when he noticed a dark figure in one of the winged armchairs by the fire.

The faint glow from the dying fire shaded Mulciber's heavy features in stark red and black. Severus thought he was asleep, but beneath the thick, overhanging brows the red reflection of the embers lit up the dark eyes, which were looking straight at him.

'Where've you been, Snape? Second time running you've been out of bed!'

'None of your bloody business, Mulciber!' And he continued towards the door.

'Oh, but it is my business, as you very well know.'

Mulciber stood up quickly and took a few steps towards him. Severus ignored him, but when he felt Mulciber's hand on his shoulder he whirled round, and Mulciber found himself looking at the tip of his wand. Severus was in no mood to be spoken to, let alone detained, by anyone, especially an overbearing git like Mulciber.

'Back off if you know what's good for you!' he snarled.

At the moment he didn't give a damn who Mulciber reported to. After all, Cassiopeia denied her ex-boyfriend had had any real influence with the Dark Lord, although her words were probably a backlash at him having ditched her.

Some influence Mulciber _did _have however, for he had been dropping dark hints about the Bones' murder before it actually happened, as Dumbledore had just confirmed it had.

'We're in a bad mood tonight, aren't we?' Mulciber leered.

Though he took his hand off, he folded his arms as though he actually expected an answer, rather than the curse Severus felt tingling in his arm. Severus lowered his wand. It would not be the first time he'd hexed him, and there was a time when Mulciber wouldn't have dared ask him anything again, but ever since he had taken on the role of amateur spy at Hogwarts, (whether the role was self-imposed or bestowed) he had become even more brazen and audacious, asking stupid questions ( which most people could see through right away); strutting round the castle and expecting everyone to bend to his wishes – or else! His self-important attitude and bull-dozer ways ensured that many students either believed him, or decided to err on the side of caution. As he was doing.

Severus threw him a scathing look and ignored him, proceeding towards the boy's dorm, but Mulciber blocked his way.

'I hear you've been up to Dumbledore's office,' he said, his eyes glinting maliciously.

'You don't know where I've been, Mulciber.'

The flat denial incensed him just as it had been meant to do, and he easily yielded up the information Severus was after.

'Of course I did,' Mulciber scowled 'I told Bertram Aubrey to go look for you. He's a Prefect, no-one would say anything if they saw him out after curfew looking for a fellow Slytherin who was not in the dorm!'

'You're a bastard and a sneak, Mulciber. You know that, don't you?'

'Oh, I made Aubrey promise not to dock any marks if he found you, Snape. We're Slytherins - we always stick up for each other, you know,' Mulciber retorted airily, but then his brows darkened, ' but what I'm interested to know is what you were doing in the dead of night in Dumbledore's office. Aubrey saw you near the Gargoyle that guards the entrance. I think the Dark Lord would be interested in your cosy chat with the Headmaster…'

'It was not a cosy chat.'

'Perhaps a report then? Or a confession that you're scared to carry out the Dark Lord's wishes? Running to that Mudblood-loving fool of a Headmaster for protection for you and your little friend? '

Severus looked at him closely. He seemed to be fishing around wildly for what happened, goading him clumsily. The last embers of the fire died down, leaving them both in almost total darkness. Only the pale, watered-down glow of the moonlight filtering down through the lake water illuminated the windows, and occasional fluorescent glimmers from the nocturnal water-creatures that floated by.

Mulciber did not know anything. However, he had better disillusion him, for his wild assumptions could be dangerous for both him and Lily.

'Not exactly, Mulciber. Someone played a joke on me and I ended up out of bounds after curfew. The gamekeeper saw me near the Whomping Willow and carted me off to the Headmaster.'

He did not need to fake the bitterness and rage in his voice.

Mulciber looked at him without speaking for a second, then he narrowed his eyes.

'What kind of joke?'

'I'm not going into the details, Mulciber.'

'And why the Headmaster? Why not Slughorn?'

Severus shrugged. 'You have to ask the Gamekeeper why. I don't know. Dumbledore just gave me a lecture on the dangers and …uh…temptations of the night, and told me to report to Slughorn tomorrow for detention.'

'Temptations, huh? Well, you weren't with Evans last night or the previous, for I asked around, and she didn't come out of the Gryffindor common-room.'

Severus's eyes flashed dangerously, his expression one that would have made Mulciber step backwards, had he been able to see it in the gloom.

'Lily's too clever a witch to let you see her if she does not want to be seen, Mulciber!'

'Perhaps so, Snape. But she was not with you tonight, because she was talking to her friends in the common room till midnight according to Potter.'

'According to _whom_?'

'Bertram Aubrey overheard James Potter and Sirius Black discussing her. Aubrey saw you when you were going into the Headmaster's office. You were with Potter and the Gamekeeper, so I know that part of your story is true, at least. Then Bertram decided to follow Potter while you were inside with the Headmaster. Only Potter somehow managed to give Aubrey the slip, and he only caught up with him near Gryffindor common-room, where Black had been waiting for him.'

'What else did he overhear?' Surely Potter and Black would have been discussing Lupin's near-fatal attack, rather than what Lily had been doing?

'Nothing much. The words 'the secret is out' and then they started discussing Evans. Either because the secret involved her, or as diversionary tactics because they'd heard Aubrey coming. Next second they attacked him.'

'What for?'

'Well, Aubrey, as Prefect, asked them what they were doing, there was a bit of a fight and Aubrey ended up with his head twice the size it should be. Good of him to report back to me before going to the Hospital wing, though.'

'Potter and Black always attack when they outnumber their victim,' Severus said disdainfully.

But Mulciber brushed this aside: 'What could they have meant, by the 'secret is out', Snape?'

'That perhaps the joke they played on me was discovered?' he answered coldly.

Mulciber gave a snort of laughter 'Severus Snape, most feared curse-castor in Hogwarts, caught with his pants down like some stupid first-year by those two idiotic Gryffindors? No wonder you're in a foul mood! See you tomorrow, Snape! '

And sniggering appreciatively Mulciber turned towards the door to the boy's dorm. Severus watched his thick-set shape disappear inside, not willing to follow him yet, for he did not want to hear his braying laughter all the way to his dorm in the sixth-year section.

He was still clutching his wand in a white-knuckled fist. He forced himself to loosen his grip, and thrust it in his belt. At least Mulciber knew he it hadn't been his idea to go to Dumbledore's office. Had Mulciber done things a bit more thoroughly, he might even have discovered all about Lupin.

He himself was bound not to tell. Dumbledore didn't even need to make him swear to it, but he knew without shadow of doubt, that his own position at Hogwarts would be in jeopardy should he breath a word. It was Blackmail worded in the nicest possible way, but Severus knew that he could not risk it. He frowned. Hogwarts meant too much to him, and he needed to be by Lily's side, for many reasons.

No, he could not risk following completely in his Great-grandftaher's footsteps, for he stood to lose too much.

A huge, pale shape drifted slowly and silently to the common-room window, and a large, brilliant-orange eye with a horizontal pupil stared through the thick glass at Severus. The giant Squid had a habit of plastering itself to their windows on occasion, during its nocturnal hunting sprees.

Severus gazed pensively at the tentacled, blue-white shape, his restless mind racing ahead with new plans, ideas, _anything_ that would put him back on track, that would remove Potter's interest in Lily. The fact that Aubrey had said he'd been talking about her was not lost on Severus, and knowing Potter spent his time observing her in Gryffindor common-room, where he himself was barred from entering, was something that was driving him insane.

Giving one last belligerent look at the huge Cephalopod, Severus slouched off to his four-poster, where he knew he would not sleep for whatever was left of the night.


	127. Chapter 127

**Chapter 127: Just a Laugh.**

It was the beginning of April and the skies had finally turned a brilliant shade of cerulean blue, and everyone was glad of it for it was one of the last Quidditch matches of the season. It was between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and the whole school had turned out to watch. The clear skies guaranteed good visibility for the players, but a cold, gusty wind was wreaking havoc on the lighter flyers.

Severus was sitting with Rabastan, Rosier, Avery and Mulciber in the back rows on the Slytherin side of the Quidditch Pitch. Wilkes, Rosier's friend-come-sidekick was not with them because he was Beater on the Slytherin team. A heavy-set boy, the wind was not affecting him, but it was giving Regulus Black, their Seeker, a hard time, for he was slightly built.

Severus scowled as James Potter scored yet another goal and the Gryffindor side erupted in cheers, red-and-gold colours on banners and flags fluttering madly. He had managed to score such a large number of goals that Gryffindor were leading by 160 points. Just to avoid seeing that conceited arse of a Gryffindor Chaser executing victory loops over his fans' heads, Severus turned round to observe how the rest of Slytherin were taking the sure loss of the game.

Many wore a stony look, but others looked murderously at the Gryffindor team. This would be the second year running that Slytherin had lost the Quidditch cup to Gryffindor.

Severus noted something else: their small group had been given a somewhat wide berth by the rest of the Slytherins watching the game. He had first noticed this subtle deference in the Slytherin common room, but it was even more evident here in the stands on the Slytherin side of the pitch. It was the best place for observing the match, but though the area was much bigger than what was available in the common room, no other student dared encroach upon their space.

Severus observed several of the younger Slytherins casting wary yet admiring glances over their shoulders from the rows beneath, and seventh-year boys were studiously avoided any eye contact, determined to show they were not intimidated or awed by anyone younger than they, despite the rumours. Girls were another matter: a few kept looking over and smiling. Probably at Rabastan, who was the eldest and the most talked about. Or even at Rosier, whose haughty good looks (and impressive family background) could hardly go unnoticed.

Severus felt the slow growth of something like satisfaction, and allowed himself a small smile. Who cared about stupid Quidditch or Quidditch heroes? This felt, from where he was sitting, very much like respect. Respect for something that was far more serious, far more life-changing, than a stupid game!

Suddenly there was a hushed noise and a collective intake of breath from the watchers around him. The Snitch had been sighted! Severus knew Reg had been holding off finding the Snitch, hoping the Slytherin scores would rise high enough to scrape a victory, but the Gryffindor Seeker had seen it and now he had no choice. Severus watched intently as the small, slight figure dressed in Slytherin green and silver tore after the small golden ball. The speed and direction of the Snitch meant Reg would not have to fly against the wind.

It was over a split second later, as Regulus Black successfully snatched the small golden Snitch from right under the Gryffindor Seeker's nose. The people around him erupted in cheers, shouting Regulus Black's name. Slytherins were poor losers, and Reg gave them something to shout about, even though they had lost the game.

The Gryffindors were not to be outdone of course: a sea of Red and gold invaded the pitch, cheering, singing slogans and hugging the Gryffindor Team. Potter was their darling, for it was thanks to his scores that their team won. He was the only one still airborne, and was executing some aerial acrobatics for the benefit of the Gryffindor students below, who shouted and cheered him on.

Severus tore his eyes away from the obnoxious sight; trying to stop himself from thinking about Lily among them, cheering him too. She had always denied it, and they had laughed and poked fun at Potter's cockiness on the Quidditch pitch often enough, when together, but now he was not so sure...

There was a rather subdued hum of voices around him as everyone got up to head back to the castle. It was then that Severus felt a warm sensation about his left wrist. He looked quickly at his watch, and the runic letters around the third inner dial formed the simple words:

'_Hogsmeade tonight?'_

His lips twisted in a small smile as he looked up and scanned the Gryffindor students on the other side of the pitch. He could not see Lily amongst the milling throng of red and gold. He twiddled the dial on his watch:

'_Yes.'_

Noticing Mulciber observing him, he tore his eyes away from the Gryffindors, and followed Rosier and Rabastan down the steps and out of the Quidditch pitch. Avery and Mulciber came down behind him, and together they headed back to the castle, while Rosier and Rabastan went over to speak to Wilkes as the Slytherin team headed dejectedly towards the Changing Rooms.

Severus, his hand thoughtfully clutching his still tingling-warm watch, and his mind busy with the upcoming Hogsmeade visit, barely even looked up as they reached the lawns in front of the castle doors and a throng of Gryffindors passed by, chanting a loud victory song. He did look up when a second group of Gryffindors passed by with Potter on their shoulders, grinning broadly and punching the air in sign of triumph.

Severus, Avery and Mulciber watched them go through the large front door in rowdy disarray. He knew all three of them were wishing they could curse that stupid git right off their shoulders, and he, Severus, had more reason to than the other two.

After all, Potter never lost a chance to gloat at him, especially since the incident in the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow. Black had not been expelled of course. Both of them got detention - nothing worse than what they got for blowing up Bertram Aubrey's head that same night!

He could not describe their so-called 'joke' as anything else but the pre-meditated murder of a fellow student on their part, yet all they got was a token slap on the wrist, nothing more!

Yes, he definitely had more reasons to hate the gloating four-eyed twat, more than anyone else, especially now that he could flaunt his heroism both on the Quidditch pitch and off it! And he couldn't stand it if Lily got to hear of it...

Of course, there had been many jinxes and hexes flying around recently, in the days leading up to the match. His own spell, Levicorpus, (the use of which had finally died down a bit), had seen a comeback a few days ago, on the first of April. The claim was of it being an April Fool's joke, but it was really intended to intimidate members of the opposite team.

The crowd bearing Potter disappeared inside and the few Gryffindors straggling behind hurried to catch up with the main crowd, lest they be overtaken by the groups of disgruntled Slytherins now making their way back to the castle.

With a jolt of delight, Severus recognised Lily among the stragglers. Thank Merlin, she was not among the slobbering fools surrounding Potter. Looking up at that instant she saw him, but the automatic smile of recognition that formed on her lips froze on her face when she realised who he was with. She walked past without any further indication that she'd seen him.

That was nothing new of course. She had long since avoided going up to him when he was with his Slytherin friends, though she did often give him a defiant nod of recognition, but now, the look in her eyes before she turned away was one of disapproval. Well, Mulciber didn't exactly have a pleasant personality, and she'd never forgotten had happened between him and her friend, Mary MacDonald.

Mulciber was observing the silent exchange between him and Lily, and he now had a smug sneer plastered on his face. Severus fumed silently as they trudged on towards the castle in the wake of the Gryffindors. Although Mulciber dogged the footsteps of everyone, within Slytherin, he, Severus, was the special target. It had not taken him long to conclude that his half-blood status and his personal interview with the Dark Lord had instilled a jealousy in Mulciber that would only be assuaged when he usurped his position, somehow.

But his interference and the danger he posed were complicating things further between him and Lily.

They were already complicated enough with all the difficulties he was facing in carrying out the Dark Lord's request, but with Mulciber breathing down his neck, it was becoming impossible to even look at Lily without those deep-set eyes, like coal pits, following his every move with evident mistrust, distorting everything he did or said.

At least tonight, in Hogsmeade, he'd make sure they'd be alone. Hogsmeade visits had been cancelled by Dumbledore following the double murder of Madeira and Karkaroff in the wizarding village, but recently, either because of the increased security, or because there had been no more untoward events, the Headmaster had lifted the ban for the remaining 3 months of the school year.

Lily's message had surprised him, for he hadn't seen much of her in the two weeks that passed since he discovered Lupin prowling in that tunnel in the form of a werewolf. True, fifth-years had been inundated with work, because the OWLS were less than 3 months ahead now, but he got the impression Lily had been avoiding him at times.

He certainly had not seen her in their dungeon hideout, although maybe there she had taken her cue from him. He had made it clear enough – too clear perhaps - that he'd rather they met in the Library, or other such neutral places. Obviously, she could not understand – she could not _know_ - the reason why. The reason why he was so afraid of remaining alone with her, of smelling her closeness, feeling her warmth when she brushed inadvertently against him: he knew he would not be able to help himself if, Merlin forbid, she ever came that close to him again, either physically or emotionally.

And this time he knew he would not be able to repeat what he had done to her memory. Not again.

He could see the hurt in her eyes at this apparent coldness, could see that she was probably jumping to the wrong conclusions about it, thinking it had something to do with what many Slytherins thought about her blood-status, assuming he was being influenced.

He let her think it.

He had told her, that fatal Christmas afternoon, that she had every claim to magic, but he doubted if she'd remembered that after he had tampered with her memory. Perhaps better so, for she had given up asking him questions he didn't want to answer for fear of giving himself away. He tried to make it up to her in other ways; assuring her she was his best friend; going out of his way to help her in her studies whenever she needed it, thus maximising the time they spent in the Library together, or anywhere else for that matter.

Apart from lessons, these were now the only places he could be with her.

Lily had lost the indefinable sadness, the pale restlessness that characterised the weeks after Christmas, and had returned to her normal, cheerful self, but their teasing banter, the playful squabbling had another edge to it now. It was not the same any more. In spite of his efforts, there were flashes of irritation, on Lily's part, with much of what he said or did. She was usually contrite immediately afterwards, but he noticed the change. He had been trying to find a good moment to tell her to observe Remus Lupin's disappearances at full moon for herself ( he could not tell her anything directly) but her prickly attitude was not making it easy to broach the subject.

It seemed as though the previous sadness had translated into a resentful anger, the origin of which he could not put his finger on. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she'd guessed he'd tampered with her memories, but he knew that was only his guilty conscience talking. He had tried to find the cause of it, for he remembered all Madeira's teaching about reading human expressions before he could even try Legilimency ( and Legilimency such as Madeira taught him, was something he would never, ever, dare try with Lily, no matter what!), but he came up with a blank.

Perhaps being a girl, she suffered from mood swings; he read about such things, but he was completely ignorant of that part of girls' psyche. Besides, Lily was Lily: her heart was always easy to read, practically written on all over her face. And yet, at the same time her actions, her way of thinking, could be as unpredictable and as mysterious as the ocean depths, and she never ceased to amaze him.

This time, the amazement was tinged with doubt.

'Giving you the cold shoulder, eh?'

Severus had forgotten that Mulciber was still by his side.

'Can you blame her with you by my side?' he snapped.

'She was looking at _you_ not me, Snape! Didn't you notice?'

Severus ignored him. The Gryffindors had disappeared up the main staircase, and they had finally reached the door that led to the dungeons. Severus started down the dungeon steps behind Avery, welcoming their cool, dark interiors.

'You know, Evans' attitude reminds me of Cassiopeia. Have you two had a tiff?'

'No,' he said shortly, not even bothering to tell Mulciber to mind his own business.

But Mulciber's words set him thinking. He had spoken to Cassiopeia soon after Mulciber had ditched her, and of course, she was ready to dish the dirt on her ex-boyfriend. Now he thought about it, the tone of resentment and hurt in her voice when she spoke of Seth Mulciber was vaguely familiar.

Severus knew that he was well-nigh clueless about all the romantic stuff inside girl's heads – especially typical girly- girls like Cassiopeia, but he thought he recalled vague echoes of that resentment in Lily's voice during their bickering.

But Lily hadn't been ditched.

Well, he had sort of done so, but she was unaware of it.

Could she have felt he had rejected her in an important way, somehow? After all, the mind was a complex thing, with many layers of consciousness and the Obliviating spell only removed the memory from the topmost conscious levels of awareness. There could still be some vestigial feelings.

What of, he could not be sure, but that day she had shown him she cared. She had kissed him. How long before that Christmas afternoon had she felt that way about him?

He had often asked himself that, as he played the scene over and over again in his mind during the nights he could not sleep. On the nights when the thought, the memory, of Lily Evans in his arms drove him to distraction, and urges he could not resist made him glad the green silk curtains of his four-poster were drawn.

Did it happen years before? Did she realise the time they had first purposely joined hands over one wand back in fourth year? Or did it all happen there for her in the snowy forest clearing?

It was usually at this point that all his old insecurities came back. Had his unexpected and rough, unthinking behaviour that day forced an embrace she was not willing to give? What about that rare spell that made a flood of emotions wash back and forth between them? Surely he had felt something there that was unmistakeable? He frowned. One minute he would be so sure, and the next, he would be confusedly wondering whether he had imagined it all.

But now Mulciber's words had him thinking that if, indeed, Lily felt anything for him, then the Memory charm he'd performed would not likely affect that, and if it was true then she might be feeling just as frustrated as he did about a situation she could only half-understand.

And frustration can easily lead to irritation...

He was frowning thoughtfully as they made their way down the dungeon corridors. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not hear what Mulciber was saying.

'What'd'you say?' he asked him.

'I said: 'They're trying to turn her against you, Snape'' Mulciber repeated, an odd look on his swarthy face.

'Lily? 'They' who?'

'Her so-called 'friends', you know,' Mulciber explained, the torchlight reflected in a crimson glint in the eyes beneath the low brows, 'Gryffindor friends of course,'

'That's nothing new, Mulciber. Did you expect any Gryffindor to paint anything but a black picture of anyone from Slytherin?'

'Oh, but a Gryffindor in particular has a lot of influence with her. That Mary MacDonald who she's always hanging out with now-'

'Is this about you and MacDonald, again? I thought you'd've let off that girl. She's not worth bothering with.'

'Oh, but she doesn't seem to know when she's bested, Snape. She keeps on at me, and, indirectly, at you too.'

'How so?' he bit out impatiently.

'She's trying to turn Evans against you. Says you make her miserable, and that she should stop seeing you even as 'best friend' or whatever it is you're trying to convince everyone you are,' Mulciber grinned, keeping his eyes fixed on Severus, 'MacDonald told Evans she should go out with someone. She suggested James Potter. Told her he seemed very keen.'

Mulciber paused, as though expecting some reaction to his words. And reaction there was. Severus could feel it bubbling up inside him like hot lava, but he kept his face expressionless: this was Mulciber, for Merlin's sake!

'And where did you get all this wealth of information from? I guess MacDonald did not volunteer it herself?'

'Oh, I overheard her. Disillusionment charm, you know. Finally got the hang of it. Saw Evans with Macdonald sitting by those bushes near the lake before the match.'

'You mean just now?

'Yeah. Thought I'd listen in. I was interested in hearing MacDonald admit to something more serious, but overheard some girl-talk instead. Thought it'd interest you. '

'What else did she say?' he asked darkly.

'Just that she, MacDonald, thought you a bad influence on her and that she, Evans, ought to find someone that makes her laugh, not cry. Which brings me to the conclusion you're fucking up with Evans, Snape. I saw the way she looked at you!'

'And how is she supposed to look at me, you bloody idiot? You don't understand much, do you? Even Cassiopeia doesn't think _you're_ so hot, Casanova!'

'Have you been talking to her behind my back?'

'Of course I have! You're not the only one poking their nose in other people's business!'

'Huh! That girl's too manipulative. You shouldn't believe a word she says. MacDonald, on the other hand, is quite determined that Evans should ditch you,' he paused and then answered the unspoken question in Severus' eyes: 'Evans denied any interest in Potter, and she even defended you – though grudgingly, in my opinion. But with the way that Muggleborn looks, Snape, you'd better watch out. If not Potter, someone else'll come sniffing around her!'

Avery was walking a bit ahead of them and he paused to let them catch up, for Mulciber had fallen back to speak to him.

'What d'you think, Seth? Shall we show him?' Avery asked, looking at Severus with an expression of wry amusement.

Severus glared at both of them. He was still trying to get his mind around what Lily's so-called friends were telling her, and hating that interfering fool, Mary MacDonald, for daring to come between them. And he had just told Mulciber to lay off that sly, conniving witch!

He had thought MacDonald a rather foolish, clownish girl with a permanent cheesy grin on her face – rather innocuous, overall. But the death of her brother seemed to have sent her round the bend or something, for she had tried to curse Mulciber with an unforgiveable curse, and now she was starting a slanderous campaign to turn Lily against him and into the arms of that big-headed, four-eyed bastard of a Gryffindor! If Mulciber cursed her, serve her right!

Mulciber hadn't answered Avery's question yet. He appeared to consider, and Severus was about to march off when Mulciber stopped him:

'I think we should, Phil,' he said, with a smirk, 'I think he'll be grateful for some tips about how to get stuff done around here. If you want to learn how to handle people Snape, follow us: I think you might find it useful in getting certain members of the female sex to do your bidding, if you know what I mean.'

Biting off the bitter retort that rose to his lips, Severus followed them. He needed to know about whatever Mulciber considered overt, even though it meant he had to endure his gloating.

They passed down a badly-lit dungeon passageway and which turned sharply to the left. There were some disused low-ceilinged rooms at the end of the passageway where once they used to meet up with Rabastan, Nott and others to discuss the Dark Lord's policies. Neither Severus, nor, as far as he knew, the others, had been down here for over a year now. His curiosity aroused in spite of himself, Severus followed the two sixth-years as they made their down the passageway, laughing at a lewd joke Avery was recounting.

Mulciber opened the door at the end of the passage with a flourish, and indicated, with a mock bow, that Severus should be the first inside.

Placing his hand over the wand in his pocket, for he did not trust Mulciber and his particular brand of humour, Severus stepped inside. It was dark and he could not see anything at first, but a sudden scuffling sound from the middle of the room made him draw his wand. He would not be surprised if this was just an elaborate April Fool's joke on him, but a second later, this assumption was dispersed as Avery lit a torch in a bracket on the wall, and the room came into full view.

Mary Macdonald hung by her arms from two rusty iron rings embedded in the wall opposite the door. She was struggling futilely against the chains that bound her to the wall, her face red with effort, her thick glasses askew and her blonde hair tousled. She was mouthing something, but no sound came out of her mouth. Judging by her mad, furious expression, whatever she wanted to say was vastly uncomplimentary.

'Silencing Charm,' Mulciber said, looking at MacDonald dispassionately, 'Done it last month with Flitwick. Effective, isn't it?'

Mary Macdonald ceased struggling for a second to catch her breath, slumping slightly forward so that her outstretched arms bore all of her weight. Severus had a mental image of someone else he had seen in exactly that position.

The sacrificial position. He felt his blood drain from his face and turned round to face Mulciber.

'What the bloody hell are you doing with her down here, Mulciber? Have you taken leave of your senses?'

'Didn't think you were so squeamish, Snape!' Avery remarked, grinning delightedly at his discomfiture.

'I'm not. I just think you're a pair of blithering idiots! How the hell do you think you're going to get away with this? This'll look much worse than it is!'

'Since you don't know our plans for our dear little Gryffindor guest,' Mulciber replied with a leer, 'do not make such assumptions! I'm sure that her visit here will be just as bad as it looks – if not worse!'

He looked at MacDonald when he said this, but the girl was defiant, looking daggers at him and mouthed further silent expletives. Severus narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what Mulciber was planning, but there was no way MacDonald would keep her mouth shut on this: and the fact that she was a disarmed witch with three boys locked together in a dungeon cell gave her enough reason to have them expelled! What in Merlin's name were they thinking? Perhaps he could Confund her or Obliviate her memory- but not without knowing what happened.

'You told me you were tailing MacDonald just before the match, and - and she was with Lily' – if Mulciber had laid a finger on her, he'd kill him – 'How in Merlin's name did you get her down here? You were with me during the game!'

'Well, Evans actually defended you more energetically than I let on, Snape,' Mulciber answered, with a glance at MacDonald, 'she told MacDonald off for calling you several uncomplimentary things and left her in a huff sitting alone by the bushes. After that, it was easy.'

Severus had ears only for the first part of Mulciber's speech. Lily had defended him! Not grudgingly at all, but enough to turn against Mary!

But Mulciber was continuing, for he could not resist the chance to boast:

'I cast a modified Imperious Curse on her again, - my Uncle taught me that, you know. He ranks very high up where it matters, and learnt from the Dark Lord himself! Anyway I forced her to come with me, snarling and fuming, back to the castle. No one saw us, for everyone was already at the Quidditch match. Very slick piece of work, though I say so myself! I tied her up and joined you for the game. I told Phil here about it and he agreed we should teach her a lesson!'

'A lesson for what, Mulciber? I'm sure it's not because you overheard her insulting me!'

'She's been nickin' our letters, Severus! Waylayin' the owls, she was!'

'You don't have an owl, Phil!'

'But Seth does! And he suspected someone'd been at Plutus, his grey owl'

'Soon after MacDonald here tried to curse me with the Cruciatus, letters started to go missing so I asked Lucius Malfoy to borrow Zeus, his eagle owl. Everybody knows who that owl belongs to, so I knew she wouldn't be able to resist.'

He walked over to MacDonald, who stopped struggling and eyed him defiantly.

'But Zeus is trained to carry certain letters of importance MacDonald,' Mulciber smiled evilly at her, 'You didn't know that he was specially trained, did you? That owl knows that if it is forced to give up a letter to other than its rightful owner, it will scratch you with the special silver spur attached to its left foot. The thief will be marked, and blood evidence of the theft taken back to the owner at the same time!'

Mulciber made a sudden movement a grabbed Mary MacDonald's left arm. She struggled but he twisted her arm around and pushed down her sleeve slightly. There, on the back of her wrist was an ugly black scratch, in the shape of an elongated 'V'. Severus could see that the darkness was not due to dried blood, but something else, whatever the bird's spur was impregnated with.

That's why I followed you, MacDonald,' Mulciber spat suddenly, the hatred in his voice spilling over, 'I had long suspected, and I just needed to see the proof of your guilt! And if you think you've intercepted any letters of importance, you can forget it! There was nothing in those letters that I cared about!'

Mary MacDonald was struggling fiercely again, mouthing silent words at them.

'Let 'er 'ave her say, Seth! Might be interesting to hear now! Caught red-handed, she was!' Avery interjected.

Mulciber grinned and waved his wand, and Mary MacDonald's voice suddenly filled the room, shouting a mixture of insults and empty threats. It took her some minutes and a few deep breaths to speak more coherently.

'I'll get you for this, Mulciber! I have proof that your Uncle is a Death Eater! I have proof that you correspond with the Lestranges! They're the ones that convinced the Giants to join You-know-who! I have proof that –'

'You have _nothing,_ MacDonald! Those letters are either just stupid stuff from home, or are written in code! You have _nothing_!' he repeated, with conviction.

Severus thought that Mulciber was right here, for though her chin jutted out angrily, the girl finally shut up, resorting to glaring at her captors.

'We thought we'd teach you a lesson!' Avery continued, 'Teach you to stop thievin' from your betters and –'

'I'll be damned if I let you! You're not going to stop me! I'm not afraid of you, and I won't rest until I've shown the whole world what you're nothing but a murderer! Too cowardly to do it yourself, you got your Death Eater family to do it for you!'

Severus thought Mulciber would deny it, but the older boy shot him a swift but significant look, and turned to Mary MacDonald once more.

'All the more reason not to cross me, MacDonald. I've got connections in the right places, as you said. Now, just in case your fingers get itchy again, I thought I'd teach you to respect other people's property. And this time, Evans isn't here to save you!'

'I don't need anyone's help! And you leave Lily out of this!'

Severus saw the blue eyes behind the thick glasses narrow slightly, and her face tightened as though she was steeling herself for whatever was to come. His heart beat faster. The girl undoubtedly had been a fool, but where did Mulciber want to go with this?

'How touching!' Mulciber exclaimed, 'After you angered your friend, are you still sticking up for her?'

'She had nothing to do with all this. Lily's just a blind fool, that's all!' MacDonald muttered, casting a look full of hatred in Severus' direction.

'Shut up about Lily!' he snarled suddenly, remembering what she had been telling her before the Quidditch match.

'She _is_ a blind fool to trust you, Snape!' Mary shouted suddenly her voice echoing around the sparsely furnished room, 'And when I tell her what you've been up to today, she'll finally learn what a lousy, worthless friend she's got! She'll learn to hate you!'

'Isn't that what you've already been spending your time doing, MacDonald?' he took a step closer to her, his voice trembling with rage, and not giving a damn what the others saw or thought.

'And isn't it clear why I should warn her? Look at you! Three against one! You're no good for her, you slimy bastard, and it's time someone opened her eyes! You're the only one who manages to make Lily Evans sad!' she struggled forwards in her chains towards him, clenching her hands into fists as though she'd like to scratch his eyes out, 'I tried to see what the hell she saw in you, to even want to call you 'friend', but I cannot, Snape! Not anymore. I'll do my damndest to make her forget you, and have some fun with someone else instead, like Potter.' She paused, her lips twisting in a sneer that sat incongruously on her round, bespectacled face, 'Oh, and by the way, Potter's ditched Emily, and I think he'll ask _her_ out instead!'

Severus felt his vision cloud up in a red rage. How dare she? What did this stupid chit of a girl understand about him and Lily? Nothing! _Nothing!_ He was trembling with rage as he looked into those pale blue eyes, but before he could act upon several mad impulses that came to mind, Avery butted in, his narrow, pinched face alight with knowing leer.

'Didn't know you had a thing for the little mudblood, Severus. You're always sayin' you're just friends an' all.'

This brought him back to his senses and he drew back from Mary MacDonald before he did something stupid.

'I suggest you keep your little venomous tongue to yourself, Miss MacDonald' Mulciber said, 'You've done enough harm already. You wouldn't want all this trouble you've caused to rebound on someone else in your family, do you? I hear your dear old muggle mother – '

Mary MacDonald screwed up her face with hatred and spat right into his face. Severus gave a grimace of impatience: didn't these bloody Gryffindors know when to stop? Now she had made sure Mulciber would, if he really had any influence whatsoever, make sure her entire family would be targeted. Judging by the fire in the eyes beneath Mulciber's swarthy brows, that was exactly what the Slytherin was thinking as he wiped her spittle off his face. Avery gave a loud guffaw, eager to see Mulciber's reaction to this. But when it came, even he was not ready for it.

Mulciber drew back his hand and slapped Mary MacDonald across the face, the sharp sound ricocheting off the wall of the dungeon. Severus saw her eyes widen in shock and he scowled. The stupid bint, what the bloody hell had she expected? The white skin on her cheek started to turn an angry red, and her eyes blinked rapidly.

So familiarly.

Mulciber had raised his hand for another blow, an ugly look on his face, but Severus grabbed his arm on the downward swing, so that the full fury of the of the sixth-year turned onto him.

'Don't,' he said, in a quiet, but deadly voice.

'What the hell is it with you, Snape?' Mulciber spluttered 'Didn't you just see what she did?'

'Yes. But don't mark her,' Severus retorted coldly, 'I'm not going to clean up after your bloody mess! And you're both hopeless with healing spells!'

Mulciber took a deep breath Severus could see his nostrils dilating. He clutched his hand over his wand. You could never tell with stubborn, wilful idiots like Mulciber. But with an effort, the Slytherin seemed to regain his composure, for he gave a twisted smile and said:

'My intention isn't to mark her …much. But she could do with some improvement, couldn't she, Phil? It might solve her problem. Oh yes, I overheard that part of your girly conversation too, MacDonald. You've never been kissed before, have you?' Mulciber gloated as the girl's cheeks reddened in humiliation, 'well, I'm going to suggest a remedy for that!'

And Mulciber took a short wand from his pocket and waved it at Mary's chest.

'_Engorgio!_' he shouted.

Mary Macdonald's rather flat, boyish figure became instantly bigger, expanding voluptuously, robes straining to cover her burgeoning chest. Avery started laughing raucously as he bent over a disused desk, thumping his fist on its surface as tears of laughter welled in his eyes. Mulciber was leering at the girl, a dull fire lighting his eyes as they swept up and down her altered figure.

'What the fuck are you doing, Mulciber?' Severus bit out, his pulse racing.

He felt the blue eyes of the girl from the wall opposite search for his, and knew that the look in them would be pleading...

Mulciber strode up to him and whispered in his ear. 'It's not what you think, Snape, but it'd do no harm to let her think it, no? It's only a little joke,' And he whispered the rest of the plan to Severus, who frowned.

'There's no way you'll get out of this without everyone knowing, Mulciber!'

' Oh, 'e's doin it wiv 'er own wand, Severus,' Avery interjected wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, 'It'll look like she tried to give 'erself bigger boobs, if they investigate. Lots 'o girl try it. Me own sister –'

'I will get you expelled for this, Mulciber! All of you! If you dare lay a finger on me…!' Mary shouted, but there was a sob in her voice. Obviously she was thinking ahead, and her imagination was supplying the details of Mulciber's unspoken threat...

'Oh, but I won't lay a finger on you, my dear girl. _You_ will instead. Lovingly. As though you've always fancied me, and just couldn't resist the temptation. I will _make_ you do it, MacDonald, and I think you'll thank me for it. You could say you've kissed a handsome Pureblood: how does that sound?'

Mary was spluttering in a frightened way when Mulciber waved his wand and the rusty metal rings released her hands, but before she could run or even move, he waved her own wand at her and hissed:

'_Impono voluntas mea!'_

She moved jerkily towards him, her face contorting with a primeval fear.

Avery moved closer, his narrow pinched face flushed with excitement.

'Have you got the box ready, Phil? Mulciber asked, his dark eyes alive with malice.

Avery nodded and took out something from a small bag he was holding. Severus recognised an old Brownie camera.

'There, MacDonald, our little romantic encounter is going to be immortalised in a photo. I like keeping mementos, you know' he said, 'And another thing: I like to keep this private. You wouldn't like to have the photo of you kissing me splurged all over the school notice boards would you?'

MacDonald's eyes were suddenly filled with angry tears, and Severus had to grudgingly admit that Mulciber had thought of everything. That photo would discredit any accusations the girl made, and it was embarrassing enough for her keep her mouth shut about everything. He wondered if it would work though. That stupid Gryffindor was fool enough to keep on trying.

Severus watched dispassionately as Mulciber waved his wand and Mary MacDonald was forced to move jerkily closer. Tears were streaming down her face now, but as she came towards Mulciber, her pale blue eyes looked over Mulciber's shoulder, seeking his. They were wide with fear now.

'Snape! S-Snape, ' her voice was hoarse, strangulated. Probably the Imperious curse variant was not allowing her free speech. She sounded like a frightened rabbit now, 'S-stop them!' she breathed.

Severus looked at the white face, clenching his jaw muscles. He knew Mulciber was only planning to frighten her, nothing else, but if he gazed at those wide, frightened eyes any longer….

'No. I don't think I'll stay. It'd be three against one, wouldn't it?' he said coldly, hardening his heart as he remembered her earlier comments. 'Besides, it might do you good to see what it feels like to have someone spread false rumours about you, MacDonald!'

Avery gave a snorting laugh and aimed the large old-fashioned camera at Mary MacDonald who was now standing inches away from Mulciber, her unnaturally large chest making her appear top-heavy. Her eyes turned back to Mulciber, and with a frightened whimper, she slipped inside his open arms. Mulciber, who was grinning broadly, carefully removed her spectacles with one hand. As Severus turned to leave, he saw the blonde girl place her arms round Mulciber's neck, her eyes glued to his face, as he drew her firmly towards him.

Turning to close the door behind him, he caught a brief glimpse of Mary MacDonald kissing every inch of Mulciber's face, apparently quite fervidly. Then there was a blinding flash of light from the camera, and he shut the door firmly behind him.

His mind was seething with anger as he made his way towards Slytherin Common-room. Mulciber's plan was not entirely fool-proof, and he'd've done better with the use of a Love-potion: it less easy to trace the culprit. But it was not Mulciber's style: he had to force people. That was the allure, for him.

He had told him his plan was to push Mary away the instant the photo was taken, so that it would appear she had a crush on him that found annoying. If he managed such an elaborate piece of skulduggery, the resultant photo would be very interesting indeed. Perhaps that would teach her to slander him in Lily's eyes!

He went over again and again MacDonald's words in his mind: '_You're no good for her, you slimy bastard, and it is time someone opened her eyes!'_ The bloody interfering little minx! And she was trying to set Lily up with Potter! _Potter!_

He snarled the password to the Slytherin Common-room and the door slid open. Ignoring the crowded Slytherins around the fireplace, commiserating the results of the earlier Quidditch match, Severus headed straight to the dorm and threw himself on the green and silver coverings of his four poster. The room was deserted, and he rolled on his back to stare, unseeing, at the canopy above, his hands behind his head.

MacDonald was Lily's friend. He had often seen them together since last summer. He wouldn't be surprised if MacDonald confided what happened to Lily. Lily would be angry of course. She wouldn't stop to think that MacDonald had been pilfering Mulciber's mail. She might even regret that she had stuck up for him earlier. But then, what difference did it make? After all, MacDonald had clearly said she'd do her damndest to make Lily forget him!

He grabbed a book off the table next to the bed and forced his mind to read the print, but the words seemed meaningless and they passed through his brain without leaving any trace. Even when half-an-hour later he was called by Avery and Mulciber to help them develop the photos in the special potion that would make the subjects move, his mind was not in it.

The photo was everything Mulciber had hoped for: though MacDonald had a rather strained and weird look on her face, she was kissing Mulciber wildly and he, Mulciber, was removing her arms from around his neck with a patient but disgusted look, belied by the small smile that played around his full lips.

Severus went back to the dorm, feeling uneasy, and a little later, towards mid-afternoon, the reason for his unease made itself manifest as the watch around his wrist grew hot. He sat up sharply in bed and looked at the tiny runic letters forming on the third inner dial:

'_I'm afraid I cannot come to Hogsmeade tonight.'_

He sat looking at his watch a minute longer, till the runes reverted back to their original sequence and the watch grew as cold as his heart felt.


	128. Chapter 128

**Chapter 128: The Argument.**

**A/n: The part in italics is from J K Rowling Book, **_**Deathly Hallows**_** and has only been tweaked slightly to fit in with the rest of the story.**

It was Monday morning that Severus saw Lily again, for she kept to the Gryffindor common-room for the week end. It was driving him up the wall to know that she was closeted in there with the likes of Potter and his friends, but he couldn't do anything about it. Worse still, Mary MacDonald was conspicuous by her absence. Though he had scoured the Gryffindor table every lunch time, and, on Sunday, even the grounds by the lake, for the April showers had given way to one of the first mild days of the year. But neither Lily nor MacDonald appeared anywhere, though he did see Potter go for Quidditch practice, accompanied by his usual gaggle of laughing Gryffindors.

It might have been his guilty imagination, but he thought the Gryffindors were looking at him with more than their usual belligerence.

Thus, he breathed a sigh of relief on Monday morning when Lily finally took her place by his side in Slughorn's class, and greeted him civilly.

Civilly, but not cheerily, as was her wont. However, Slughorn set them so much work to do that he could find no opportunity to speak to her properly. The Easter holidays were fast approaching, and there was a last-minute, desperate, cramming for those fifth-year students (though not many) who were to leave for the holidays. Slughorn wanted to make sure they had enough material to study to last them through the holidays and beyond. Once back, there would be barely eight weeks till their OWLS.

During the frenzied brewing of the Potion Slughorn set them to do, Severus kept an eye out for Mary MacDonald. She was sitting with Thalia and appeared rather subdued, though otherwise looking no different from usual. Her outsize breasts had deflated, and there was nothing else that indicated what had happened, and though he tried to catch her eye to gauge her reaction, she studiously avoided looking at him.

He had expected her to throw him a dirty look at the very least, but her blonde head determinedly looked the other way whenever she noticed him looking.

Pushing Macdonald out of his mind, he made sure that when the lesson was finally over, he and Lily were left to walk out of the classroom alone. But as they climbed the dungeon steps, Lily turned to him and, hugging some books tightly to her chest, said:

'I've got to go ahead, Sev, I promised Thalia and Mary I'd help them with their Charms homework.'

'Flimsy excuse, Lily! You don't have to do that now; it's break! Besides you had all weekend closeted up together with them!'

She had already taken a few steps ahead up the dungeon steps, but now she sighed and waited until he caught up with her at the entrance to the courtyard.

'Yes, but it doesn't mean I don't help them if they ask me to. Look, I just need to talk to Mary a bit, ok?'

'Why didn't you want to go to Hogsmeade last Saturday?' he asked, abruptly.

She paused on her way out into the large, cloistered courtyard, and Severus could see that her expression was guarded. He dreaded her answer, but perhaps he should try to explain, to make her understand…

'I thought my friends needed me more than I needed to go to Hogsmeade,' she said after a bit, 'so I stayed with them. We can always go another time.'

'There probably won't be many opportunities now,' he retorted, starting to feel resentful, 'besides, I wanted to talk to you-'

'So did they, Sev. They're important too, and I wanted to – had to - stay with them, instead. Anyway, I thought you might go with your Slytherin friends, like last time'

'That was different!' he snapped, beginning to feel like he shouldn't have started this conversation after all, 'But it was your idea to go to Hogsmeade, remember? So why did you suddenly prefer to stay with those stupid -?'

'Because I have friends in Gryffindor, just as you have those... _friends_...in Slytherin!' She cut across him angrily before he could insult them further.

Severus felt his temper rising at her unreasonable words. Now he didn't feel like offering any explanations, or try to make excuses for what happened to MacDonald! Besides, what could he say now? If Mulciber's joke was what had upset Lily (and he still wasn't really sure that Mary had breathed a word to anyone of what had transpired), she'd already heard Mary's version of events, and he doubted if she'd believe anything else! Perhaps she didn't _want_ to believe anything else! She should've come to Hogsmeade, and then he could have explained that it was partly MacDonald's own fault!

'They're my _friends_, Severus,' Lily repeated emphatically, as she set off across the courtyard, still clutching the books tightly to her like a barrier.

He hurried up to walk by her side, incensed at her words, but unwilling to let her go.

'_I thought we were supposed to be friends?' Severus said, 'Best friends?'_

'_We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging around with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! _Mulciber!_ What do you see in him, Sev? He's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary MacDonald the other day?'_

_Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into his thin sallow face._ Severus' heart missed a beat. If she was asking him this, then Mary hadn't revealed he had been present when Mulciber and Avery played that joke on her. This was rather mysterious as given her threats to poison Lily's mind against him, he had fully expected her to take advantage of what happened.

'_That was nothing,' said Severus, 'It was a laugh, that's all-'_

'_It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny –'_

'_What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?' demanded Severus. His colour rose again as he said it, unable to hold in his resentment._

'_What's Potter got to do with anything?' said Lily._

'_They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?'_

'_He's ill,' said Lily, 'They say he's ill –'_

'_Every month at the full moon?' said Severus._

'_I know your theory,' said Lily, and she sounded cold. 'Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they're doing at night?'_

'_I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are.'_

_The intensity of his gaze made her blush._

'_They don't use dark Magic, though.' she dropped her voice. 'And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there –'_

_Severus's whole face contorted and he spluttered, 'Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to –I won't let you-'_

'Let_ me? Let me?'_

_Lily's bright green eyes were slits. Severus backtracked at once._

'_I didn't mean – I just don't want to see you made a fool of – he fancies you, James Potter fancies you!'_

_The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. 'And he's not... everyone thinks ... Big Quidditch hero –' Severus's bitterness and dislike was rendering him incoherent and Lily's eyebrows were travelling further and further up her forehead._

'_I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag,' she said cutting across Severus, 'I don't need you_ _to tell me that. But Mulciber and Avery's idea of humour is just evil. _Evil_, Sev, I don't understand how you can be friends with them.'_

_The moment she had insulted James Potter, Severus felt his whole body relax, and as they walked away there was a new spring to his step_. At least, his worst fear that Lily was somehow warming up to that bastard was unfounded. Of course, he knew that Potter would let slip how he had saved his life, sooner or later: it was too good an opportunity to miss, and Potter never missed a chance to show off, even though, presumably, Dumbledore had requested him to keep quiet, too.

But it was the first time Lily mentioned she knew what happened –probably Potter had chosen this weekend to reveal the only part of the incident that would make him look good. Severus was afraid she might be dazzled by Potter's heroics - she was a Gryffindor after all - but she had just called him an arrogant toerag, hadn't she?

But there was a lot she didn't know.

'James Potter's far worse than an arrogant toerag, Lily! Him and the rest of his gang! I take it that he didn't quite explain how I came to be 'sneaking', as you put it, down that tunnel? You just took his word for it – _Potter's_ word, not mine – that that is what happened beneath the Whomping Willow?'

He let the anger show in his voice, as he walked slightly ahead of her, his eyes never leaving her face. But Lily was unmoved, and looked just as angry as he felt.

'No, James Potter didn't explain why you were down there, Severus! And I didn't ask! I didn't _want _to, if truth be told!' her voice rose shrilly, 'Why should I? This is another of the many things you kept from me, isn't it? Like the tunnel to Madeira's house, like all the years you'd been learning dark magic from that horrible witch, or from your great-grandfather's book; like your involvement with the Karkaroffs – I haven't forgotten you said you practiced Legilimency on one of them! You never told me about any of this! And God knows what else! I always find out accidently, or from others, about all the danger and trouble you put yourself in!' her voice rose higher, and there was a slight quiver to it, 'Every time I hope it will be the last time, and then , yet again, I find you are putting your life at risk again! And for what, Severus? Somehow there is always Dark Magic at the bottom of it! That's what attracted you to the tunnel, isn't it? One day, you're just not going to return from wherever it is you're going –!'

Her voice shook and she blinked as angry tears rose to her eyes, but she held up her hand to stop him when he sought to interrupt her. When she spoke again, her voice was cold: 'No, look, Severus – I'm sorry, but told you I'm getting tired of all the secrecy. You went down the Whomping Willow over a week ago, didn't you? You never told me anything about it, so don't go and blame me if I heard the story from someone else first!'

'But _Potter_, Lily? Him?'

'I didn't believe him at first. I thought he was just bragging as usual, but I checked with Remus, and he said it was true. Remus appeared very upset and confirmed your life was at risk. He somehow thought I'd know, seeing that we're _best friends_!'

'That Lupin – he ...he's just -!'

'Why didn't you tell me, Severus?' she cut across him, her face pale, but set. They had left the shaded walkway of the courtyard and the castle, and had arrived at the slightly sloping, overgrown area between the castle and the Greenhouses.

'I – I couldn't ...'

'What? Trust me? That much is obvious,' she replied, her green eyes boring into his with a hurt look that went straight to his heart, 'Possibly that tunnel leads to somewhere just as sinister as that Madeira's house, doesn't it? Well, why don't you tell me what really happened in the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow? What's at the end of the tunnel?'

Her green eyes looked up into his expectantly, yet apprehensively. He swallowed hard and found he could no longer look into her eyes. He looked down at his scuffed shoes instead, wondering miserably what he could tell her. Then waves of anger and disgust washed over him, at Potter, at Black, at Remus Lupin, at Dumbledore, and even at himself, for not seeing the trap he had fallen into.

'I cannot tell you...' he mumbled bitterly.

Lily just gave him one angry look and whirled round to stalk off to where a group of Gryffindor girls were waiting outside Greenhouse five at the end of the row of greenhouses.

'Lily, wait!' he ran after her, grabbing her shoulder to stop her, but she whirled round to glare at him, and he snatched his hand away.

'They played a joke on me, ok?' he said, thinking desperately, 'I – I was stupid enough to fall for it and so ... so... it serves me right! I didn't tell you, because I thought you'd think me a right prat to fall for something so-'

'A _joke_?' Lily looked uncomprehendingly at him.

Obviously, both Potter and Lupin had carefully omitted Black's crucial part in the whole thing. And their own. He was sure they were in on the joke too, but they probably made it sound as though they were innocent bystanders. Well, somebody should disillusion Lily about _that_ at least.

'Sirius Black told me how to get to the tunnel by the Whomping Willow.'

'Sirius Black? And how did _he_ know how to get in?'

Severus shrugged. 'He said he saw someone else.'

'Then he couldn't have known it was dangerous, could he?'

This was too much. Severus' restraint reached breaking point. If he, Severus, had been plotting to discredit Dumbledore and get the Marauders into trouble, that surely wasn't as bad as Sirius Black's premeditated murder! A 'joke' indeed!

'Bloody hell, Lily! Of course he knew it was dangerous! Why are you defending him? Or does being a handsome git exonerate you from any wrong-doing in a girls' eyes?'

'You take that back, Severus Snape!' Two angry red spots had appeared in Lily Evans' cheeks and her eyes were flashing dangerously. The girls in the distance had stopped chatting and were looking at them. 'Take it back!'

'Ok, perhaps not being a handsome git,' Severus conceded grudgingly, 'but certainly being a _Quidditch champion_ must count for something! Potter knew what was down that tunnel, Lily! He got cold feet and didn't want to carry the joke through, that's why he stopped me, just in case you're still thinking how wonderfully brave he is !' he sneered, venomously.

He observed Lily through narrowed eyes. He hadn't missed the blush earlier, when he'd mentioned that bastard. Nor had he missed the fact that Lily had not denied it, when he told her Potter fancied her.

However, there was no hint of a blush now, and Lily's face had paled.

'I – I didn't think,' she said, her voice barely a whisper, 'I didn't know it was a joke. Potter made it sound as though he was tipped off or something, and rushed off to help you,' Her green eyes fixed his with a piercing gaze. 'But if Potter knew, and Black knew, and presumably the rest of the Marauders, why can't you tell _me_?'

Severus couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from hers this time. Perhaps he should tell her, and to hell with Dumbledore! But would she believe him? He doubted it, and anyway, she counted that bloody werewolf as one of her friends, even though he was one of the Marauders! She'd probably confront Lupin and demand confirmation, and Dumbledore would get to know he'd blabbed. Besides, he was now starting to doubt whether her reaction would be horror at a having a werewolf amongst the students. After all his efforts, she'd probably feel sorry for Lupin!

Unlike him, she hadn't seen the crazed, savage look in the werewolf's eyes, or the slavering, tainted jaws snarling mere feet away, eager to slash his throat!

'I can't tell you because I'm afraid of what you would do if you found out,' he said after a while, and seeing the look of puzzled look in her eyes, he added: 'and besides, I've promised a teacher not to.'

'A teacher?' Lily's voice was instantly more at ease.

He knew that she naively believed that if a teacher was involved then it was all right. Probably just a joke taken too far, or a joke that accidentally went wrong.

He nodded, knowing it was useless arguing. It couldn't have anything to do with dark stuff, if _teachers _were involved, in her mind.

He kept his face impassive, though he was seething inside. He could do nothing for now. It was too soon after the incident. Lily would have to find out about Lupin's disease by herself, and he was sure she would: he had given her enough hints! He would be around when that day came, to fully explain what happened, and what could easily happen again with such idiots as Potter and his gang knowing the secret of the Whomping Willow.

'Then I suppose it's ok if the teachers know about it, Sev,' she said, though there was still a lingering doubt in her voice, 'I just wish you wouldn't bother with the Marauders though. Any more of these stupid jokes, and one of you could end up seriously hurt!'

Severus made a sarcastic noise. 'Seriously hurt' is an understatement! At least Mulciber and Avery never intended to _kill_ Mary MacDonald!'

'No, but they hung her up in the Sacrificial Position! They made her _think_ that she'd be killed, or worse, raped!'

Severus arched his eyebrows. In the distance he saw the subject of their discussions, Mary MacDonald, among the girls waiting near greenhouse five. She was looking at them, although they were too far away for their conversation to be overheard. Severus thought she looked angry.

'Ye-e-e-s, I'm sure MacDonald would rather be killed than raped, Lily' he said, with a sarcastic smirk, 'just what every chaste, puritan maiden should answer!'

'You know what I mean!' Lily said grumpily, but there was a treacherous twitch in her lips.

Encouraged, Severus persisted. 'Mulciber and Avery can be twats sometimes, but I would ask Mary MacDonald what she did to _them_ instead. She's no Saint, Lily. I know she tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on Mulciber once!'

'But she didn't Sev, and she wouldn't try it again! I know her.'

But Severus could hear the doubt in her voice, and little tendrils of hope and triumph started spreading a deceitful warmth through him again. Perhaps all was not lost. But he had to be careful: fate had a habit of knocking down his happiness in playful mischief every time it reared its unlikely head in his breast, especially where Lily was concerned.

'You say you know her, Lily, but does she know _me_? Because from what I've heard, she's quite the amateur psychologist recently, and I'm one of her favourite how-not-to-behave examples. She said I'm a bad influence on you, didn't she?'

There was the blush again. The brilliant green eyes fluttered briefly to his and then she lowered them immediately again, looking flustered.

'I – That isn't exactly… Look, I told Mary off, okay? I don't think she – or anyone - should dictate what I feel! I mean...' her blush deepened and she started fiddling with a dog-eared piece of parchment sticking out of her book, frowning, 'We're friends, right? That's all there is to it! Mary should know that you're not like Mulciber or Avery! And I'm hardly likely to ...' She paused.

'Hardly likely to what, Lily?' he asked quietly.

She glanced fleetingly up at him, and her voice had a forced harshness to it. 'Nothing. Hardly likely to ... to become something else, I suppose.'

Severus stared at her.

'What d'you mean?' he hardly recognised his own voice, it was just a hoarse whisper.

Lily looked up then, mistaking the horror in his voice, for her own was a mixture of resignation and bitterness when she answered: `I suppose I mean that I can be nothing else but a good friend to you, and defend you when people get the wrong idea. But you make it so damn hard sometimes, Severus!' her voice ended in a slight quiver and she looked down at the parchment she was fiddling with, as though it had offended her somehow.

Severus said nothing, but continued to stare at her. In what way did she mean she could be nothing else but a good friend? Was she just defending him, or did she mean something else? There were unshed tears in her eyes now, and he knew he deserved to be kicked in the balls for causing them.

'I'm sorry, Lily,' he said in a low voice, leaning closer, 'I'm sorry your friends are giving you a hard time because of me'.

'Not my friends, Severus. It's just that … I just don't –' her downcast eyes flickered to his, and she seemed to forget what she had to say, 'You worry me,' she finished lamely, backing away slightly till she was up against the wooden corner support of the greenhouse.

'So you think I'm a bad influence too?' he asked bitterly, 'because you're mistaken, Lily! I've come to think that nothing – _nobody _– could ever influence you!'

Her eyes, as evergreen as the plants he could see through the greenhouse window behind her, looked up at him, obviously trying to figure out whether what he had said was a compliment, or a recrimination. He almost smiled.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his right hand on the greenhouse above her head and leaned in closer, lowering his voice, 'And I'm starting to think nobody should: I like your single-minded, foolhardy, mysteriously ingenuous Gryffindor spirit just fine just the way it is, Lily!'

She blinked, looking at him in disbelief. 'But I thought you - all that stuff you used to tell me about the Death Eaters, and- and -'

'Nothing matters anymore,' he cut across her. As long as she kept away from that bastard Potter, he would think of some other way, a different approach to fulfilling the Dark Lord's request. 'Don't worry about it, Lily. Things will change, you'll see. For the better.'

She said nothing but just looked at him, and there was something stirring in the green depths of her eyes. There was a cautious hope, and something else. He realised he was close to her - too close, and a faint blush was diffusing her cheeks again.

'For the better?' she repeated in a whisper.

She had stopped fiddling with the parchment but clasped her books tightly to her chest, almost like a shield. Above them he could see the faint outline of the pendant she still wore beneath her robes.

His eyes travelled from the pendant back up to her face and he nodded slowly, 'I'll make sure of it, Lily. This – this is just temporary, until – until… Well, until the day when none of this matters: the system, the school, the four houses, the separation …none of it will matter anymore, and …and you'll see I'm different!'

'Different?' she sounded rather surprised.

But it would be nothing to how surprised she'd be when he finally showed her what he could achieve. He could be so much more than 'a bad influence'! When Voldemort won the war, there would be no need for separation into school houses or anything else, for Magic would not need to resort to skulking about in shameful secrecy, but take its rightful place in the world, and human beings would just fall naturally, inevitably, into the only two categories that existed: magical or non-magical. And despite their obvious differences, there was one thing that Lily and Severus had in common: and that was their love of magic.

And he would change, yes: he would become so different. Everything that he was not at the 'd be able to offer Lily protection and so much more than he could right now!

Lily was still looking at him as though she could hardly believe her ears. Possibly, she had misunderstood him, and was thinking along a different line, but then, she didn't know that Voldemort would win this war.

'Yes. You'll see me in a different light, you'll see. But for now, we're - we're ok, right?'

He removed his hand from the greenhouse and moved back slightly, for her closeness, her smell, were wreaking havoc on his senses, and that part of his brain that was always conscious, always awake, was screaming at him to move away before he'd do something that the group of girls near Greenhouse five would find very entertaining or very disturbing, depending on their point of view.

But Lily's eyes were looking at him again, and a small, shy smile was playing on her lips. She was so goddamned beautiful in this early spring sunlight, that he couldn't tear his eyes away! Something must have shown on his face, for her blush deepened.

'Yes, Sev, we are,' she spoke with none of the exasperated displeasure of earlier on, when she had been talking about Mulciber, but he could see an odd expression fleetingly cross her face – half-way between guilt and fear, that worried him.

Just then Professor Sprout came up behind him on her way to Greenhouse five. He jumped back hastily from Lily, but Professor Sprout just smiled broadly at both of them, and hurried on to open the Greenhouse door for the small crowd of fifth year students that had gathered there.

Lily slipped away to join the rest of the class for Herbology. Before joining Mary MacDonald, who was waiting for her, she turned and gave him a small wave and a smile which would ensure he spent the rest of the double lesson on Charms concentrating on anything else but what Flitwick was saying.

Mary MacDonald was looking daggers at him now, and was positively bursting with recriminations as Lily walked towards her, but he ignored her and turned to head back towards the castle, his mind filled with nothing else but the green wonder of Lily Evan's almond-shaped eyes.


	129. Chapter 129

**Chapter 129: Recriminations**

Lily knew Mary was about to explode. Her face was red and her blonde, wavy hair crackled with unspoken recriminations as she waited for Lily to approach Greenhouse Five which Professor Sprout was opening. Lily steeled herself, for she had an inkling as to what her friend would say. Surely enough:

'You forgave him again, didn't you?' Mary hissed at her angrily, falling back a step to let the other girls go in before them, 'What was his excuse this time?'

'Mary, it didn't go exactly as Potter said. Apparently, Sirius Black played a joke on him, and –'

'I'm not talking about that! Anyhow, Sirius didn't _force_ him to go sneaking down there, did he? He just told him how to get past the Whomping Willow!'

'So you knew about it? 'Lily looked at her friend, dumbfounded.

'I overheard Peter gloating. So what? It doesn't change the fact that Severus kept you in the dark, does it? Besides, I was referring to what his friends did to me last Friday. How did he explain that away, huh?'

Lily looked at her friend in slight bewilderment. Mary had spent all Potions lessons carefully avoiding Severus, whereas Lily had been half-afraid she'd start up a fight with him, just because he was friends with Mulciber and Avery. Exactly as she herself had done.

'He didn't really explain anything much,' she answered uncomfortably, 'He thought it was a laugh, but I told him it was Dark Magic, and-'

'Just a laugh, eh?' Mary said, two angry red spots appearing in her pale cheeks, as they followed the rest of the class into Greenhouse five.

Lily wasn't surprised Mary was upset, though her anger seemed to go far beyond upset. Well she couldn't blame her: she still remembered how, late in the afternoon on Saturday, when she was getting ready to go to Hogsmeade with Severus, Mary had limped into the Gryffindor common-room clutching an enormously engorged chest, and sobbing. Thank goodness, the common-room was almost deserted, for everyone was down in the Entrance Hall waiting to be let out by Filch for the long-awaited Hogsmeade trip. Jenny was with her, and together they helped Mary up to the girl's dorm where Lily performed a Shrinking Charm, for the large breasts were preventing her from breathing properly. Then, between sobs, Mary told them what Avery and Mulciber had done to her. They were shocked, though it soon emerged that the two sixth-year Slytherins had just intended to frighten and humiliate her.

Lily couldn't face going to Hogsmeade with Severus after that: her friend needed her more, and besides, she had seen him in the company of Mulciber and Avery after the match, and she knew she couldn't bear she thought of him with those two creeps now, more than ever. Lily had insisted that they tell McGonagall, but Mary would hear nothing of it. Her spirit seemed to have deserted her that day. Except for her breasts she was otherwise unharmed, but none of Lily's cajoling, or Jenny's gentle remonstrance could get her to breathe a word to any teacher about what happened. Mary kept blaming the photo Avery had taken, saying that it wouldn't look good if she spilt the beans, and that no-one would believe her, but Lily found this attitude unusual and out-of-character for Mary, given what she felt and thought about Mulciber.

They spent hours talking, far into the night, and the following day, on Sunday, Lily saw a return of the old spirit when Mary started speaking of getting her own back at Mulciber and Avery, though she refused to go into the particulars, and still would not put a foot outside Gryffindor common-room. Jenny and Thalia sneaked some food and snacks from the Gryffindor table and she ate in the common-room.

Lily spent all day Sunday with Mary and the other girls in the Gryffindor common room, listening sympathetically and joining in whole-heartedly in condemning the two Slytherins' prank. It was that afternoon that Potter had gravitated towards their small group, looking wind-swept and tousled after Quidditch practice, and started dropping hints that he had been a hero both on the Quidditch Pitch and off. When the other girls asked him for details, as he knew they would, the story of the Whomping Willow came out, to gasps of wonder and awe from his audience as he recounted how he went down a dark, creepy tunnel looking for Severus Snape to save him from something dark and dangerous at the end of it.

She hadn't known whether to believe him or not, but her heart missed a beat when Severus' name was mentioned. Potter had thrown a significant look in her direction hypothesising that her friend was down there _because _of something dark at the end of the tunnel. Potter kept looking at her, as he gave a blow-by-blow account of how he had persuaded Severus to return back, having had to practically drag him all the way out. His smug glances made her feel vastly uncomfortable and even irritated, for her mind was in turmoil at the news that Severus had been in danger again.

Something of Potter's persistence did get through to her, however. After all, Mary had told her he fancied her, and she could hardly deny what she had already suspected for some time now, for Potter's eyes kept following the rest of the day.

It was only after she confirmed with Remus (whose level-headed views she trusted more than his friend's) that Potter had, indeed, saved Severus' life, her irritation with him subsided somewhat, and she started to feel grateful. Apparently, in spite of his big-headed and brash exaggerations, Potter wasn't only all talk: he had actually been quite brave to go down there and face the dark unknown.

Of course, he had to make sure everyone knew it – that Sunday the whole of Gryffindor common-room was a-buzz with the news: but Potter ignored everyone and seemed to crave only her approval. She could feel his expectant eyes on her the whole time; so finally, she went over to thank him for going after Severus. She thought it would be the least she could do for saving her best friend from whatever was down there.

But Potter hadn't wanted to hear about Severus. He waived her thanks aside impatiently, and asked her out instead.

She had just stood there looking foolishly at him for a full minute, before she stammered a refusal. He had taken her by surprise, in spite of knowing he fancied her. After all, she had had no experience of any boy asking her out before! To her immense dismay, she felt her face turn fiery red, but Potter was completely undaunted. He had grinned at her, leaning closer, his hazel eyes twinkling behind his round-rimmed spectacles, and said he'd keep on asking her until she gave in: no-one ever resisted him for long. Her face now red from anger as much as from embarrassment, she had made her way back to her group of girl friends who descended on her like vultures for the gossip!

With difficulty she had extricated herself from them and made her way to the girl's dorm, for she was feeling uncomfortably aware of Potter still grinning at her from across the common room. Throwing herself on her bed she had wondered how she'd get through lessons the next day, when the two people she was most furious with, Severus and Potter, would be sitting practically on either side of her in Potions!

Actually, she had found it quite easy to ignore Potter, for his cheery, confidant greeting next morning assured her he was not at all offended by her refusal. He seemed to think it was just a temporary setback, or she was just playing hard to get.

But with Severus, it was another matter. She kept her mouth tightly shut during the whole lesson, for she knew if she started, she would find it very difficult to stop: it wasn't only what happened under the Whomping Willow, she also had a strong suspicion that he knew about Mary's ordeal. He was always sticking around with those creeps, Mulciber and Avery!

At the end of the lesson, she had even tried to find an excuse to get away from Severus, but he had followed her and they had argued again! He just couldn't seem to see how disgusting Mulciber's behaviour had been! He was just so obsessed with what Potter and the others were up to, that he didn't even want to listen!

But what had really unbalanced her was when he seemed to read her mind. _'...they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are!'_ he had said, his dark eyes fixed on hers with burning intensity. He didn't know that she had actually thought Potter rather brave, and worse still, she had suddenly remembered that Potter had asked her out, and she hadn't told Severus about it. It had been awkward few seconds: she had felt herself blushing, but somehow she could not bring herself to tell him. Especially since he had guessed that James Potter fancied her.

His dark eyes were so different from the twinkly hazel ones, and she had felt so guiltily transparent, and angry perhaps that he hadn't been the one to ask her out instead of Potter, that she had lashed out at him. He professed that he just hadn't wanted Potter to make a fool of her. He needn't have bothered. The way things were going, it seemed perfectly clear that she was quite capable of making a fool of herself alone and unaided!

'Alright, everybody in? Let's start then,' Professor Sprout's brisk voice interrupted her reverie.

She was closing the door behind Potter, Black, Remus and Peter Pettigrew, who were the last stragglers to come in. Lily shook her head and tried to gather her scattered thoughts. Mary was still by her side, but dumped her bag on the table in offended silence.

'Today we'll be studying Fanged Geraniums,' Professor Sprout said, putting on some dragon hide gloves, 'The pruning and harvesting of seeds of these unusual plants often comes up in OWLs, and I want your full attention...'

There was some shuffling as the students from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor pricked up their ears and looked at the dumpy witch with flyaway hair and good-natured face.

Lily tried to concentrate, but Mary's resentful silence and the turmoil of hope that Severus had roused in her breast was making it hard. He had promised he would change for the better, but she was not sure that they had the same definition of 'better'. She knew herself enough to know she would cling to some hope, however ephemeral it may be. She sighed. Why, why, _why_ did Severus have to be so secretive? Every time her hopes were up, he did something to sink further into whatever dark magic project was currently on his agenda. And with that Death Eater gang constantly surrounding him, the projects seemed poised to get more sinister. Perhaps he kept secrets from her because that way, he did not have to deny them.

She pulled on her dragon hide gloves with another sigh, as the noise level in the greenhouse rose up. Professor Sprout had set them each the task of re-potting Fanged Geraniums, so they could get used to handling the vicious plants. She went to the main table for a pair of secateurs, ignoring Potter's cheesy grin, and returned to find Mary already pruning one of the Fanged Geraniums on their table, deftly avoiding the sharp teeth hidden amongst the soft red petals.

'Why d'you snub Potter?' Mary whispered sourly, 'He's only trying to be nice!'

'I don't feel like discussing Potter at the moment, Mary!' she snapped.

'Oh? So you'd like to discuss Snape, instead? We could, you know.'

There was something in Mary's tone that made Lily look up.

'I know that you don't like him, Mary, but that's no reason to start berating everything he says or does!'

'I saw how you were looking at him, Lily! I thought you were going to tell him off at least, if not stop talking to him completely!'

'Look, it's none of your concern! And I thought I already made it clear that he's my friend, nothing else!' She managed to say this with only the barest quiver in her voice.

'Pull the other one, it's got bells on! You can't fool me Lily! I really don't know why you're wasting your time with that Snape! It makes me so angry, especially when there's someone like Potter, who's so eager! Merlin, Lily! You're sixteen, and you haven't even ever been kissed -!'

Mary stopped and put her hand to her mouth, as though she'd regretted what she'd just said.

Lily glared at her. 'Whereas you have, remember? And I think you'll agree with me, that not every kiss can necessarily be a great experience! I –' She stopped, for Mary's head had drooped over her Geranium, her blonde hair falling to cover her face, but Lily distinctly saw a tear fall on the leaves.

'I'm - I'm sorry Mary. That was insensitive of me! I shouldn't have said that.'

'It's not that – it's just that…'

Lily could see her friend's hand trembling even though encased in the voluminous dragon hide glove. Her concern grew.

'Mary, what is it?'

'That day – when Mulciber forced me to ... to...' Mary gulped and bent lower over the Fanged Geranium. She did not continue for a minute, but then took a steadying breath and wiped her eyes clumsily with her dragon-hide glove. '...when Mulciber forced me to go to him, for a moment, when he pulled me close, I – I actually wanted him to kiss me, Lily' she finished her sentence in a sob, so that Lily wasn't sure that she'd heard right, but the miserable look on Mary's face as she glanced up fleetingly at her, left her in no doubt.

'But you were under that spell, Mary, it's not your fault-'

Mary shook her head. 'It wasn't the Imperius spell, Lily! You are fully aware of what you are being forced to do – it is just your body that obeys, your mind is free to hate ...or like... what your body is forced to do.' Mary's red-rimmed eyes fixed on to hers pleadingly.

'But it must have been the effect of that spell, somehow! You hate Mulciber!'

'I do! But that moment, I... I just wanted to –Merlin forgive me, Lily, - I just wanted to feel his lips on mine!' Her words ended in a choked sound of disgust, and she bent over the twitching plant in front of her. Lily put her hand on her shoulder, lost for words.

'He – they- had just made me think they planned to do all sorts of horrible things to me. I didn't know they were bluffing then – and yet... and yet, at that moment, all I could think of was kissing him! And no, it wasn't the spell Lily!' she spoke fiercely, 'It was _me_. I wanted it! I think I'm going insane!'

Lily gave a weak laugh, and patted her on the back, 'Of course you're not going mad! It's just ...perhaps you were just caught up in the moment, or something! Terror can momentarily unhinge your mind, or perhaps it was a survival instinct...'

'I'm supposed to be a Gryffindor! Survival isn't enough! Look at Alice! She wouldn't have been so silly, she would've stood up to them, she would've -'

'What? Sang the Gryffindor Anthem while being raped by two Slytherin thugs? Mary, it's only human to be scared.'

'That's what's bothering me Lily! I should've been furious or at least scared when Mulciber took me in his arms, and I was for a while, but then...' Her words trailed into silence and she shrugged helplessly, 'That's why I can't face him again Lily. I keep imagining he knows somehow, and that is even more humiliating than the photo! I hate him! I really do! I hate all of them!'

She turned her attention to the Fanged Geranium which was squirming uncomfortably in a too-tight pot. Some Hufflepuff girls on the next table were throwing her sympathetic looks, having noticed her red eyes, but she ignored them. Lily didn't know what to tell her. She couldn't quite understand what happened: she herself had never imagined herself kissing anyone except...

Better not let her mind wander off in that direction again. It always made her heart race, and then immediately afterwards, she'd feel upset and even irritated.

'You know what I'll do?' Mary was saying as she took the red flower by the stalk and pulled it savagely out of its pot, 'I'm going to accept the first decent bloke, magic or muggle, who asks me out on a date! Perhaps a good snog with someone who's even half-way decent will get my mind off what happened. Perhaps if I hadn't been so, you know... inexperienced, snog-wise, I wouldn't have reacted the way I did.' The red geranium flower snapped its fangs irritably as Mary dumped it unceremoniously into a bigger pot and started shovelling soil around its contorting roots.

'I don't think that's a very good idea, Mary! You have to at least _like_ someone before you date him. I think you'll only end up-'

'And you should do the same too, Lily' Mary cut across her, 'I was telling you this last Friday, before you left in a huff! And now Potter – _Potter_, the most popular boy in Gryffindor – has asked you out, and you turned him down without batting an eye! Merlin, Lily! He _likes_ you, he really does!'

Lily automatically looked across the greenhouse to the table where Potter had already finished re-potting his plant. He saw her looking, grinned and winked at her. She scowled at him, flustered that he had caught her looking and dragged her eyes firmly back to her own Fanged Geranium, which she hadn't even started on.

'See?' Mary said, removing her dragon hide gloves.

'Potter's nothing but an arrogant, big-headed toerag who thinks girls are just going to swoon at his feet or something!' Lily retorted, dragging on her own dragon hide gloves. She felt her face redden at the attention, and, knowing Potter was still looking, her face conversely reddened even more.

'At least he's decent, not like - .' Mary bit her tongue for Lily had given her a warning look, but she returned to the attack almost immediately: 'What are you waiting for, anyway? Severus? You know he's had his chance: a million times over, and he hasn't asked you out, has he? Do you really need me to spell out the reason why, Lily? It's because you're _Muggleborn_!'

'Shut up, Mary! I don't want to discuss this!'

'Look, Lily – you know I've always liked Sirius, but I've decided I'm not going to hang around until he stops fooling about and starts noticing girls! You should do the same: go out with someone – Potter - _anyone_! It will give Severus something to think about, and he might get his act together, if he's interested enough.'

'That is one of the most stupid and obvious old tricks in the dating game!'

'That means it's tried and tested.'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'I'm not just going to go around snogging anyone who crosses my path just because I can't have what I want. It's got to be special!'

Mary made a noise of exasperation 'There you go again! You're obsessed with the idea, Lily. Just relax, you're only sixteen: you're supposed to have some fun, and now's the time! Give some other boy a chance and forget Severus! He's made it quite clear what he thinks of muggleborns! Him and his Death Eater friends!'

'Severus isn't like that!' Lily retorted heatedly, 'he's never denied he's friends with me!'

'But he doesn't want to go further than that, does he?' Mary snapped back, 'If he ever did once, then I'm sure that Mulciber has since convinced him otherwise. He's always with him now, haven't you noticed? And – and Severus Snape was there, right alongside Mulciber and Avery when they did that to me!'

Mary bit her lip and stopped suddenly, as though she had said too much. Lily felt a cold hand close around her heart.

'What?' she breathed.

Mary glanced guiltily up at her then busied herself with shaking the soil off the pot of her Fanged Geranium with unnecessary vigour.

'You heard me,' she muttered, 'He was there, but left half-way through the proceedings. I take it he did not tell you. Or rather, _of course_ he did not tell you.'

'And why didn't _you_ say anything? Why now?'

Mary banged the re-potted plant even more sharply on the table, setting the red flowers quivering indignantly and baring their little fangs. 'I don't know: perhaps I didn't want to knock him off the false pedestal you built for him, Lily; perhaps I thought I'd see if he came up with the truth himself; or perhaps I was ashamed of what he saw me do; or – oww!'

The bushy red flower closest to her ungloved hand had sunk its sharp fangs into her finger. Mary winced with pain and shook the bright red flower off, but before Lily could do or say anything else, Melchior Abbott from Hufflepuff materialised at Mary's side holding a small bottle of wound-cleansing solution which he insisted on pouring over her finger, saying the fangs could cause a nasty infection. Mary seemed surprised at first, but then gave Melchior a dazzling smile and allowed him to bandage her finger while he spoke to her about his father's prize-winning set of Fanged Geraniums. Lily ignored them and turned to her own unfinished plant, re-potted it deftly and then asked Professor Sprout if she could be excused the rest of the lesson, for she wasn't feeling well.

Hurrying back up to the castle, she glanced up at the last set of windows on the fifth floor. She knew Severus had Transfiguration with McGonagall there now, and he wouldn't be coming out till lunchtime. Mary's words echoed over and over again in her mind: _Severus Snape was there, right alongside Mulciber and Avery when they did that to me! _Lily blinked back her tears as she climbed the grand Staircase. Mary had also said he'd left half-way through the proceedings, which seemed to imply he didn't take part. And then after all, she hadn't asked him if he'd been there or not: he had been too keen to insult Potter.

She shook herself angrily, realising she was making excuses for him again. She needed to speak to him, determined to see what his role in Mary's prank was, to get his version of events too this time, and not be accused of listening to one side of the story again.

A shiver of cold dread passed through her as she reached the short-cut behind the tapestry in the second floor corridor Severus had shown her back in their second year. This was followed, a second later, by a kind of benumbed hollowness that settled somewhere in the middle of her chest as the realisation hit her.

She was afraid that even now, without knowing what, or even if, Severus had an explanation for his part in Mary's humiliation, she already knew that she was ready to forgive him.


	130. Chapter 130

**Chapter 130: Magic Patterns.**

The shady branches of the Beech tree swayed lazily overhead as a gentle breeze rustled through the pale green leaves. Lily closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she lay on her stomach on the cool grass. It was her favourite time of the year, for she could smell the scent of flowers, and of plant life pushing its way through the slowly-warming soil. It was the third week of April and the last day of the Easter Holidays. The light, but constant drizzle of rain that characterised the past week had given way to one of the first really warm, sunny days of the year and she had managed to persuade Severus to study down here by the lake instead of in the Library.

She opened one eye and glanced over to where he was sitting, close to the grey trunk of the tree. He was scowling at an earthenware bowl in front of him, a book open on his lap and his wand in one hand, for the pot was stubbornly refusing to turn into a tortoise. He muttered the incantation again exasperatedly, and Lily smiled as the muttering became increasingly peppered with colourful invectives aimed at the pot, the non-existent tortoise, and Transfiguration spells in theory and in practice.

Severus never did have much patience with what he termed useless transfigurations.

She had already managed to transfigure her chosen objects, and now a small gerbil was curled up in a willow-patterned tea-cup in front of her, calmly chewing up her parchment of notes on trans-species transfiguration. She had insisted Severus try out the spell by himself first, before she would help him, because she suspected that his disdain for the subject was more due to McGonagall's praise of James Potter's transfiguration skills than his disinterest in it. A muttered oath and a sharp crack told her he had broken the pot yet again.

Her grin widened and she cracked open both her eyes to observe him better.

He had already silently mended the pot, and was now looking belligerently at the offending utensil. The dappled sunlight fell softly on his dark hair, (which had grown very long again) highlighting strands of dark brown that were rarely visible by the dungeon torchlight. This reminded Lily of lazy summer days spent by the river. They seemed so far away now.

The sunlight did nothing to relieve his pallor, however. His skin, unlike her own freckled one, was always completely white and unblemished after the long Scottish winter, though it turned rather sallow in the summer sun. Her eyes were drawn to the barely-there darker shadow of hair on his upper lip and from thence to his mouth. She had always liked Severus's lips: his rather thin upper lip curved slightly downwards, giving him a somewhat disdainful expression, but his lower lip was fuller, sensitive-looking, and…

She found she was biting her own subconsciously and she shook herself angrily. The spring sunshine was going to her head again! She had to concentrate on the approaching OWLs and nothing else. For more than one reason.

The smell of spring and the fact that there were far less students at Hogwarts during Easter Holidays had lulled her into a false sense of security, and she and Severus had managed to study hard without bickering once. Although many NEWT and OWL students remained at Hogwarts for Easter, that horrible Seth Mulciber had gone away. Severus said it happened to be his 17 th Birthday this Easter and his family had prepared something special for his coming of age.

She frowned and dropped her eyes to the pile of books the gerbil-containing teacup was balanced on. She had confronted Severus soon after her conversation with Mary MacDonald in Herbology, and asked him why he hadn't told her he'd been with Mulciber and Avery when they humiliated Mary. He went on the defensive at once, telling her she'd believe Mary anyway, but she brushed his excuses aside and insisted he get off his high horse and give her a damned explanation. He had refused, but she had persisted, and after a stand-off lasting several minutes, he had grudgingly confirmed what Mary said, that he had left the dungeon early in the proceedings, but knew that Mulciber and Avery only intended to frighten her. He insisted it was just a joke and that Mary deserved it anyway.

Then he wouldn't say anything else, and had turned to go, as if he knew it was useless arguing, as though he _expected_ to be blamed. It was at that point she relented and accepted his excuses. Again. But she felt so confused, even more so now that Mary had admitted to having wanted Mulciber to kiss her, or whatever it was that she had felt.

Sometimes she didn't know what, or whom, to believe anymore.

However, as Hogwarts Castle depleted itself of students for the holidays, she had relaxed enough in Severus' company to cautiously resume the Library sessions again, and to her relief, she found the mountains of homework they had to prepare went a long way in keeping them off contentious topics. Apart from homework, there was the practical side of studying magic: something that they could not do in the Library, hence her insistence that morning to make the most of the glorious weather, and practice some transfiguration spells outside in the sun. It was good that she had insisted, for his transfiguration skills left much to be desired, and besides, a bit of sun would do him good. He was far too pale….

She glanced over at the dark, angular figure sitting under the tree, wondering how long it would take him to give up on the spell he was trying to cast. Probably, never. At least his persistence was recommendable, even if he did let things like dislike of Potter interfere with what was a perfectly useful spell. Well, perhaps not _that _useful. She suppressed a smile as she listened to the muttered invectives Severus was pouring upon the whole species belonging to the Testudinae family. He pointed his wand at the shallow pot again and this time, the spell hit the bowl with a dull sound. Four thick-skinned tortoise legs and a scaly head sprouted from the earthenware bowl, but unfortunately, the shell, though perfectly patterned in typical tortoise fashion, was still concave in shape! The tiny black eyes in the loose-skinned, wrinkled, tortoise head looked morosely and accusingly up at him.

Lily burst into a fit of giggles. Severus hastily reversed the spell and even vanished the earthenware bowl with a scowl. Lily laughed even harder. It felt so good to laugh: it had been more often arguing with Severus recently.

'What's so funny?' he grumbled, 'If this is what we'll get in our OWLs, I'll be able to offer up nothing more than a bloody concave turtle!'

'It's a _tortoise_, Sev. Anyway, you know the spell, you just have to concentrate more! You're too jerky with the wand movement!'

'Show me how then.'

'I did already. And I'm not putting my hand on your wand! You know what happens when we do that!'

'Probably we'd get a tortoise larger than the Galapagos ones!'

'Well, yes. But we're definitely not going to be able to do that in our OWLS. We'll be on our own. Here - try a trans-species spell, instead.'

Lily propped herself on one arm and gently picked up the little gerbil from her tea-cup and handed him over to Severus who placed it gingerly on the worn cover of his '_Advanced Potion Making_' book.

'Be gentle with him, now, okay?' she said in mock severity, 'I'll be very mad at you if you hurt him!'

'This was a teacup until you turned it into a gerbil, Lily,' he answered, drily.

But as she sat up to see what he made of the spell, she noted with satisfaction that he was holding the wand in the correct position, and there was a purposeful, focused, look in his eyes.

There was a flash of light and suddenly a small horned Grindylow lay flopping helplessly on his book, smearing it with green mucus. Its mouth, with its sharp rows of green teeth opened helplessly as it struggled for oxygen and red gills at the side of its neck gleamed wetly in the sun.

Lily gave a small shriek and stood up, taken by surprise.

'Sev, that's a Grindylow!'

'What did you expect, a fluffy bunny rabbit?' Severus said, with a smirk.

'No. I suppose not,' she replied, a smile forcing itself to her lips, in spite of herself, 'I guess I should be glad it's not a 30-foot sea serpent or some other dark creature, with you. Anyway, we can't leave it here, it needs water.'

She tried to pick the Grindylow up by its spindly arms, but it bit her and feebly tried to scratch her hand with the long claws on its spindly legs. Sucking her bleeding finger, she levitated it the creature with her wand and started off towards the lake which was a short distance away.

Severus followed her. 'You could've just transformed it back to the original teacup,' he said, 'I don't know why you insist on cuddling it and feeding it your fingers!'

'I'm not cuddling it.' she said in a muffled voice, her stinging finger still in her mouth, 'I just prefer to end up with animate creatures rather than inanimate objects in Transfiguration practice. I wasn't banking on a dark creature like a Grindylow, however,' she threw him a severe look and dropped the Grindylow in the lake. It fell with a soft plop and then swam away in a swift, snakelike movement.

She sat down near some bushes by the lake's edge and watched the paler form of the Grindylow disappear in the dark depths of the lake. The wind having momentarily died down, the sun and clouds were reflected perfectly in dazzling blue and white colours on the still surface of the lake. The reflection broke up suddenly into myriad dancing colours by some large ripples expanding outwards from a pale tentacle, thick and shining, that coiled smoothly out of the lake.

'Remember how the Giant Squid had scared me back in second year, Sev? We had sneaked out through the cave in one of the boats, and it tried to push us back in, though I didn't know that at the time,' she said, glancing at Severus who stood behind her.

She shaded her eyes from the sun, squinting up at his dark shadow. He was siphoning off the water and slime left by the Grindylow on his book of _Advanced Potion Making_ with his wand.

'Which is why you never quite liked the Giant Squid as much as all the other animals you're always cooing over in Hagrid's hut!' he returned with a smirk.

She shrugged, turning her gaze towards the lake again and following the movement of the ripples until they disappeared, and the surface of the lake was smooth again. It was so peaceful. There were Merpeople down there, Dumbledore had told her, when she had been hauled into his office last year after her adventure with Severus in the Forbidden Forest . She had half-expected to be expelled then, but instead Dumbledore offered her a sweet, launched into a rambling but intensely interesting description of the many mysterious creatures he had encountered in the Forbidden Forest, and arranged for her to go there again.

She had been flabbergasted, but immensely happy. Dumbledore had seemed omniscient, as well as kind and understanding. He had told her he had often visited the Merchiefteness to discuss issues relating to the lake water quality. She wondered what other fantastic creatures lived beneath its smooth surface. Did they know about the War? Did they know how, or if, it would affect them, if Voldemort ever came to become ruler of the Wizarding World? The calm surface of the lake remained undisturbed. It seemed so far removed from the reality of the world above, but if the Statute of Secrecy was overturned, then even their existence would not remain so peaceful.

Severus had put his wand away and thrown himself in the shade of the bushes, his eyes keenly scanning a clump of reeds at the water's edge for potential potion ingredients. He caught her looking and said:

'Enough with Transfiguration for today, right?'

'Well my teacup is at the bottom of the Lake now, your earthenware bowl is in the place of nonbeing, so I guess we'll stop. Unless you want to try your hand at Human transfiguration…'

'What for? It's more useful than teacups and gerbils, but it's a sixth-year subject. We don't need it for our OWLs. Why don't we try Charms instead?'

Lily who was absent-mindedly pointing her wand at some dead leaves around the water's edge, making them whirl around both of them like in an invisible wind, did not answer for a moment, for her eyes were still focussed on the still surface of the lake.

'I suppose we could,' she said, her eyes following the reflected flight of a large black carrion crow across the lake through the circling leaves.

'Or we could try DADA,' Severus said, more enthusiastically, and with a smile in his voice, 'I could duel you...'

She looked at him then, the leaves fluttering down about her, as the charm failed to hold them airborne any more.

'No,' she said.

'Thought you'd say that.'

'What d'you mean?' she asked, nettled, 'I'd give you a run for your money, you know.'

'You'd give me more than that, with the jinxes I taught you! You're a good spell-caster Lily. But I just said that to rouse you out of your sunny-weather fug.'

'My _what_?'

But she knew.

'First sunny day of the season and you're off into a blissful world of birds, bees, flowers and trees or whatever it is you're thinking of, when you get like this!'

She scowled at him, though a smile threatened to break through. Severus knew her all right. He had opened his book _Advanced potion making_ and was making further addition to his notes in the already-crowded margins of the book, apparently having determined she was too deep in her 'sunny-weather fug' to want to continue practicing spells.

'Well, that's why you're here with me, isn't it?' she retorted with a grin, ' So that you'll get my head out of the clouds, past all the sundry animal, insect, and plant life you mentioned, and right down to the solid cold reality of parchment and ink, exams and books, dark tunnels and torchlight…' she suppressed a giggle as he arched an eyebrow at her, 'Perhaps that's why we work so well together, Sev, we complement each other!'

He glanced up fleetingly at her as she said this, and the wary look in those dark eyes stopped her dead. Her smile faltered and she looked back at the surface of the lake once more, stifling a sigh. Dangerous territory again. Severus had not answered her and appeared engrossed in writing further cramped notes in his book.

Her eyes followed the path of the large black crow as it crossed over the lake once more, then flew above them and onto the beech tree they had been sitting under. Tonight those Hogwarts students that had been away for the Easter Holidays would be returning. Mulciber and some others of the Death Eater gang Severus was sticking around with would be back, and she would probably not see him any more except for lessons.

Lily frowned, the levity of a moment before gone as she gazed thoughtfully across the still surface. She felt somehow as though this week was the calm before the storm, a pleasant but brief lull in the increasing hostilities between Slytherin and Gryffindor, between Pureblood and Muggleborn, with the vast number of students veering this way and that, one side or the other…

With the return of the damning influence of Mulciber at his side, Merlin knew where else Severus would be led to, what other dark stuff he would be invited to participate in, what other forces pulled him down the slippery path of Voldemort's supremacist views? She had to admit that he had already walked half-way down that particular path himself, given his fascination with the dark Arts, But Mulciber and the rest seemed to have met him half-way, linked their arms with his ( metaphorically speaking at least, - Severus never linked arms with anyone) and hurried him along that path at an alarming pace she could do nothing to slow.

She resisted the temptation to look in his direction, for she could feel his brooding presence beside her, even though he was perfectly silent; and she could see his dark shape from the corner of her eyes. She wanted to look at him to see if there was still that tense, wary look in his eyes, or if, perhaps, he had regained the shadow of a smile he had earlier. She gave a barely audibly sigh and rolled over on her stomach near the water's edge, idly pointing her wand at some floating leaves this time, causing them to dance prettily on the surface. She wondered if there were any Gillyworms among the reeds, the tiny transparent worms she and Severus used to hunt by the river back home as children.

It seemed so long ago now. So many things seemed to have changed since those sunny days by the river, and she knew she was changing too. And she wasn't so sure she liked the changes in herself. She sure as hell was doing her damndest to ignore them. And as for Severus... She wondered what had happened to the dark-haired, solemn-faced boy she knew back then. She still remembered how he had first jumped out of the bushes, his dark eyes alive with suppressed excitement and called her a witch.

'When did you first realise I was a witch, Sev? That day, in the playground?'

She rolled over slightly to look at him, propping her head on her hand, the leaves she had been playing with swirling to a standstill on the water surface. He looked up, his expression unreadable.

'Where did _that_ question come from?'

'I don't know. I just realised I never asked you, I suppose. We went to different schools at Castleforth, so I just wondered...'

'I only went to muggle school for a few months. It doesn't count,' he replied, not answering her question.

'So, when did you know? When did you first see me do magic?'

He closed his book and observed her in silence for a moment.

'I didn't,' he said quietly after a while, 'When I first saw you, you weren't doing any wandless magic. It was the winter before I first spoke to you, and it had been snowing. You were just walking home with your father and I followed you.'

'You followed me?' Lily asked blankly, 'Why?'

Severus shrugged, his eyes carefully on his closed book. 'I dunno. Anyway, your father left you in the park near your house while he crossed over to Harfield's to get the newspaper, and then... and then I knew,' he looked up at her as he said this, and Lily felt something stir at the back of her mind. The snow – of course!

'You were shaking the branches of one of the trees and laughing as you waited for the snowflakes to fall about you. Only they didn't.'

'The Snow Fairy's dance!' she said, suddenly remembering.

'Is that what you called it?' Severus asked the corner of his lip twitching upwards, 'that was quite a whirlwind you caused! Snowflakes flying up and around you like dervishes!'

'I used to pretend they were snow fairies, and I used to make them dance. That must've been one of the last times I did that. I thought I was growing too old to believe in fairies.'

'Pity, it was a beautiful piece of wandless magic.'

'Well, then I met you that summer and you told me real fairies _do_ exist, so I suppose I didn't see the point in creating the snow fairies any more'

'Sorry I disillusioned you,' he spoke evenly, but the words made her sad somehow, and she felt the smile slip off her face.

He had opened his book again, but his quill lay unmoving at his side,

'Anyway, I found it hard to believe you were a witch, for my parents were adamant there were no magical families in Castleforth, so I had to make sure...' he continued, slowly, 'I _wanted _to believe you were magical, and so I watched you for a while. You didn't take long to convince me how strongly magical you are. But why are you asking me all this now?'

He glanced at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes, and she shrugged, rolling back onto her stomach, poking her wand at the floating dead leaves. Why indeed? Perhaps it was just nostalgia for those uncomplicated days, perhaps a part of her still craved to know, or see, if he still thought her magic as being worthy of a place at Hogwarts, as he had thought it all those years ago, when he had lied to her, and told her being Muggleborn didn't matter. Would he still be ready to even lie about that now, she wondered? Severus had gone back to scratching notes on his _Advanced Potion Making_ Book, as though he knew that his had been a rhetorical question.

She sighed and leaned further over the water's edge, pushing the sleeves of her robes up and dabbling her hand in the clear, cold water. She could see tiny red swirls of blood drift away from her pale finger where the Grindylow had bitten her. The memory of the snow fairies swirling around her filled her mind. She had forgotten the simple pleasure those snowflakes had afforded, back in the days when she used to experiment so artlessly and so wondrously with everything about her.

And Severus had been there, watching her.

Her face stared up at her pensively from the still water surface, her long dark red hair cascading thickly about her face. Her reflection was suddenly broken up as she leaned further over and the pendant she usually wore under her robes slipped out and dipped briefly into the water, causing a tiny splash and smooth, expanding ripples. She pulled it out, but the snow-white crystal gleamed pure and perfect as ever, and the silver strands of interlacing loops, braids and volutes around it glinted in the sun. Severus had said he had created it in molten silver using his wand's Residual Resting Magic. He said every wand had its own unique pattern or motif: a blend of its own magic and that of the Witch or wizard it had chosen to serve. Interesting. She wondered if her own Willow wand could produce the same intricate and graceful pattern as Sev's had done. Perhaps it would be all spiky and ugly, unsymmetrical: she was a Muggleborn after all, and magic was not her birthright in the same way it was for others.

She pointed her wand at the still surface of the lake water, its tip almost touching the water, and bent close to see if anything happened.

There was nothing.

She felt a sense of disappointment and even dread. She didn't know that much about wandlore to know how, or if, the Resting Magic was affected by the witch or wizard wielding the wand. Then she noticed a very faint dimple in the water at the point where the tip of her wand almost touched the surface. It was a sort of a triple indentation, if you could call it that, which did not even cause any ripples to form, but it was nowhere like the beautiful pattern Severus had created around the pendant she still clutched in her hand.

Perhaps her magic was too shallow, not sufficiently ingrained in her genes somehow, to affect the wand's magic. Blood magic was one of the most ancient and strongest of all, and her blood, according to some, was tainted.

The spectre that was increasingly haunting her returned, echoing some of the many snide whispers that snobbish Pureblood Slytherin girls made sure she overheard as she passed by them in Hogwarts corridors: _Mudblood_ , _unworthy to hold a wand, tainted..._

'It doesn't work on water, you know' said a calm voice at her side.

Severus was regarding her with a bemused but softened expression. She was still clutching her pendant.

'It doesn't?' she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

'I told you that, remember? The day after your Birthday. I told you it worked on substances like quicksilver and other metals'

'Yeah, you're right! I'd forgotten. I was a bit tired that day. Molten metals, only' Lily peered down at the strange but simple indentations her wand had produced on the lake surface.

'Probably not even on all metals. Weird thing is, though, I see you've managed to create something on water, Lily. Only you're holding your wand the wrong way.' He shifted over and knelt down by her side.

'To make the Residual Resting magic work,' he said, still looking with interest at the dimpled water surface, 'you mustn't hold your wand vertically to the liquid - that would be directionally opposite to the magical energy. You've got to hold your wand parallel to the surface, and very close, like this-'

He bent over and placed his hand over hers, bringing her wand gently down into a horizontal position, barely half-an-inch above the surface.

She should have realised what would happen of course, but she was taken by surprise.

She hadn't even been consciously trying to cast any spell, but the glassy water surface started stirring, twisting itself into a pattern of graceful, swirling ripples unlike anything she had seen in her life, expanding outwards from the wand they were holding in their hands. Swiftly and silently, the pattern of whorls and interlacing never-ending swirls and curves spread outwards across the lake, turning it into an intricate pattern that seemed very familiar. It must have been only a few seconds, but it spread so fast that it soon disappeared from view.

It had probably reached the other side of the lake when Lily noticed a sudden change in the pattern: it seemed to writhe and twist momentarily, and then settled into a new rippled layout: a sort of mirror-image of the first. This time she recognised it: it was the same design as that around her pendant! This was Sev's wand's Resting Residual Magic coming out of her own wand!

She looked at it, totally entranced by its beauty on the water, but a loud hubbub of voices caught her attention. Several small knots of students had gone to the water's edge, pointing at its surface. Severus had noticed too, and swiftly let go of her hand.

The lake's surface returned immediately to its previous glassy, polished state, with nothing to indicate the presence of the intricately beautiful ripples. Severus' eyes had returned to gaze at the surface of the lake, as though mesmerised. She stood up, her wand clutched tightly in her hand.

'It happened again, didn't it?' she asked 'Combined magic. But I wasn't even trying to cast any spell.'

'Neither was I,' he replied, a puzzled look on his face, 'You're not supposed to: it's magic that's intrinsically bound in the wand itself.'

The breeze that had died down earlier was starting up again, gently rippling the surface of the lake in a totally normal way. The students that had gathered at its edge dispersed, some of them shaking their heads in puzzlement.

'I told you we should be careful this morning!' she said with a nervous laugh, 'probably those students are thinking the Merpeople are to blame.'

'The pattern it formed first must've been your own Wand's Residual Resting Magic, Lily. Enhanced, of course, but then, afterwards…' He stopped, looking at her uncertainly.

'It changed into yours.' She nodded, 'I noticed. Strange, eh?'

'Not that much, since we were both holding one wand. What _is_ strange is that the pattern seemed to be a mirror image of mine, somehow…'

'That's exactly what I thought, but the whole thing lasted only seconds, and I wasn't sure I'd seen right. Insofar as you can have a mirror image of something circular. I wonder how that happened?'

Severus was gazing once more across the lake surface as though the answer lay there somewhere. The breeze was blowing more stiffly now, and scudding clouds covered the morning sun. He did not answer her, and the wind blew his dark hair across his face, but she could see he had his closed expression once more. She shivered in the sudden chill.

'You know what, Sev?' she said as he went over by the bushes to collect his book and quill, 'This reminds me of those lessons we had with Professor Magus before we gave up divination.'

He paused slightly but did not look up.

'He was teaching us Tarot cards and we kept getting the configuration as mirror images of each other. Inverse circle, he called it, though he never explained what that meant.'

'It's a lot of old rubbish. Perhaps the Tarot Cards were bewitched, just to make his mumbo-jumbo more mysterious or something.'

'Perhaps,' Lily conceded slowly, as she followed him to the Beech tree where they had left all their stuff.

Severus threw himself down and busied himself with his '_Advanced Potion Making'_ book once more and though he did not say anything, Lily could tell by the set lines of his face, his tense, hunched figure, that he did not want to discuss it further.

Perhaps the inexplicable link between them was something that he was starting to dislike for some reason. A chain that rankled. She tried to ignore the insidious words that Mary had thrown at her during their last Herbology lesson: words that could explain the exact reason for the dislike: _you are muggleborn_ she had said. So many Slytherins would not be seen dead even speaking to someone like her, let alone have to admit to such a strange bond! They would consider it something to be ashamed of.

Severus was not like that, of course. At least he still spoke to her, except when his death eater friends were around….

She picked up her transfiguration book, turning the pages in a desultory way and stifling a sigh. For the past 7 years she had worked, played studied, laughed and cried in the company of Severus Snape: she had always felt that in spite of their diametrically opposite natures, they complemented each other well: like the sun and the moon or light and shadow. She was the uplifting force that kept him from drowning in bitter recriminations when in one of his self-destructive moods, and he was the level-headed voice of cold reason that counterbalanced the over-exuberant impulses that usually led her to thoughtless actions; she managed to make him smile, when he was furious with certain Dunderheads around him, like Potter, the Marauders, his parents, the Ministry, and the whole world in general, and he would in turn protect her when her blind faith in people and compassionate, but rash, nature, got her into more trouble than she bargained for. Severus was fascinated by Dark Magic, whereas she was more interested in Charms and Healing or Protective spells that counteracted that same dark magic, and yet, strangely enough, their magic could be combined, shared, to produce something even more powerful than they could produce alone.

She couldn't understand it.

Sev's ebony wand with its Dragon heart string core had certainly cast some very shady spells, and in fact, according to that book on wandlore Severus had once got from the restricted section, when they had been trying to discover what lay at the bottom of their combined spells, Dragon heart string was the easiest to turn to the dark arts. Conversely, her own willow wand had a magical core that was the most difficult to turn to the dark arts: Unicorn hair. And yet, somehow, the pattern on the lake surface her wand had produced was linked with that produced by the ebony wand.

Her fingers unconsciously sought the pendant hanging around her neck, and as her hand closed around it, absent-mindedly fingering the motif of silver strands that enclosed the central crystal in an intricate and delicate embrace, her eyes roved back to the lake, where a stiff breeze had puckered the surface into small waves. Her book slipped unnoticed off her lap and onto the grass.

'I'm going in now.'

She glanced over to where Severus had gathered his books and was now standing up. The sun was lower in the sky, and it must be already late afternoon. Severus' eyes were fixed upon her hand, which still held the pendant, and there was a strange expression in them, almost like fear. She slipped the pendant beneath her robes and started gathering her books and the one remaining teacup.

'Go ahead. I've just seen Thalia and her boyfriend further down by the lake. She still has my book on Charms; I think I'll go get it back. See you tomorrow in Slughorn's class.'

She watched him go back up towards the castle, a dark blot on the verdant green landscape. Though he did not tell her, she knew in a couple of hours the Hogwarts express would roll into Hogsmeade station and he probably wanted to meet up with Mulciber and the others. With a heavy sigh she turned round and made her way down to the further edge of the lake, drawing what small comfort she could from the familiar weight of the small pendant around her neck.


	131. Chapter 131

**Chapter 131: Those Who Are Marked.**

'And wash your hair, you slimeball!'

A handful of greenish-brown mud hit the left side of his face, entering his mouth and eyes. Severus tried to spit out the gritty muck, feeling the slickness of the mud trickle down his hair and onto his robes. Judging by the nauseating smell, there was Thestral dung in it.

He squinted through his half-closed, dirt-filled eyes at the four figures swaggering down the road that led to Hogsmeade, Peter's squealing laughter grating on his ears. Pettigrew had thrown the mud, shouting the final insult. Now he was now wiping his hands on his robes, as Sirius Black patted him on the back, his barking laugh joining in Pettigrew's high-pitched one.

Severus snarled uselessly at their retreating backs, wishing he could curse their smug faces into a twitching heap of twisted flesh. But he could do nothing. He had a full Body-bind Curse on him, compliments of Potter.

Potter was hopeless at curses however, even at simple ones like the body-bind. Unless he was mistaken, he could already feel a slight weakening in the curse's power. Ignorant fool of a Gryffindor! With an expert curse-castor, the effect of the Body-bind could last for _days_! This was weak enough for the effect to wear off in just a few more minutes.

Unfortunately, until that time was over, he could do nothing else but contemplate part of the dirt road, the green grass growing at its side, and the clump of trees the Marauders had hidden behind before they ambushed him, for he could not move from where he had fallen over.

The curse did not stop him from feeling though, and his ribs were throbbing painfully where Pettigrew had kicked him savagely in the chest after he was cursed. He remembered how that little rat's panting, sweaty face bobbed in and out of his view, as he swung back his foot for another kick, his watery eyes alive with sick excitement as he glanced over at the other three for approval. Pettigrew did it for the others as well as for his own gratification.

Finally it was the werewolf, Lupin, who pulled him off. Severus glared up at them from the dirt, unable to move. But Lupin needn't have bothered. Severus was hoarding the pain of every blow, every insult, in his ever-growing mound of grudges against the whole lot of them. And it was reaching mountainous proportions. He didn't care about the pain: pain was good: a sharp, bitter reminder of your body's potential, as well as its frailties! The humiliation was something else, though...

He swore at himself mentally: he shouldn't have lagged behind everyone else on this last trip to Hogsmeade, but Rosier and Wilkes had been talking about visiting Gladrags for dress robes and he didn't want to be dragged through a shop that held nothing to interest him, and that he couldn't afford anyway. Besides, he been preoccupied about something. He had had another reason for sneaking off to Hogsmeade alone: he needed to be at the Hog's Head inn at 6 o'clock. Mulciber had said it was important. He and his sixth-year friends, Avery and Rabastan, said they would be waiting for him, Rosier and Wilkes at the Inn, with someone or something that was very important. Mulciber had shown him a coded message that morning, branded in magical letters of fire on a death-marked crested parchment that left Severus in no doubt who the message was from.

It was a message he could not ignore.

Rosier and Wilkes were beside themselves with excitement and wild speculation as to what, or who, they would meet, but Severus had a feeling an apprehension that bordered on fear. He hadn't forgotten that the Dark lord had told him he would send word to him again, and he was sure that this was the time. If so, Voldemort would ask him about his progress with Lily, and he did not have much to report.

This was the last Hogsmeade visit, for it was the middle of May, the month before their OWLs and Dumbledore had conceded one other Hogmeade trip due to popular request and the fact that the previous trip had gone well, even though under heavy surveillance from Aurors. He had told Lily to go ahead before him to Hogsmeade, and that he'd see her later, at the Three Broomsticks.

He had offered no explanation, but she hadn't even wanted to know why.

His eyes followed the Marauders as they disappeared round a bend in the road. Probably they would head straight for the Three Broomsticks, Potter's favourite haunt. Severus imagined Potter buying Lily a Butterbeer, sliding onto the bench near her, cheery grin firmly plastered onto his hated face as he prepared to wow her with his latest daring escapade, or Quidditch scores. And he wouldn't be there to shield her from Potter's magnanimous influence, and to deflate that bastard's oversized ego! His insides writhed with a helpless, impotent hatred of that smug, arrogant, four-eyed face.

Finding he could now move his head and shoulders a bit, he twisted round slightly to spit out the disgusting muck Pettigrew had thrown at him as an afterthought.

It was his fault of course, for his place was at Lily's side, but he couldn't ignore the summons to meet at the Hog's Head. What if it was on the Dark Lord's instructions, as Mulciber would have all five of them believe? Mulciber could be bluffing, but the evidence of the message suggested otherwise. The faintly-smouldering Dark Mark on the parchment had spoken through the skull in Voldemort's voice, before burning to a cinder.

He twisted his neck and saw that the rest of his possessions were scattered on the dirt road. His eyes sought out his book '_Advanced Potion Making'_. It was lying some way ahead, almost in the puddle of mud. He breathed a silent sigh of relief that it was untouched. That book was becoming a sort of surrogate for his Great-grandfather's book '_The Dark Arts'_: he was writing everything down in it: curses of his own invention as well as the notes on potions. It had nice wide margins next to the list of ingredients, and, like a diary of sorts, he often scribbled down ideas for curses or formulas for new potions. He could carry it around without anyone suspecting anything, for it was just a sixth-year textbook ( he certainly couldn't carry around '_The Dark Arts'_ in the same way, seeing that it was the one missing from the confiscated books his great-grandfather wrote).

Unfortunately, his mother's old potion book was the reason his bag had been opened and his stuff scattered on the dirt road. Sirius Black had caught sight of it sticking out of the bag after Potter struck him with the Body-Bind, and he had emptied the entire contents on the ground.

'Fancy that, James!' he had said, looking with disgust at the shabby book, 'Old Snivillus here is already studying sixth-year potions, the slimy swot!' and with that he had upended his bag as Pettigrew took it upon himself to show him what he thought of 'swots'.

Given Pettigrew's miserable marks in almost every subject, Severus could understand his resentment. And the fact that Severus never lost an opportunity to sneer at his stupidity in class. The viciousness of his kicks confirmed that Pettigrew hadn't forgotten.

Thank Merlin, none of them had decided to actually open '_Advanced Potion Making_' and see what was written inside.

Potter had just resorted to emphasising what an ugly git he was before moving on: a 'girl's worst nightmare' he called him, and Severus was under no illusion that Potter meant 'Lily' for 'girl'.

Feeling was slowly coming back to his arms and legs. He rolled over awkwardly, the blue sky of the warm May afternoon coming into view. With an effort, he pushed from his mind the image of Potter entertaining Lily at the Three Broomsticks and tried to stand up. It took a few more minutes, but thankfully the road was deserted. The Marauders had made sure it would be, when they attacked him. He wondered what had prompted this particular ambush. Not that the Marauders – or he himself, for that matter - needed any prompting. But they had doubled back and found him alone. A niggling doubt at the back of his mind made him suspect that the attack was carried out at Potter's instigation: just to make sure Lily wouldn't be with him at Hogsmeade, so that with the aid of some Butterbeer and the expansive, jovial atmosphere of the pub, he'd charm her into forgetting what an arrogant prat he was...

But Lily would never succumb to his charms. Lily was not like all the idiotic girls that hung on to his every words, swooning at his stupid glance. Lily had called him a _toerag_! And she was right.

He picked up his books, scattered parchment and quills and stuffed everything back into his bag. Dusting his _Advanced Potion Book_ carefully with the sleeve of his robe he put it inside his bag, then he took his wand and performed a basic Cleansing Charm to take away the worst of the mud.

The smell of Thestral dung was still strong and he cursed that cowardly rat, Pettigrew soundly, for he was over-sensitive to smells, but there was nothing for it now. Shouldering his bag, he strode off along the deserted path towards Hogsmeade, swearing that as soon as he got the chance, the next spell he'd invent was something that would leave a permanent ugly mark on the smug faces of all four of the Marauders, and Potter in particular! Perhaps a great, big, ugly cursed scar, non-removable even by the most advanced magic, would act as a gentle reminder that he'd better respect someone whose magical knowledge was a million times more powerful than his, whatever McGonagall might say to the contrary about her favourite pupil! Furthermore, the threat of a cursed scar might make Potter think twice about calling him 'ugly git' again!

He arrived in Hogsmeade still fuming. The Three Broomsticks was full of students as he could hear laughter and the loud hum of voices coming from it. He marched determinedly towards the high street, for the thought of Potter in there holding court to a wide variety of simpering fools was galling. Probably he was gloating over what they had done to him. Hopefully Lily wouldn't be listening. It was humiliating enough, without her knowing they'd got the better of him!

He spotted Rosier and Wilkes coming out of Gladrags further down the street and made his way towards them. As soon as Rosier sauntered close enough he raised a surprised eyebrow and wrinkled his nose:

'Eugh! What happened to you? You smell of Thestral turds!'

Wilkes started laughing, but the look Severus cast him cut his mirth short.

'Potter and his gang waylaid me,' he said shortly, 'Shall we get going? It's almost six.' He was in no mood to tolerate any further jibes.

'Are you going in like that?' Rosier asked, a trifle incredulously.

'We're going to the Hog's Head, not to a bloody Ball!' he snapped, 'Who cares? Besides, not going is not an option!'

'You're damn right there!' Wilkes said, chuckling, 'Wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world!'

'Since none of us know what this opportunity entails, Marcus, you don't know that,' Rosier drawled raising a supercilious brow at him, but Severus knew Evan was just as eager really.

They set off down the street and turned right down a narrow side street, Rosier keeping well away from Severus lest his perfectly-tailored robes and best cloak be contaminated with his friend's mud-smeared ones. Rosier was becoming even more finicky with his looks recently, and spent hours combing his wavy black hair into glossy perfection every morning. He had even bribed Bertram Aubrey into letting him use the Prefect's bath. He insisted that it was not time wasted, but time invested: he believed the best-looking Pureblood witches in Hogwarts appreciated it.

Shaking his head irritatedly, Severus marched ahead of them into the Hog's Head. At least the faint but pervasive smell of goat dung in there would mask the one he carried with him, and it would be less noticeable.

Less noticeable to others, but not to himself, unfortunately. He was already feeling slightly sick: either because of the smell, or the fact that he strongly suspected the Dark Lord might be present, and ask for a progress report….

His nerves jangling, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. It was dark and dank as usual, but unexpectedly noisy. From his previous experience there, the Hog's Head was usually broodingly silent. Everyone talked in hushed voices, chronically scared of being overheard, and there was none of the loud, rowdy din and laughter one found at the Three Broomsticks.

This evening however, the pub was deserted except for five unkempt old wizards sitting crowded around one table, raucously singing a song in drink-slurred voices. It was too early for the other patrons, or they had found the raucous company unsavoury. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, Severus saw they were all dressed in muggle clothes. The one who appeared to be leading the song stood up, peering blearily at the three of them as they made their way to the bar. He was past middle-age, tall, and had the look of someone who was once well-built but had gone to seed slightly. Like his companions, he was wearing a tieless, grubby shirt beneath a wrinkled, baggy suit.

Rosier cast one disdainful look at their shabby muggle clothes and ordered three butterbeers. The Barman had a look beneath the counter, muttered something and disappeared at the back of the bar. Undoubtedly, they usually served stronger stuff here. Rosier glanced at the drunken party once more. It could not have been plainer from the haughty look on his face that he did not think much of them. The old wizard noticed his expression with the unerring accuracy of belligerent drunks.

'Wotchya lookin' at, you toffy-nosed squirt?' he asked, with a belch.

Severus placed his hand around his wand, his mind already jumping ahead and his eyes darting swiftly at each of the wizards in turn, determining their position, how drunk they were; while at the back of his mind, he was admiring how somehow Rosier always projected that effortless pureblood arrogance that immediately labelled him as a haughty bastard. He was a bit like Malfoy, and as soon as he shook off his obvious teenagerhood, no-one would dare address him as 'toffy-nosed squirt' again.

'I'm looking at the current definition of disgrace to wizardkind,' Rosier answered, predictably.

Severus groaned. He had already assessed that two of the wizards, at least, were not that drunk. He would have to tackle them first. He wondered when the Barman would come back. He seemed the no-nonsense type, and would hardly likely tolerate a brawl in his pub.

Another of the middle-aged wizards stood up, his grizzled hair matted and grey. He had firewhisky dribbled down the front of his shabby grey suit, and swayed slightly on the spot.

'Doan let this young pipsqueak talk to you like that, Orwen! Ruinin' our old boy's reunion, 'e is!'

'_Old Boys_!' Rosier sneered 'Could Hogwarts possibly have produced such a decrepit bunch of –'

'Shut yer mouth!' The first speaker stabbed a thick finger in his direction and fumbled in the pocket of his suit for his wand with the other. However, it was a suit with many pockets, and he appeared to have forgotten in which one it was.

Severus shook his head in disbelief. It they were not outnumbered the situation would have been ridiculous. He already had his wand in his hand and was waiting patiently in the unlikely event that the drunk wizard managed to find his own. Unfortunately, Rosier had never learnt when to shut up: it had something to do with his imposing family name and vast estates, he supposed.

Rosier laughed: pointedly and derisively at the old wizard fumbling drunkenly in his muggle suit. Wilkes joined in sycophantically.

It was a mistake of course. The other four wizards had their wands out and one of them shouted: '_Tarantellagra!_' with a look in his eyes that told Severus he was looking for a humiliating lesson to teach the young upstarts.

Rosier moved out of the way quickly and the spell hit Wilkes, whose enormous feet started jerking and twisting. The five wizards guffawed loudly, but Severus had seen enough humiliation for one day, besides, Wilkes was likely to knock him or Rosier over with his awkward, elephantine movements. He pointed his wand at Wilkes and his feet stopped dancing. The attention of the five wizards now turned to him and he found himself looking at five wands all pointing in his direction. A couple of them were wavering unsteadily, but Severus knew that even a Shield Charm might not hold if they were to simultaneously hit him with a curse.

They were in deep water and the drunks knew it.

'What's the matter with you, ugly?' the one called Orwen said, moving closer. 'Why'd'you shtop 'im danshin, eh? We was 'avin fun wotchin 'im! How bout you take a turn now?'

'How about we make the stuck-up git dance instead?' said the lanky wizard who had cast the Tarantellagra spell. Severus saw he was the least drunk of them all, and there was a glint in his eye that he did not like. 'It'll loosen up his attitude towards his elders and betters, methinks. The skinny one would make me sick to watch. 'Sides he stinks!'

Rosier, still haughty but silent, held his wand up in the duelling position. Severus hoped he would not interfere if spells started flying. They were outnumbered five to two, for Wilkes had evidently forgotten his wand in his bag, and it would take him forever to fish it out.

That was one mistake Severus was quickly learning to avoid. His wand was always stuck in his belt or his pocket. Easily reachable, always. They were too close for a Blasting spell and his only hope was a well-aimed Flagrate. It might just do the trick, but if Rosier or Wilkes got in the way…

'Yer're right , Jerry! Don't he 'alf-stink? Damned impudent of you to look down yer nose at us, you stuck-up bastard, when yer friend ere is covered in muck!' Orwen told Rosier, who looked back at him stonily. ''Ow about we try the Entrail-expelling Curshe on 'em, lads? That ought to teach them! Remember when we tried it on old Pringle back in '32?'

The one called Jerry snickered delightedly. 'Ah yes. One of my fondest memories of Hogwarts! Well let's see just 'ow dignified you'll look squelching around in your own entrails, you toffy-nosed scum!' and the lanky wizard lifted his wand, as did the other four.

It happened a split second before Severus cast the Flagrate spell, which he hoped would have knocked out at least three of them. It was something in the old wizard's eyes that stopped him dead. It looked like fear, and it was not directed at him, but past him, towards the door of the Hogshead. Severus was about to seize his momentary distraction and cast the Flagrate, but then he noticed the same look in the other wizards eyes; they were drunker, and had slower reaction times, but it was the same look: - alarm bordering on fear.

It had to be pretty impressive to penetrate through the alcohol-soaked brain of the five wizards facing them.

Severus caught a movement from the corner of his eye, and, unable to resist, he turned round and saw a dark shadow at the door of the Hogshead. For a panic-stricken moment, he thought it was the Dark Lord himself, but the hooded and cloaked figure at the door was not so tall. He was much shorter and broader than Voldemort. However, he walked with the same silent grace, though Severus noticed a very slight limp.

Severus' eyes flickered back and forth between the mysterious stranger and the five wizards, who had all lowered their wands and were gazing warily at the stranger. To his surprise, Rosier had a smile on his face, and even Wilkes had stopped fishing around for his wand. Could this be the one Mulciber had said they were supposed to meet? And where _was_ Mulciber and his other sixth-year friends?

'Who're you?' The lanky one called Jerry challenged, as the hooded wizard came straight towards them.

They all seemed to have recovered somewhat, though Severus could see beads of sweat on Jerry's unshaven upper lip. Perhaps, like him, they had thought it was Voldemort entering the Hog's Head. The wizard came to a halt between Rosier, Severus and Wilkes, and the five carousing wizards.

'I thought you might recognise the limp, Jerry Bates. You gave it to me after all.' And the mysterious wizard lifted his hands and removed his hood, revealing a swarthy, strong-boned face that somehow seemed vaguely familiar to Severus.

He had long, black hair turning iron-grey at the temples, a black beard flecked with grey and deep-set, dark eyes beneath lowering brows. Jerry's eyes were fixed on the swarthy face in front of him and Severus saw him swallow dryly and turn several shades paler.

'So, Jerry, after decades buried in the muggle filth of London, I see you're still hanging around the same old crowd,' the stranger said deep, measured tone, looking at the wizards in turn, 'Orwen; Foresythe; Stebbins; Peake; and Coote. Well, what a pleasant surprise! And still up to your old tricks again, aren't you? Ganging up and tormenting boys who are younger than you…'

'It ain't none 'o your business, Mulciber! This young upstart was bein' insultin' to his elders, and we was teachin him some respec'!'

So this was the famous Uncle Mulciber was always mentioning! At that moment, three Hogwarts students entered the pub and Severus recognised Rabastan, Avery and Mulciber. They froze at the door when they saw the little scene, but they did not try to interfere.

'Respect is earned before it can be taught, Orwen!' the swarthy wizard hissed suddenly, 'Though I hardly expect you to understand that, given the muggle filth you chose to share your life with, you drunk scum!'

Severus expected the wizard called Orwen to retaliate to that, after all, he still had his wand in his hand, and Mulciber didn't. But some of the drunken belligerence seemed to have left him, and though he flushed angrily, his wand remained by his side.

'Yer don't scare me, Mulciber!' Orwen retorted, but Severus could see the lie in the bloodshot eyes.

'Yeah, you can't just burst in here and start throwing your weight about!' said the one called Coote, who was just as tipsy as Orwen. He blinked owlishly in the dim light, trying to focus on Mulciber's face, 'Who the hell d'you think you are now? We don't give a tinker's fart about your pureblood connections, Mulciber! We're proud of who we are, right, lads?' he looked round and there was a cautious nodding from some of the other wizards, 'And we don't care about the rumours, either! I bet that's just your usual bragging, self-absorbed, pureblood arse talking!'

Mulciber's Uncle did not answer and in the silence that followed, you could hear a pin drop. Severus' eyes flickered from the wizards to Mulciber, his heart racing, for he expected curses to fly any minute. From the corner of his eye he saw his own friends watching intently, though they did not seem as worried as he was.

The silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time, but despite the belligerent noises coming from the group of wizards, Mulciber's Uncle just stood before them and eyed them contemptuously. Either his dark glare or something more sinister was keeping them from actually raising all five wands and cursing him simultaneously. Severus felt his admiration for this wizard go up a reluctant notch.

'Rumours, Coote?' he said finally, his voice soft but deadly, 'Is that what you think it is?'

The silence grew chillier and though some of them shifted uncomfortably, none of them were swaying drunkenly. Mulciber senior had had quite a sobering effect on them, and their attention was focussed on him.

'Well, Coote, I suppose I could hardly expect anything different from you,' Mulciber's uncle continued in the same soft voice, 'Like the rest of your friends here, you've immersed yourself so deeply in the muggle world, that I'm surprised you even remember how to hold a wand, let alone know what's happening in the wizarding world! But perhaps this will convince you about the truth of those rumours!'

And with that he pushed up the sleeve of his robe over his left forearm and held it up for them to see. All eight sets of eyes followed his movement and Severus saw a Dark Mark etched on the relatively paler skin of Mulciber's inner forearm. It was a dark, angry red, and seemed different from a normal tattoo: it looked as though it was freshly branded into the skin, deep scarlet and black at the edges, yet there was no sign of inflammation and the skin around it was smooth.

Severus' mind flew back several years ago: when he had looked through the Hog's Head grimy window and glimpsed Selwyn showing Malfoy something on his left forearm. It must have been the Dark Mark. He had heard about it: the Dark Lord set his mark upon those he considered his nearest and most trusted followers: the elite. But there was a lot of mystery surrounding this mark: some thought it a figurative one, others claimed it was something more substantial (though none wanted to admit they had actually seen it).

But right here, right now he was looking at the Dark Lord's Mark! It couldn't be otherwise! This had to be the sign that Voldmeort had placed Mulciber's uncle among his much-coveted inner circle of followers.

Well, this Mulciber was an improvement on his nephew, but Severus didn't know how he felt about being branded that way. He had never really thought about, having never actually seen proof of the Dark Mark's existence, but he didn't think he'd feel comfortable being branded with anybody's mark. Of course, being half-blood would probably exclude him from the highest ranks, anyway. That was an irritating thought too, but his musings were cut short by the reaction of the five wizards to the sight of the Dark Mark.

Their wide, bloodshot eyes were unblinkingly fixed on the dark symbol on Mulciber's arm and the look in them was one of undisguised fear. A few had taken a step backwards, and Orwen had turned a pale shade of green. Peake had a hand clamped over his mouth and looked as though he was going to be sick. Apparently, they were not so much out of touch with the wizarding world that they did not know the Dark Mark's significance! But even Severus had not expected such an extreme reaction. The Dark Mark must, indeed, be a sign that whoever bore it had earned enough respect not to even have to teach it anymore!

Judging by Rosier's unsurprised face, he had seen, or at least knew, about the mark, but Wilkes was gawping.

'We – we were just leaving, Mulciber!' Jerry Bates was stammering, backing away. Peake reeled towards the door, barged through Avery and Rabastan, pushed the door open and staggered out into the street. The door closed on the sound of retching. Orwen and Forsythe hurried towards the fireplace, shoving each other to get to the floo powder.

'What in Merlins' name -?'

The bartender had come back clutching three bottles of Butter beer. At that moment the scuffle by the Fireside was won by Forsythe, who muttered inaudibly and disappeared in a green flame. He was quickly followed by Orwen who also made sure his destination was unheard before flooing away. Jerry bates and Coote practically flew out of the Inn's door and out into the side streetm casting terrified looks behind them

'Aberforth, our young friends here were being harassed by those muggle-loving fools!' Mulciber's uncle spoke to the Barman, 'I thought you didn't tolerate that kind of rowdy rabble in here.'

'They paid, Mulciber,' Aberforth retorted, shortly 'And the place was deserted before these three came in, or I would've shown them the door. I went to fetch them Butterbeer.'

'It took you long enough!' Rosier said peevishly, grabbing a bottle off the counter, and throwing downs some coins.

'I got side-tracked,' the Barman answered, unperturbed, 'Nancy, my oldest goat had just given birth, and I had to check her kid was suckling well. Will you be staying, or going through?' Aberforth addressed the last to Mulciber's uncle, and Severus smirked at the sour expression on Rosier's face. He'd been kept waiting for his butterbeer because of a goat.

'Going through today, Aberforth,' Mulciber's Uncle said.

The dark eyes beneath the furrowed brow gave a cursory look at Rosier, whom he already knew, ignored Rabastan, Avery and his nephew, who had come up to them, and then settled on him. Severus knew he was the only half-blood in their group and the worst dressed, as well as the smelliest.

'Severus Snape, I presume?' Mulciber senior said, his face revealing nothing.

He nodded, and Mulciber senior's eyes gave a cursory glance at Wilkes.

'Wilkes?' he asked.

'Yessir!' Wilkes replied, nodding his small head vigorously and hitching his bag higher on his wide shoulders.

Wilkes was overeager, having never taken part of the secret group that Rabastan used to call together in the dungeons up to some time ago. He was also a Pureblood, and that, together with his enthusiasm for joining the rebel Death Eaters, made up for his lack of skill in the field of magic.

'Follow me.'

Mulciber's uncle strode towards the large fireplace at the end of the room, his cloak billowing darkly behind him. He had an aura of dignified authority that was hard to resist. Naturally, Severus was instantly wary of trusting him and where he was taking them. He thought of asking, but when they got to the fireplace, Mulciber's uncle turned round to face them.

'You have been hand-picked by the Dark Lord to attend a meeting,' he murmured after glancing at the Barman to see that he was not being overheard, 'It is an unprecedented occasion, for the Dark Lord rarely involves students in his struggle. You have been deemed fit to attend. The details will be explained to you when you get there. Suffice it to say that the Dark Lord has your interests at heart, especially now that some of you are close to being of age. My nephew, Seth Mulciber, turned 17 last month –'

'I'm 17 too. I 'ad me Birthday last February,' Avery butted in brightly.

Mulciber senior looked at him coldly and Avery's voice mumbled awkwardly into silence. Mulciber's Uncle commanded respect effortlessly, whereas his nephew enforced it.

'The Dark Lord has requested your presence at a place that will be revealed to you as soon as you enter the Floo network. Those of you not yet of age will not use magic under any circumstance from now on, for you still have the Trace. His words to each and every one of you will NOT be repeated to anyone else outside this circle. You have been warned. And one final thing…'

His deep-set dark eyes roved over each and every one of them. Although deep-set like his nephews, Mulciber senior's eyes held none of their unquenchable fierceness. Instead, they were cold and purposeful.

'If any one of you should wish to opt out now, they are free to remain here at the Hog's head. I know some of you have seen the Dark Lord before, but few of you have spoken to him.' His eyes flickered fleetingly on Severus, 'So Let me tell you now, that the Dark Lord does not suffer fools gladly. I would advise you not to say anything flippant or unnecessary. In fact, I strongly advise you to remain silent, unless directly addressed. If he has summoned you, then he must be seeking something in you that might make you worthy to stand by his side in our cause. Not all of you will make the grade. So if you have second thoughts, you can sit quietly in a corner until we come back: the Dark Lord will be less displeased than if you turn up half-heartedly.'

Of course no-one moved. Rumours that the Dark Lord's displeasure was hard to bear had filtered through even among them, and he himself had witnessed it, as well as the sheer magnitude of the magical skills of the greatest dark Wizard of all times. Of course they would go. Refusing was not really an option, whatever they said, but Severus saw that Rosier was pale beneath the veneer of his haughty exterior, Avery was biting his lip, and even Rabastan was unusually serious. Only Wilkes seemed oblivious to the tense undercurrent.

'All right, please step up to the Fireplace and hold out your hand. Speak clearly before you floo, but if you shout out the name, your tongue will be slit.'

Wilkes looked up in alarm at Mulciber's Uncle as he said this, but the old wizard gave no indication that he was joking. Rabastan went first.

Severus felt his heart beating faster. He knew what Voldemort would ask him. He had made no progress in turning Lily's allegiance to the Dark Lord. Even if Lily wasn't Lily, it would be an uphill struggle to turn anyone who was muggleborn to join Voldemort's side: not unless there was a threat, or an incentive: or both. And furthermore, he had been sworn to secrecy.

When his turn came, he slammed his Occlumency Barriers in place and stepped into the fireplace holding out his open palm.

Mulciber's uncle tapped his hand with his wand, and a small mound of the dark, sparkling floo powder appeared in the palm of his hand, where it started shifting softly by itself until it had formed two darkly-glittering words on his palm.

'Little Hangleton!' he said in a clear whisper, and he felt the sickening sensation of floo travel spin him round and round into the darkness.


	132. Chapter 132

**Chapter 132: Dark Intentions and Merlin's Helping Hand.**

_**A/n: I am finally working on the last 2 -3 Chapters of this fic and can finally confirm that the last Chapter will be Chapter 137.**_

It was over in half-an-hour. But it was one of the most intense half-hours of Severus's life. The room, its grandiose scope and size still impressive despite the festoons of cobwebs around its dusty chandeliers and the faded elegance of its furniture, was even now, still redolent with the smell of fear of a dozen teenage boys and girls. Fear mixed with excitement, eagerness, and a touch of insane recklessness. He, Mulciber, Rabastan, Rosier and Wilkes had been joined by several others around the grand fireplace to floo back to the Hog's Head Inn. Severus recognised at least one Ravenclaw sixth-year girl and another two from Hufflepuff.

He didn't know where, exactly, these students had come from, for they hadn't been at the Hog's Head. Probably they had apparated directly into this palatial, but abandoned, place. He also had no idea where they were, for the windows were shuttered, the only light coming from the big fireplace they had flooed through.

Others still had come into this drawing room accompanied by hooded and masked Death Eaters. This last group had remained in one corner of the room, and a thick wall of mist ensured that none could be recognised. Most seemed to be wearing black robes like the Hogwarts uniform, but Severus couldn't be sure.

No one was speaking now, but the very air, dusty and ancient though it was, reverberated with the bursting need to express the excitement each and every one of them felt at what had just occurred.

The Dark Lord had appeared as suddenly and as silently as a ghost in their midst, his tall and imposing figure immediately recognisable:

'The time has come,' he had said, in the electrified silence that followed his appearance, 'for youth to come to the aid of the older and more experienced in this war. I know all of you here, either directly or indirectly, and have called you here tonight, in spite of the fact that you are still students, for a purpose.' All eyes were fixed on his tall, black-robed figure, though the distorted features set in the fine-boned, white face both fascinated and repelled.

'As you may have realised by now,' he continued, pacing among the statue-like teenagers, 'the Ministry is run by hypocritical, power-hungry fools; the Minister a puppet of the stronger men around him; and the dark magic and savage tactics the Aurors profess to abhor, are being secretly employed to round up and murder the followers of the true cause, and target their families…'

There was a pause in which the Dark Lord looked intently at each eager face. You could hear a pin drop.

'I want to remove these fools from power,' he went on, speaking in a high, clear voice that reached every corner of the large room, 'And I want the pace of the war to be stepped up – it is going too slowly for my liking, and I grow impatient: the longer they remain in power, the more unpleasant it is becoming for those families who uphold true wizarding traditions…. To do this, I need more Death Eaters at my side. I want to outnumber the Aurors twenty to one; I want the Ministry to _fall_ before they do any more harm! That is why you are here tonight. You are all OWL or NEWT students, and therefore will soon be of age. Those of you who prove themselves worthy will train and fight at my side as soon as they are out of Hogwarts – or just perhaps, for a _very_ select few of you, even earlier, as soon as their Trace is removed'.

Then the Dark Lord spoke to them again: not as a group, but singly, individually, this time. And even Severus, whose in-built scepticism was a natural barrier to whatever was presented as dogma, had to admit it was incredibly devious, and magnificently done: he watched, awestruck, as the Dark Lord paced among them, gently drawing forth all the memories and ideas that made each and every one of them tick, without them being any the wiser. He was looking at a true master Legilmens at work, and he couldn't help but admire his art. Severus saw Voldemort drawing forth all of Wilkes thoughts : his Quidditch ambitions, his wish to be smarter; Rosier's obsessive ideas about preserving the family estates from crumbling ruin; the Ravenclaw girl's ambition to be the greatest at experimental cosmetic witchcraft; another girls' single-minded purpose in finding a pureblood husband: he drew all these secret thoughts and desires out gently, with a few choice questions they did not hesitate to answer: how could they refuse? Here was the greatest Dark Wizard of all time and he was not only talking to them, but taking the trouble to ask about their hopes and fears!

None of them realised that he was also the greatest Legilimens of all time, and he was secretly picking their conscious thoughts, finding the most important and relevant, like someone idly picking out the ripest and choicest fruit out of a bowl, and then presenting it to them as reachable goals they would achieve, should they only believe in themselves and the Death Eater cause. His invasion had obviously been very gentle, and went unnoticed. Few Legilimens could achieve that. He saw Wilkes' mouth drop open and even Rosier's cool facade was momentarily shaken by how much Voldemort _knew_, how incredibly well he_ understood_ them, and by the blaze of hope that Voldemort's words ignited. All eyes in the room had followed him and all had a dazed but hungry look.

To a very few older students like Rabastan, the Dark Lord spoke secretly: with a flick of his wand, the air around them seemed to thicken and solidify: Severus had no other words with which he could describe it: Whatever the spell was, not even a whisper of sound broke through the solid air around them, and their conversation was completely private.

In spite of his admiration of the marvellous display of Legilimency, Severus knew that the Dark Lord would request something in return, for Severus' die-hard scepticism and his knowledge of Legilimency made it hard for him to believe that the Dark Lord would bother with all the stupid teenage angst and mundanities for nothing. First the carrot and then the stick...

Surely enough, following the promise of protection and reward as future Death Eaters, to each he whispered the need for loyalty and secrecy, with a vague threat that betrayal would bring down punishment such as none of them even had the imagination to invent.

The threat of the unknown punishment hung morbidly in the air as he glided silently around them: Wilkes had quaked in his shoes, one of the girls looked positively faint, and Rosier paled, but they all knew that at the end of their allotted time at Hogwarts, if not before, they would answer to his summons if he so willed it.

To some students he requested more than a promise to join up, but gave further instructions - Mulciber was positively gloating when Voldemort told him to keep up the good work at Hogwarts.

The smile slid off his face when it was Severus' turn however, for with a flick of his wand, Voldemort sealed the air around them, signalling that their conversation was private. Severus had been sunk in the Occlumency state ever since they left the Hog's Head, and as the red, slit-pupilled eyes drew close to his, the heightened clarity and calm detachment of Occlumency suddenly showed him the way forward: at least for the first few steps.

'Mulciber tells me the Muggleborn, Lily Evans, is mistrusting you, Severus Snape,' the high clear voice said.

Severus' Occlumency barriers wavered, but held. The Dark Lord certainly came to the point without much preamble.

'She trusts me still, My Lord,' he said, knowing his proof of that was flimsy at best.

'But she distrusts the path you are leading her down. She cannot understand why you should follow it, or why you insist she does, too. She is a Muggleborn after all, and she thinks there is nothing in it for her.'

Severus stared at the narrow red eyes looking down at him. How had he known all that? Had he let something slip, or was he just putting two and two together from Mulciber's reports?

'You – you had sworn me to secrecy, My Lord! I couldn't' tell her!'

Even as he spoke, he suddenly knew that the Dark Lord was there in his mind, rifling idly through its layers as one would a book, absorbing impressions and memories. It was a more subtle invasion than the first time: had he not experienced Legilimency so often with Madeira, he probably would not have noticed. He let him see what had coloured his thoughts: it was easy: he still stank of Potter's most recent humiliation, and his mind was simmering with vengeful hatred, but he also let him see something else...

'Ah, I see you have not been idle after all,' the Dark Lord actually smiled. 'A wand's Resting Magic turning Hogwarts' lake into an entire web of its residual magic pattern. Remarkable! Such magic never works on water!'

He seemed genuinely interested, which was more than Severus hoped for. He even knew about this obscure property of magic wands .Well, he had reason to believe that Voldemort was like him in that respect: new or unusual forms of magic fascinated him. At least it would keep the Dark Lord's interest in Lily alive. Since his last meeting with the Dark Lord, his hopes for having Lily pass unnoticed had been dashed, so he knew that his only other option was to ensure she was seen as an ally and an asset to their cause.

'That was Evans' wand. Yours is ebony, much like your Great-Grandfather's, Severus. And yet the pattern changed...'

'Yes, from mine to hers and back again, My Lord, even though both wandwood and core are as unlike each other as any two wands can be.'

'Very intriguing, Severus. This sheds some rare light on the many mysteries that surrounds a wand's allegiance to its master or mistress. The effect of the witch or wizard on the wand's choice is far stronger than I previously thought. Wandlore reveals that the magical resonance beats more harmonically when matched to the right wand, and apparently, it is this effect which is enhanced in the case of Shared or Combined magic,' Voldemort's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and Severus found himself hanging on to his every word, barely following his swift thoughts, 'The effect seems to be oddly strongest in opposite but complimentary wands,' he continued, speaking almost to himself. 'But why a muggleborn?'

The red eyes flicked to his once more, and Severus caught a hint of frustration there. The thin, pale lips curled into a smile, 'but enough of this, Severus. Unfortunately I do not have the time, right now, to unravel this mystery, as I would have so liked to do under different circumstances. You will need to keep your secret for now; at least until both of you remain at Hogwarts. But once the Ministry has fallen, once Hogwarts is in the hands of a more capable Headmaster, then your little friend will see exactly what is in it for her, when I give the Magical Community the right to walk tall and proud among Muggles. Lily Evans needs o be convinced through _deeds_ and not words, and I hope it will not be long now, Severus, until your friend can see for herself the unique position she stands to gain in the new world we will create.'

'Yes, My Lord' he said, keeping his voice level, and lowering his eyes to avoid eye contact again.

This was the second time the Dark Lord had basically confirmed that Lily would not only survive the war but keep her status. But he dared not show himself too eager.

'You will have to share that greatness with her, of course, Severus: there is nothing I can do to change the way Combined Magic works, but I think she will be content to ... let's say...bask in your reflected glory. As a half-blood Slytherin, and direct descendent of Severus Prince, I expect your need to prove your worth will make you outshine many of these other Purebloods around you. Look – see how they look at you?'

Severus stole a fleeting look through the solid air and saw Mulciber's face green with envy, the Ravenclaw girl was actually scowling, and both Rosier and Wilkes had a rather sour expression on their faces, at this obvious sign of the Dark Lord's interest in him.

Voldemort was smiling: 'I see in you, Severus Snape, a sharp questing mind, a thirst for knowledge, a potentially violent temper, tempered by the obsessive need for control, at all times, and a healthy Slytherin desire for greatness,' the Dark Lord said, his eyes boring into his again, 'as well as a determination - no, not determination- a _certainty _– that your Muggle father's tainted inheritance will not stand in your way, no matter how many snide remarks are hurled your way, no matter if your face is rubbed in Thestral dung by Bloodtraitors and their friends.'

Severus listened, grasping his slipping Occlumency barriers tooth and claw. He mustn't be lulled into letting go by the Dark Lord's flattery, even though his heart was fluttering with renewed hope. Was he treating him the same way as he did the others? Sympathetic understanding and careful flattery: it was so easy, so _beguiling_ to listen to…

'However, Severus, instead of the myriad plans for revenge on the bloodtraitor Potter and his friends that are now seething in your brain, I'd like to see you concentrate, at least, on learning more about yours and Evan's particular gift. Making pretty patterns on Hogwart's lake is fine, but we are still at war, and it would be helpful if you could come up with something more useful and more practical for that kind of magic, like a weapon! When you and Evans leave Hogwarts it would be something I could look forward to using once your friend is convinced of where best to place her loyalties.'

'Yes My lord.'

And with a twisted kind of smile, the Dark Lord lifted the sound barrier and moved away from their group to disappear behind the smoky distortion that hid the other group from view at the far end of the dusty room. He could see him, unmistakeably tall, moving with his gliding, graceful walk among the hazy figures behind the smoke-screen. They said only he knew who all the Death Eaters were – or aspiring Death Eaters, as it seemed.

The Fireplace at the Hog's Head was packed with silent drinkers when they flooed back, none of them any the wiser as to where exactly the room they had been in was located. Severus had never even heard of Little Hangleton. Excited, hushed chatter broke out among them finally, as soon as they left the many listening ears at the Hog's Head Inn. The Ravenclaw girl and the two Hufflepuffs drew ahead, their heads together in enthusiastic whispering. Severus, Rosier and Wilkes followed more slowly behind Rabastan, Mulciber and Avery as they all headed back to the castle.

Rabastan looked unusually quiet: Voldemort wanted him to enter the Ministry as soon as he got his NEWTs, though no-one knew what the details of the plan involved. Rosier was talking longingly about the day when he would finally get the Dark Mark, gently massaging his left forearm as though he already felt it burnt indelibly onto his skin, and Wilkes was listening to him with an open mouth. Severus saw they were bursting with self-importance at the Dark Lord's words: the focus of the war was moving to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and only they, the select few, were privy to that secret. They had almost reached the edge of the village and Severus was distracted by a group of students who had just left The Three Broomsticks.

They were Gryffindors, and in the rosy light of the fading sun, Severus immediately recognised the fiery copper tones of the hair of one of the girls: it was Lily, and she was talking to someone in front of her. Severus's blood ran cold as he saw the round spectacles of the boy she was talking to glint in the last rays of the dying sun. _Potter?_ What in Merlin's name was she doing, talking to that four-eyed twat? He couldn't hear what she said to him, but whatever it was must have been funny, for Potter threw his head back and laughed. Severus felt the blood drain from his face and settle at the pit of his stomach like a leaden mass. He hated that bastard for even looking at her, and now they looked as though they were sharing a joke! Hatred bubbled up in him like poison: he started imagining Lily at the Three Broomsticks, listening in open-mouthed admiration to Potter's boastful anecdotes on his Quidditch prowess, or perhaps he was recounting, once again, how he had saved him from the tunnel. Lily admired his _bravery_ after all! Of course, Potter would not have breathed a word about how he and his stupid friends had ambushed him and left him wallowing in thestral-flavoured mud along the road that led to Hogsmeade!

He glared at the group of Gryffindors in the distant, knowing that he might be jumping to conclusions: Potter laughing at Lily's words didn't mean she was flirting, or even friendly with him! Lily _hated _Potter! But they were still walking towards the castle together, and that little detail in itself was enough to send Severus' hate-laced thoughts into a jealous spiral of curse-riddled plans for revenge! Especially since he was now convinced that the ambush had been strategically planned by Potter to allow him the last Hogsmeade afternoon in Lily's company! Perhaps Potter planned to offer her a Butterbeer, and then wait so that when he, Severus, turned up, she could see for herself the stark difference between his own perfect, pureblood, healthym Quidditch-champion figure, and the dirty, dung-smeared, swearing spectacle he would present by contrast!

When he reached Castle, the Gryffindors had already disappeared up the main staircase towards Gryffindor tower, so, still fuming, he made his way towards the boy's showers to wash off the smell of dung that was making him as sick as the sight of Potter had. He knew that he would probably not see Lily until lessons the following Monday, for he had never turned up in Hogsmeade, and she probably would not come looking for him.

IIIII

Severus gazed dully at the twinkling fluorescence in the narrow, dark window in front of his bed. He wondered idly if it was the depth of Hogwarts Lake that had created the rare bioluminescent creatures, or whether the presence of other magical beings in the lake had something to do with it. His eyes followed the tiny but penetrating flickers of blue and green light as they drifted past the thick-glassed window set high up on the wall of the Slytherin dorm. It was almost midnight, and the green lamps were dimmed, but the dorm was deserted, for they had Astronomy with Professor Sinistra and Rosier and the other Slytherins had already left: it was a long trek from the dungeons to the highest tower.

He had remained behind, gazing unseeing at the tiny insignificant creatures outside and vaguely resenting their blind strife for survival in their endless cycle of life and death. They reminded him of the grinning moronic crowds of Hogwarts students: interested in Quidditch scores and house points, while their fates were being secretly and silently determined by the greatest wizards of their time... So insignificant and so stupid...

He didn't know why he wanted to delay going up to the Astronomy lesson. Probably it was because it was with the Gryffindors, and whereas before he had always secretly enjoyed these lessons because of the enforced intimacy of being with Lily under starlit skies, where the darkness shrouded his thin, hook-nosed face and gave his voice that added measure of confidence, this week there was a prickly unease between him and Lily that no amount of dark skies could hide.

It had been so ever since last Saturday, when he had seen Potter and Lily leaving the Three Broomsticks together. He couldn't quite forget how chummy Potter had looked that day, and probably Lily was offended that he hadn't come looking for her. But he would never dream of telling her how Potter had ambushed and made a fool of him, and, he noticed, she once again did not ask why he hadn't come.

The moon was almost full and he could actually see the pale orb, its roundness distorted by the distant surface of the lake above, through the window across the room. Its glow barely penetrated this deep through the dark water, but on top of the Astronomy tower its light would interfere with star-gazing. It was a day short of being full, and he wondered if Lupin would be allowed to join the lesson: the werewolf got more aggressive and sicklier in the 24 hours leading to full moon.

His eyes were attracted to a silvery shimmer from the wall opposite. He pushed the green silk hangings of his four-poster aside to see better. It was the silver thread in one of the many medieval tapestries that covered the wall between the narrow windows. They depicted adventures of Slytherin House's famous long-dead members, and he knew every one of them intimately, having gazed at them long enough through many sleepless nights. The one in front of his bed was of a famous duel fought by Ethelred the Ever-ready, and further on, in front of Wilkes bed, was the Tapestry of Bridget Wenlock, a famous Arithmancer. To his right, next to Rosier's bed and in front of Pavo's, were two tapestries that depicted scenes from one of Slytherin's most famous sons, that of Merlin himself.

They were very old and moth-eaten and doxy-damaged tapestries, and yet they were the most intriguing of all. Severus knew that the shimmering had come from the silver thread woven in an intricate pattern on Merlin's robes in the tapestry that depicted him in a dark room, sitting at a table full of fascinating magical objects, books bristling with ancients spells, signs and symbols, that Severus would give his right hand to be able to understand, but though the occupants of the many tapestries around Hogwarts castle moved and talked, the ones in Slytherin dorms were particularly still, and annoyingly reticent. Barring the occasional wand-waving by Ethelred, the tapestries' occupants rarely moved ( though Wilkes tried to convince everyone that Bridget Wenlock sometimes winked at him at night if his curtains were not drawn, but no-one really believed him)

The wise old eyes of Merlin himself were fixed upon a glowing crystal in the first tapestry. The wool and silk that it was woven from had faded to a dirty grey over the centuries, so the crystal's lustre had faded, but Severus knew that the greatest Sorcerer of all times had been exceedingly skilful at Charms, hence his depiction amongst so many interesting magical objects. One of them had caught his attention as far back as his first year. It was a small wooden casket woven at the bottom right hand corner of the tapestry, and it was entirely enclosed in decorative metalwork: an intricate silver design that replicated that on Merlin's robes.

The casket had caught his attention because the real thing was to be found in Slytherin common-room! Whether it was authentic or not, no-one could prove, but legend had it that Merlin himself had placed it on the mantelpiece, and rumours and far-fetched stories had abounded over the centuries as to what the contents of the small casket might be. Some said it was his wand, which had never been found; others said it was his book of spells, others still claimed it was filled with the most magical of his enchanted objects….

However, it had remained silently in pride of place on the mantelpiece of Slytherin common-room fireplace for many long centuries, guarded by ancient spells that prevented anyone from trying to open it. Due to the numerous accidents involving curious first-years who insisted on poking it, and had their fingertips cursed off, in the mid-1800s, Headmaster Phineas Nigellus had it placed high up on a shelf in one of the alcoves, protecting it with enchantments of his own.

It was there that Severus had first seen it back in first year. Many similar ancient and interesting magical objects decorated Slytherin common-room and the passageways that led to the dorms: But it was the wooden casket that had caught Severus' attention.

It was wooden, with an intricate design in silver work that enclosed the box entirely: silver that had never tarnished, even after more than a thousand years, and dust seemed to be repelled by it. There was no lock to the casket and he surmised that it was the silver whorls and interlacing curves and spirals that enclosed it, that functioned as a seal to the casket.

Back in third year, when he had been studying the various ancient and forgotten languages under Madeira's tutelage, he had toyed with the idea of finding out how to open Merlin's casket. Many had tried before and none had succeeded, but he found that he had no clue how to go about it. The Merlin depicted in the tapestry remained mysteriously aloof and silent, and rarely moved except to turn his wise old gaze from the crystal to an ancient book or another of the enchanted objects that littered the candle-lit table.

The casket depicted in his tapestry he ignored completely.

It was much later that Severus had noticed, during one of his sleepless nights, something extraordinary about the casket woven into the faded wool and silk of Merlin's tapestry. The silver metalwork around it, depicted in silver thread, was the same pattern as the one woven in silver thread on Merlin's robes, a pattern that for some strange reason, occurred here and there in both of the two tapestries depicting Merlin that hung in the dorm. But that particular night, Merlin inadvertently placed his wand near a shallow cup containing quicksilver, and that pattern had formed there too.

Severus suddenly realised what the intricate silver design was. He had read about it in the books on wandlore when he and Lily had been looking up the source of their shared magic back in fourth year: It was the wand's Resting Residual magic, and each pattern was a supposed to be as unique and individual as a fingerprint, born of the amalgamation of the wizard's magic and that intrinsically found in a wand, especially if wand and wizard had been together for a long enough number of years. He was looking at the Resting Magic of Merlin's lost wand!

As interesting as this piece of information was, last year's events concerning his Great-grandfather's book; the Karkaroffs; and later on, his first meeting with the Dark Lord, made him forget all about it.

It was much later, this January in fact, that he realised the potential of that unique magic hidden in a wand.

If Merlin himself had chosen to seal whatever he had hidden in the casket by using his own wand's resting residual magic, and such seal had withstood the challenge of centuries of wizards and witches trying to break it open, then it should be good enough to lock away the memory he had stolen from Lily Evans on that snowy Christmas afternoon, within a small pendant... a pendant he would later give to her as a birthday gift.

He needed to know more about how to use his wand's magic in a way that would seal the memory in the pendant so that it could only be opened by him alone. He had already figured out, from Madeira's legacy of stolen books, how to make the memory dissipate should anyone other than him or Lily access it, but he wanted to prevent _Lily_ from opening it too...

He had told her that she'd discover the truth about the pendant for herself, but in reality, he wanted to be the one to determine when the time was right for her to find out...

He'd have to procure himself a Pensieve first: the one in Madeira's place had been stolen. There were other, simpler means of accessing stored memories; though only with a Pensieve could they be viewed repeatedly, or by different people. Given that in the pendant's case, the memory was for Lily's eyes only, he could afford to wait and cross that bridge when he came to it.

But now, after the meeting with the Dark Lord, he just did not know _when_ that time would be, if ever. He was more unsure of himself now than he had been before. Voldemort had not been as angry as he had half-expected him to be, over his lack of any progress with Lily. He had understood why, but now he wanted him to study the force, the extent and limits of their Combined Magic ...and he had mentioned a weapon...

There was even less chance of convincing Lily to try out something like that, than actually turn her into a fully-fledged Death Eater!

He gave a frustrated sigh, turning his back on the stubbornly mysterious wizard in the tapestry across the room. He wondered whether Voldemort had any real inkling as to what Shared Magic entailed: how the magic flowed from one to the other, how completely intertwined in each other's magic they felt when they cast a Combined spell. There was no literature about it, but he knew – they _both_ knew - without shade of doubt, that it was a magic that had to flow from synchronised minds: neither he nor Lily could cast such a spell if the other was unwilling to do so. Apparently, Voldemort did not know, or understand, this mutual dependence, or he would not have set him such an impossible task.

Of course he could do it by subterfuge: Lily need not know it was a weapon he was searching for, but he doubted if that would work either. Their Stunning Spell had knocked out a giant once, but how could he convince her to try something even more powerful?

And besides, he was still lingering down here in the common-room, instead of going up to Astronomy lesson because they were in such a prickly, edgy mood with each other recently. He didn't know how to broach the subject of their Combined magic, let alone know when the right time and place to open the pendant was. He should certainly attempt to get into her good books again, first. After all, it was very apparent from the Dark Lord's words, that Mulciber knew nothing of the Dark Lord's plan for him and Lily. Perhaps if she relented enough, he would reveal the pendant's secret earlier than he intended...

If she didn't find out for herself first...

That day by the lake, their Combined Magic had forced Lily's wand's Residual Resting Pattern to reveal itself on water, but that was not the only remarkable thing that happened: it had been a mirror image of _his_, and that was something he had not bargained for! Even the Dark Lord had not fully understood why.

It was something he couldn't stop thinking about, and the very day it happened he had run back to his dorm, seeking out the only other tapestry that might hold a clue...

He stood up and moved over to Rosier's Four-poster. Between it and the next window was the other tapestry depicting a scene from Merlin's life.

It was a forest scene, and two people, a witch and a wizard, rode beneath a leafy canopy on a white horse towards the distant smooth surface of a still lake, the whiteness of their robes and the horse's coat gleaming pale in the light of the dorm's dim lamps. The wizard, who was riding in front and therefore had his face in shadow, was a youthful-looking Merlin, with long brown hair and a broad, ramrod-straight back. The witch was Nimue, and she rode side-saddle behind Merlin, her face gently pressed against his back and her arms round his waist.

Severus knew the many legends surrounding their love: even at Spinner's End his mother had numerous books dedicated to his long and complicated history, but Severus had eyes only for the witch's robe and a silver circlet around her head: it was what he had run back to the dorm to examine, the day he and Lily had transformed the lake surface into a complicated pattern of whorls and swirls and infinity circles.

Nimue's white robe was grey with the tapestry's age now, but the lustre of the silver thread used in the design embroidered across its length was undiminished, and Severus had clearly understood its significance: it was the exact mirror image of the one on Merlin's own robes, on the mysterious casket, and a theme repeated here and there in both tapestries. The same motif was repeated on a narrow silver circlet around her head.

Nimue's wand's Resting Residual Magic was the mirror image of that of Merlins', much like his own and Lily's.

He had realised suddenly what it meant: according to legend, Nimue and Merlin had been two of the only few known practitioners of Combined Magic.

It also meant that what he had thought of as an indissoluble seal over the precious memory contained within the pendant, was potentially vulnerable to the one person he had intended to conceal it from: Lily!

He had used a simple Sealing Charm over molten Silver, relying on the uniqueness of his own wand's pattern to enclose the memory inside the crystal with the solid silver, so that only he could open it by reversing the Sealing spell with his ebony wand.

He ran his finger softly down the silvery lines on Nimue's robes in the middle of the tapestry, ignoring the understanding look the little woven figure cast at him.

If his hunch was right, then all Lily needed to do was a simple Sealing Charm counter-spell with her own wand to undo the Sealing Charm. Their wands reflected each other's pattern. He wondered why she hadn't done so already. Lily was good with charms.

And a drop of blood.

He had added that last, simply because it was the mark of a dark wizard. It was rather clichéd and silly of course, but now he was glad he'd done so, for it was the only thing keeping it closed, if she tried the counter-spell. Probably Lily wouldn't imagine a simple seal-reversal Spell could unlock the pendant! He cursed himself silently for not taking into consideration the strange way their wands worked! So much for magical fingerprints!

'What the hell are you doing, Snape? Trying to see what's under Nimue's skirts?'

Severus whirled around and standing in the door to the dorm was Mulciber.

'Bugger off, Mulciber!'

'I thought I'd see why you didn't go to Astronomy with the others. You're going to be late – actually you _are_ late already!'

'So? What's it to you?'

'Other people's business is my business. I have my instructions from the Dark Lord as you have yours!'

'Of which the Dark Lord made it abundantly clear he wants you to know nothing about, Mulciber!'

He saw a muscle twitch in the burly sixth-years jaw, but he rallied immediately.

'I thought, perhaps, you were sulking in here because you found out about Evans and that Gryffindor Chaser, James Potter...'

'Found out what?' Severus snapped, but he could feel his heart stop just as though he had passed through a cold shower.

'Potter asked Evans out last Saturday in Hogsmeade, while we were you-know-where' Mulciber grinned evilly, relishing the effect of his words.

Severus realised he wasn't breathing, for his throat was constricted by the emotions that were rising like gall in his throat. He forced himself to draw a steadying breath through his nose, and when he spoke his voice was cold and indifferent, though his words betrayed his interest:

'Did he, now? And what did she answer?'

Mulciber didn't answer immediately, obviously wanting him to stew in apprehension. Mentally strangling the burly sixth-year in his head, Severus strode towards his bed and started gathering his telescope and star charts, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing the earth was falling from beneath his feet.

He was turning to leave when Mulciber drawled:

'My sources told me she said 'no.''

Severus was suddenly aware that his heart was beating again: loudly. Lily had refused Potter. For a moment that was all that mattered. He did not answer Mulciber, and hitched his bag on his shoulders and brushed past him on the way out.

'You're being a bloody fool, Snape!' Mulciber hissed in his ear, disgruntled at Severus' lack of reaction, 'Potter is stealing that girl right from under your nose! You'll never find out her secret now!'

'What secret, Mulciber? You don't know anything!' Severus retaliated, whirling round and scowling at the other boy. Damn his persistence! Why couldn't he leave them alone?

'I may not know the Dark Lord's plan for _her,_ Snape, but I know it will be seriously complicated if she dates that bloodtraitor, Potter. Why don't _you_ go out with her? Her looks are obvious fringe benefits, and anyway, it can't that degrading for a _half_-blood like you!'

Severus had whipped out his wand before he knew it, a curse tingling at his fingertips. But Mulciber, more than twice bitten, had been ready for him, and he found himself gazing at Mulciber's wand, held in the duelling position.

'Well, it seems obvious that _this_ half-blood' he snarled, not lowering his wand, 'is considered far more worthy by the Dark Lord than you are in all your pureblood glory, Mulciber. Control your jealousy - it's beginning to look unpleasantly green! And as for asking Lily out, look at you and Cassiopeia: you can't stop insulting each other ever since you broke up, and manage, at best, only an awkward silence. I can't risk that happening with Lily. Besides, we're only 16 and there's time yet! So keep your bloody amateur spywork out of my way, Mulciber!'

And with that he turned round and left, muttering a Shield Charm just in case.

'You don't know who you're dealing with, Snape!' Mulciber shouted after him in the dark passageway, 'Who d'you think brought knowledge of the traitors Bones to the Dark Lord? Who d'you think found out about the Walkers' secret Duelling Club? You'd better keep a civil tongue in your head, Snape – I know your secret!'

Severus turned the corner and Mulciber's voice faded into silence as he climbed to the higher levels of the dungeon. He had other things on his mind than listen to the empty threats of a jealous pureblood wannabe, though a niggling voice at the back of his mind told him that his threats were not always empty, and his words certainly did have a grain of truth!


	133. Chapter 133

**Chapter 133: Conversations and Candles**

The advantage with Astronomy lessons was that they were carried out in the dark, and Severus slipped silently through the open door in the turret while Professor Sinistra was peering through Wilkes' telescope re-positioning it to focus on Jupiter.

It was actually not quite as dark as he would have liked, for an almost full moon shone brightly on the students around the ramparts of the Astronomy Tower. His eyes flitted quickly around the dark shapes, unerringly picking out the one that mattered most. Lily had her telescope next to Mary MacDonald's and she was marking something on her star chart. She glanced up towards the door at that minute and saw him.

He crossed the parapet and moved to the north-facing part of the tower, where the deep moon-shadow of the turret itself provided some cover, and hastily started setting up his telescope before Sinistra could notice. He'd missed a good part of the lesson.

'Where've you been? Sinistra noticed!'

Lily's soft whisper came from the dark from somewhere to his left. He could barely make out her dark shape, and presumably she could hardly see him in the inky shadow cast by the turret, but he could feel her presence as he could no-one else's. She fumbled with something and he felt a rustling piece of parchment shoved awkwardly into his hand.

'Here,' she whispered, 'Sinistra handed these out at the beginning of the lesson. I kept one for you.'

'Thanks,' he mumbled. 'What is it?'

'Moon chart. Dark side of the moon. When you open it –' but Severus was already unfurling the parchment, and tiny splodges of fluorescent light came instantly to life on its surface, '-it glows.'

He hastily closed the parchment again, and the faint greenish light that had momentarily illuminated them was extinguished. The small light had gone unnoticed by Professor Sinistra, but Severus saw the moonlit figure of Potter on the west-facing side of the tower glance over in their direction, his spectacles glinting in the moonlight. A creeping hatred of that four-eyed bastard crawled up his skin, and settled like a hot embers somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

'Sinistra said there's too much light interference to see Pluto and the Magellanic Clouds properly, but the moon would be good to have a look at before our OWLs.' Lily was saying. 'I thought you weren't coming.'

'I got held up,' he said grimly, his eyes still on Potter.

Lily followed his gaze to where Potter was standing.

'Was it Potter? But it couldn't have been, Severus, he was with us in the common-room all evening.'

'Was he now? Getting quite cosy with Potter, aren't you?' he retorted in a harsh whisper, 'You're even defending him, now!'

'No, I'm not! I just –'

'He asked you out, didn't he?'

The words were out of his mouth before he could recall them. He knew he sounded pathetically jealous, but Potter was still looking in their direction with what he imagined must be a smug grin, and the poisonous fumes of his hatred of Potter were choking him.

Lily was silent, and Severus dragged his eyes back to the faint dark outline of her figure before him, wishing he hadn't chosen such a dark spot. Was the expression on her face guilty? Or was she looking secretly pleased?

'Yes, he did, twice, but I said no' she whispered, placatingly.

He wished she wouldn't use that tone, it made things worse. _Twice!_ The bloody bastard had asked her out _twice_! What the hell for, if she refused? Didn't she refuse him clearly enough?

'Oh, really? And were you planning on telling me? Or did it somehow slip your mind?' he asked in icy sarcasm.

'I didn't tell you because I knew you'd take it like this!' Lily retorted firing up at once, 'You over-react wherever Potter is concerned, and you think that I'm too naive to be able to handle someone like him! ' She took a step forward, her voice rising above a whisper, 'After all these years, Severus Snape, you should know I prefer to look beyond what's superficial in people, even if they happen to be Quidditch Champions! And as yet, there's very little in Potter that remotely interests me in any way whatsoever, that's why –'

'As yet? What d'you mean _as yet_? There's nothing that could ever be - never ever – he's nothing but – ' his voice was rising too and he knew he was rapidly becoming more incoherent.

'Unlike you, Severus I like to think there's hope of seeing some good in anyone, even a big-headed, ego-stroking arse like Potter. And anyway, what's it to you if he asked me out? Why should I even _have_ to tell you?'

'I – I told you,' he stammered, caught off-balance by her question, 'I don't want him to make a fool of you-'

'And I told you I can take care of myself, thank you very much!' Lily retorted, her voice rising again, 'After all, you're a fine one to talk about keeping secrets! I haven't even bothered to ask you where you went with those Death-Eater friends of yours last Saturday, because I know you won't tell me! I heard you floo'ed out of the Hog's Head!

'Is this about my friends again, Lily?'

'Perhaps it is!'

'What about _your _friends? You went with Potter and his gang to the Three Broomsticks! I saw you come out of there with him! With _Potter,_ Lily!' his voice was now a strangulated loud whisper.

'I was with a whole group of Gryffindors! Besides, if you hadn't gone off with Mulciber and the others, then perhaps I could've gone to Hogsmeade with YOU instead!'

She took a step closer as she said this, her voice loud in enforced hardness. He opened his mouth, but found that he had nothing to say. She was right, he realised. He couldn't tell her that the Dark Lord's summons was not one he could refuse, especially when her name was in the balance.

He couldn't tell her he'd been waylaid by Potter, either, because what Potter and his gang had done rankled more than anything else that happened that day.

And while he had been trembling with apprehension before the Dark Lord's presence, trying to think up ways to prevent the Dark Lord from taking by force what she refused to give by persuation, she had been cosily closeted with Potter in The Three Broomsticks! She was being _asked out_ by Potter in the three broomsticks…

He quickly quashed the twinge of pleasure he felt at hearing her say she would have gone to Hogsmeade with him and glared at her instead. He couldn't see her, but she was so close to him that he could almost feel her warmth in the cold night air, smell the sweetness of her, but the image of Potter intruded on his brain: Potter grinning disarmingly at Lily while she wracked her brain trying to find something _to like_ about that bullying, big-headed toerag! He was twisting her words around, he knew that, but right now, he didn't care and an insanely vicious reply rose to his lips. However, he was thankfully prevented from giving vent to his spleen by the appearance of Professor Sinistra who appeared at their side.

'Ah, Mr Snape. You've decided to join us, finally. I see Miss Evans has been trying to fill you in on what you've missed, but I'm afraid it will not be enough,' the teacher said, in a grimly disapproving voice,' I cannot accept that you've skipped more than half the lesson barely three weeks before your OWLs, Mr Snape. You will complete a 12 inch parchment on the 10 salient characteristics of the Dark side of the Moon for next Friday, and I hope you do not skip any of the last remaining practical sessions. They're vitally important if you intend to get the high marks I expect of you in the OWLs!'

'Yes, Professor,' Severus answered, barely suppressing a chill shiver as he felt Lily's presence melt away from the deep patch of inky darkness beside him, as she rejoined her friends under the moonlight on the West-facing part of the tower.

IIIIIIIIIII

Lily hurried along the tunnel-like corridor that led to the Hufflepuff common-room. She had been to speak to Frank Longbottom, who perhaps knew more than anyone else what had happened to Alice Walker, the Gryffindor Prefect. She had been called away in the middle of Charms earlier that day by McGonagall, and none of her friends in Gryffindor had seen her since.

Frank would know what happened. Alice rarely ever confided her troubles to the rest of the girls – it had something to do with appearing tougher than she was, but strangely enough, with Frank Longbottom, she was usually more open, even though, as far as Lily could tell, the two were not dating.

Sure enough, Frank told her what happened and it wasn't good. Alice's parents were both in St Mungo's because they had been attacked in their home by Death Eaters. He didn't know how bad it was, but he'd just received a quick Owl from Alice saying she would be staying by her parents' side in hospital. If things turned out well, she would return in time to sit for her OWLs.

That had sounded quite ominous, and given that it was now the end of May, they would be sitting for their exams in two weeks time. Frank said that it was the Walkers Duelling Club that had attracted the Death Eaters attention.

'It got 'em scared that young witches and wizards were being trained to fight You-Know-who, so they destroyed their home,' Frank said grimly, 'But it was a mistake. It'll make us even more determined to fight them once we're of age!'

She left Frank at the entrance to the Hufflepuff common-room and made her way up from the basement near the kitchens to the Entrance hall, feeling sorry for Alice. Her mind was in turmoil over what she had just learnt, and, to a lesser degree, about Franks' use of the term 'us'. She was just about to start climbing the Grand Staircase when a loud whisper halted her in her tracks:

'D'you smell that, Nyneve? Something's rotten around here - _tainted_ - if you know what I mean...'

Nyneve and Cassiopeia were crossing the Entrance Hall on the way to dinner in the Great Hall, and Cassiopeia had her nose in the air, pinching it delicately shut with her fingers, while both of them wore wicked grins as they looked pointedly her way. Lily felt her temper rising. Who the hell did those Slytherins think they are? This was the second time this week they'd passed snide remarks about her blood status! She was in no mood for this.

'That's the smell of Mudblood, Cass!' Nyneve answered in a stage whisper and both girls started giggling.

Something snapped inside Lily. She turned round, climbed back down the stairs and in a few swift strides blocked their way into the Great Hall.

'If you two inbred reptiles have anything to say about me, have the decency to say it to my face!'

Cassiopeia's arrogant smile slid of her face, to be replaced by a disdainful stare.

'Decency is not something I would dream of bestowing on a Mudblood, Evans,' she said coldly, 'You're not worth it! Now get out of our way – you're contaminating the air we're breathing!'

Lily knew she should leave, her brain was telling her that there was nothing to gain by arguing with such deeply-ingrained Pureblood arrogance and cruelty, but her blood was up and she had had enough of these two treating her like dirt.

'At least my magical skills are worth _something_, Blackwater! You're abysmal at whatever subject requires you to dirty those pretty little pureblood hands of yours! So wherever you think I may've inherited my magical powers, at least they're better than yours!'

'You didn't _inherit _them! You stole them!' Nyneve interjected.

Lily gave a sarcastic little laugh: 'Oh yes, I heard that one before! Ridiculous! The wizarding world should be glad to have witches and wizards like me, who can add a healthy dose of hybrid vigour to your stifling, in-bred family trees!'

'You hear that Cass?' Nyneve asked in a scandalised voice.

'Yes, Nyneve. Your morals are as loose as your hair, Evans – or rather, scarlet: a scarlet girl!'

'At least I don't have to marry my own cousin in the interest of Pureblood supremacy, and pretend it's not incestuous!' Lily retorted angrily.

Cassiopeia's wand was suddenly in her hand as an ugly expression marred her perfect features:

'_Caenosus_' she shouted.

But she moved too slowly and Lily's reactions were faster. With a non-verbal spell she not only blocked Cassiopeia's jinx, but sent it flying back in her direction. Cassiopeia's perfect, dark, glossy curls turned a greenish-brown colour and lost their shape as they were weighed down by a greasy substance that looked like a mixture of hagfish slime and mud.

'Pathetic hex, Blackwater,' Lily said, 'I could clean it off in a jiffy had you managed to hit me with it, but I bet you haven't even thought of learning the counter-spell. As it is, I've learnt a pretty useful little spell that redirects all minor hexes and jinxes directly back at the caster. I think it has a kind of intrinsic justice all of its own, don't you? I'm afraid it's non-verbal, though. Too difficult for a couple of Pureblood princesses like you to learn!'

'You – you -!' Cassiopeia's face was contorted with rage as the slimy mud dripped down her robes and onto the floor. Nyneve was trying to perform a Cleansing Charm on her friend, but it wasn't working. A few students who had finished dinner had stopped to watch.

'Knowing a few magic tricks doesn't make any difference, Evans!' Cassiopeia shouted, beside herself, 'You'll never be one of us, whatever you do! You're worse than a muggle, Mudblood!'

Lily's face flushed an angry red, but before she could retort, Peeves came swooping from the Great Hall took one look at the bedraggled girl and started bellowing at the top of his voice:

'Befouled! The Entrance Hall is befouled! Filch! Fiiiiilch!'

There was pandemonium. Filch's shuffling walk could be heard coming from the direction of his office close by; Nyneve, distracted by Peeves, accidently cut off several inches of Cassiopeia's hair, instead of cleaning it, and several students who knew Cassiopeia's aversion to dirt started laughing. Lily forced herself to run back up the stairs before she caused more trouble.

Cassiopeia's angry shouting followed her all the way up till she reached the moving staircase on the third floor.

She marched straight up to the Gryffindor tower, and muttered the password to the fat Lady, Cassiopeia's words still ringing in her ear: _You'll never be one of us, whatever you do! _Lily didn't care about blood status, but she certainly cared about belonging to the magical world! It was where she felt she belonged. But if the Magical world repudiated her, she didn't even know where she belonged, for she certainly couldn't fit back in muggle society. She never really had, completely, and now it was unthinkable. Feeling all hot and bothered, she strode straight across the Gryffindor common-room, ignoring Potter's cheery greeting and to the door that led to the Girl's dorms.

At first she thought it was deserted, most students having gone down for supper, but then she noticed Mary sitting half-undressed and cross-legged on her four-poster, with the red hangings half-drawn, admiring her new lacy white bra in a mirror levitated in front of her. She had had new sets of lingerie sent over from home after Mulciber had caused her chest to expand that day, straining her bra to breaking point.

'What d'you think? D'you like this? I saw it in the _Witch's Weekly_. It gives you extra lift and makes your waist look narrower,' she said, unaware that Lily wasn't even looking, for Mary had her back to her.

'I persuaded Mum to buy it for me,' Mary continued, oblivious, 'I keep forgetting to separate my whites from the black Hogwarts robes for laundry, and you know how they get. I told Mum I can't stand greying underwear, but really, I just wanted to get my hands on this little beauty. D'you think it makes my figure look less boyish?'

Lily, who had thrown herself back on her bed and whose mind was very far away from figures, boyish or otherwise, did not answer immediately. Shifting slightly, having only half-heard what Mary had asked her, she caught a glimpse of Mary's face reflected in the mirror levitated in front of her.

'What's the matter with you?' Mary asked, probably noting her flushed face and continued silence. The mirror reflected back her concerned face.

Lily rolled back onto her stomach and told her what happened.

'I shouldn't have risen,' Lily said,' It was obvious they're doing it to provoke me. I'll be coming of age in six months time. It was downright childish of me to retaliate like that. I know it'll just make it worse!'

'No, it's a good thing that you did, Lily. They've got to learn they can't push you around!' Mary said sympathetically, slipping a Hogwarts robe over her head with one final look at her bra-boosted figure in the mirror.

Lily knew why Mary was suddenly being so conscious about the way she looked. She had finally had her wish of being asked out, and she was now dating Melchior Abbott of Hufflepuff. It had mellowed her considerably, and there was a return of her old, joking, funny self, and the near-quarrel the two had had in Herbology was soon forgotten in the euphoria of this new development.

Mary MacDonald had also become completely and utterly reticent about the Mulciber incident and this made Lily think that she remembered it far more than she was willing to let them think.

'They will still push me around whatever I do. And anyone who's not Pureblood,' Lily answered heavily, 'It's something they're born and bred to do, and nothing will change that. Only it's getting worse this year – much, much worse! I can't stand them! I really can't!'

Mary drew her feet under her, sitting cross-legged once more on the bed and pushed the red hangings apart, observing her friend in silence.

'Severus Snape thinks the same way those two Slytherin girls do,' she started after a while, in a tone that made it sound as though she were speaking to an unreasonable child.

'No he doesn't!' Lily snapped back, feeling exactly like that unreasonable child, 'I never heard him call anyone what those two have called me!'

But Mary's tone remained mild, almost as though curious to find the motivation behind the unreasonableness:

'Perhaps not in your presence, Lily. But even if he doesn't, he has the same ideas, the same principles as the rest of the Slytherins. They believe Blood status is everything. It's just that you're all different where Severus is concerned. You gloss over that bad stuff, and even forgive him when, under different circumstances, or if it were somebody else, you'd hex the bollocks off him. Like what you did to those two just now!'

'They're girls: they had no bollocks to hex,' Lily retorted petulantly, wilfully ignoring Mary's meaning.

'Well, that Rebounding spell or whatever it was must've taught them a lesson,' Mary said smiling grudgingly, 'Pity you didn't use it on Snape often enough. With the curses he knows, it wouldn't've gone amiss to give him a taste of his own medicine.'

'It only works for mild hexes and jinxes. Look - Mary, I ….' she sat up on her bed, and started fiddling with a loose thread in her quilt, 'Severus isn't the only one to … I offended him many times, too.'

'You _defended_ him many times, too! And besides, you don't dabble in Dark Magic – _he_ does!'

'I've said some stupid things sometimes,' Lily continued, as though she hadn't heard her.

Mary made an exasperated noise: 'Well, he _does_ stupid things. More than stupid, like taking up with those older boys: the Death Eater gang. You know who I mean, and you know where they're heading. They'll join up as soon as they leave Hogwarts!'

Lily glanced up at Mary's earnest face, knowing that she was finding it increasingly hard to deny.

'They say there's an initiation ritual, Lily,' Mary continued, lowering her voice 'Before they can become Death Eaters. Alice told me no-one knows exactly what they have to do, but it involves really gruesome Dark Magic! Oh, by the way, did you find out why McGonagall called Alice away? Jenny's quite distraught'.

Lily explained what happened. 'Frank said she's bound to owl as soon as she can. I hope her parents will be ok. Frank made it sound rather grim.'

'There's someone disappearing or tortured or killed every week,' Mary said in a small voice. Lily knew she was thinking of her own brother, 'The _Daily Prophet_ is trumpeting the alarm bells now! With the possible exception of Crouch's Auror elite, the rest of the Ministry are losing their grip on the situation! And You-know-who and his Death Eaters responsible for all of it!'

Lily was silent, her downcast eyes fixed on her pale finger as it twirled and re-twirled around the loose, blood-red thread of her quilt.

'What if your parents are targeted by Death Eaters, Lily? They're both muggles, and that's reason enough!' Mary paused and then lowered her voice: 'Mulciber threatened me with just that, you know: my Mum's a muggle!'

Lily looked up. It was the first time Mary had mentioned Mulciber in weeks. And Mulciber's threat was not something she had ever mentioned before. Lily remembered how last summer she had told her friend that such threats were empty, that Voldemort's evil plans were far grander in scope than satisfying schoolyard grudges, but now, with stories of people being tortured or disappearing, it seemed to her that they may not be so far-fetched. There were many students in Hogwarts related to Death Eaters after all...

'I still find it hard to believe You-know-who would do anything on instructions from a schoolboy...'

'Of course he wouldn't, but he definitely uses these boys as spies: He-who-must-not-be-named has eyes and ears at Hogwarts, you know. Kids give away their parents' loyalties easily at school. They get to know which families are Ministry sympathisers, and which are not. Then he lets his Death Eaters do the dirty work of terrorising whoever opposes him, like poor Alice's parents ...'

Silence fell between the two girls and for a while no-one spoke, then Mary looked up and fixed Lily with a penetrating stare:

'How would you feel if Severus became a Death Eater, and it was your parents who were lying in St Mungo's right now?' she asked quietly.

Lily felt her face drain of all colour. It was like Mary was voicing all her fears. Fears she hadn't wanted to admit even to herself.

'H – he knows them,' she said, her voice barely above a whisper, 'Severus knows my parents, and he would never hurt them. And he isn't a Death Eater, Mary!' Her voice grew slightly stronger, but she couldn't help hearing the unspoken echo ...he isn't a Death Eater_ yet_!

'Half the boys in his year are related to Death Eaters!'

'He's in Slytherin, Mary, he can't help sticking around his housemates!'

'There you go - making excuses for him again!'

'No, I'm not, I -!' And she shut her mouth. Yes, she was.

Mary was getting off her bed, shaking her head sadly, rather than angrily. 'I know you've been best friends all these years and stuff, Lily, but I don't know how long you can keep on finding excuses.' She took a brush of the bedside table and started brushing her blonde hair into shiny waves, 'As you said yourself, in six more months you'll be of age and then a year and a half later, you'll be out of Hogwarts and on your own! Will you keep forgiving him then, when he's looking at you out of a Death Eater's mask, and you're on the wrong side of his wand?'

Mary put her brush down, gave a grim look at Lily's stricken face, and adjusted her thick glasses on her nose.

'Look, I'll see you later, ok? I promised Melchior I'd see him before supper. Just think about what I said. I know it's none of my business, but you've been there for me when ... you know... last summer, when Malcolm died, and I'd like to return the favour. I'm worried you're not seeing how dangerously close you are to being convinced that nothing's wrong with what Severus does or thinks, and then, before you know it, the next step will be –'

'Mary, I appreciate what you're doing, but you needn't be afraid I'd ever condone the Death Eaters senseless attacks on Alice's parents or your brother, or anyone else! I'm a Muggleborn, how can I?'

'Well, there are plenty of half-humans and muggleborns among You-know who's followers: 'Collaborators' they're called, but I know you'll never be one of them,' she added hastily, seeing the look on Lily's face, 'Just be careful, ok?'

'Don't worry. I – I'll speak to Severus, ok?'

'I bet you have already,' Mary said shrewdly, 'and it was no use. But anyway, good luck with it. I'll see you later.'

And Lily watched as her friend gave her a cheery wave and disappeared down the spiral staircase that led to the Gryffindor common-room. She rolled over on her back and put her arms behind her head, gazing unseeing at the canopy of the four-poster above. It seemed as though her friend had taken all the cheeriness in the room with her and Lily shivered slightly, feeling a sudden chill of loneliness and the prickling unease of the myriad thoughts that clamoured for attention in her head, each truth, each doubt, sending icy tentacles creeping through every corner of her mind.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Severus bent over his '_Advanced Potion-making_' Book, trying to find a space wherein to write the latest spell he had invented – and arguably one of his best yet.

The oily drip, drip of candlewax was particularly soothing for he was in the dungeon hideout making candles. The tapers dipped of their own accord into a wooden vat of hot wax over which they had been levitated. They weren't ordinary candles of course: the hot wax had been imbued with some powerful potions and spells. He should be studying for his OWLs and not making candles, but it was a fascinating new aspect of potion-making that recently had him enthralled and besides, he would be paid in galleons – quite a few of them - for this particular batch of candles.

He shouldn't be writing stuff in his _Advanced Potion Making_ book either, for this spell had nothing to do with the syllabus, but it was very important.

Finally, in one unscribbled corner of the book, in his small, cramped handwriting he wrote '_Sectumsempra – for enemies_!' It was a brilliant piece of dark magic, inspired by Potter and his gang, and he'd been practising the wand movement and incantation for days, using as targets the rats that sometimes emerged at night to devour his ingredients. Their bodies were small, and he ended up with a pile of black and brown corpses, but on larger vermin, he could see that any flesh wounds remained unhealed, for it was a dark curse: an invisible sword that would smite down his enemies leaving them marked with his displeasure, or even dead, depending on which part of the body the spell hit, and how much hatred and meaning was behind the casting of that spell. It was brilliant!

He glanced over at the thickly-dripping tapers. They had reached the right thickness and were scarlet in colour. With a wave of his wand they stopped dipping themselves in the vat of hot wax. He would let them cool now and tomorrow they would be ready. It was quite early in the evening yet, so he would have time enough for some proper studying. He might even go to the common-room. Unlike the rest of the year, June was the one month when most students were not rowdy, and silence reigned even in common-rooms. Their OWLs were set to start next Monday, the 14 th of June – conveniently, a day after full moon so Lupin would not miss out – and would be spread over two weeks.

Everyone was studying hard – even Mulciber, who's Uncle had been killed 10 days ago by Aurors. Severus remembered the calm dignity of the older Mulciber, the effortless respect the Death Eater had commanded, and felt a twinge of regret and anger that he had been killed: he had certainly found him a surprising improvement on his nephew.

Not that Seth Mulciber had been deterred by his uncle's death. Severus had expected a vicious increase in his ham-fisted treatment of students he wanted information out of, but to his surprise, Mulciber maintained a sullen countenance and continued his amateur spywork with dogged persistence. He seemed determined to step into his Death Eater uncle's shoes one day, and was trying to curb his own excesses. He had a long way to go, but at least, his more restrained attitude meant that he kept out of Severus's way for most of the time, and this suited him just fine.

Severus had always felt that his own company was the best company.

With one exception.

There was one person who was keeping away from him, that he would rather have close. Ever since the last Hogsmeade visit, Lily was keeping to Gryffindor common-room a lot, and they had almost quarrelled again during that Astronomy lesson. He only ever saw her during lessons or sometimes in the Library. But even on these occasions, their conversations were stilted: either uncomfortably treading carefully around issues they both knew would set them arguing again, or else prickly with jibes about each other's friends. He had been the one guilty of the latter most times, for he couldn't stand the persistence with which Potter kept trying to talk to Lily or look at her. But then, rather unexpectedly, at the end of last month Lily kept trying to convince him to sever all ties with his own friends in Slytherin, which of course, was a ridiculous thing to ask. He had always known she hated them, but this time she was adamant that he'd end up as a Death Eater if he stuck with them.

She made it sound as though that was a bad thing. He had got angry and hadn't wanted to hear another word of it: after all, he was doing his damnedest (and risking his neck) to ensure her safety when the new Wizarding Order was in place. She didn't know that of course, hence her attitude, but she would someday, and hopefully she'd be grateful and impressed with what he had done for her.

In the meantime… well, they were both very busy studying, of course. But even the sessions in the Library when he taught her Ancient Runes had stopped, for a replacement teacher had been found for old Professor Clynderwen, who showed no signs of returning from St Mungo's. The few times Severus saw Lily recentlym she was quiet and withdrawn.

But Severus knew that very soon the stress of these exams would be over, and they would be alone again in Castleforth and he promised himself that he would make it up with her somehow.

She would forgive him, she always did.

But he missed her. Hell, how he missed her! She hadn't come down here in the Dungeons since January, when she had come to thank him for the Pendant. He was actually the one to have discouraged her coming, but now the place seemed cold and empty. Sometimes, when alone in the dungeon hideout, he would look at the two old Windsors by the cold grate of the fire and imagine her there, insisting on lighting the fire to dispel the cold, offering him a butterbeer with that sincere, warm, crinkly–eyed grin he secretly found so endearing – more so because it was, oddly enough, meant for him! He had never quite got used to it, because he could never get his head round the idea that someone – anyone - would want to smile at him. Well, Narcissa had, and some of the other Slytherin girls … but there had always been a reason behind the smile: a homework that needed doing, a clandestine potion that needed brewing…. There was none of the artless, simple pleasure that lit up Lily's face when she smiled at him…

It was a smile that he hadn't seen in a long time. When she looked at him now, her smile, if she managed it at all, was strained. He stifled a sigh and went over to the huge pile of books at one of the desks.

He had to push Lily out of his mind and concentrate on his studies. It would be a long night….

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door opening. Rather, he felt the faint disturbance in the magical protection that guarded the door, and looked up.

She stood before him, cheeks flushed and panting slightly, as though she had been running.

'L –Lily!' he stammered, almost dropping the book he was holding.

'Hi, Sev,' she said with a small smile, clutching a stitch at her side.

'H- hello …er…what…?' he cursed as his voice shook slightly in eagerness, and foolish grin was threatening to break through on his face. He steadied his voice. 'What brings you down here?'

There had to be a reason. She would not have come just to see him. But her sudden appearance had taken him by surprise, and he always came undone where she was concerned. He had to get a grip!

'Slughorn's looking for you, Sev! The examiners are here – they came a few days earlier than expected - and he wants to introduce you to Mr Tofty, he's an experimental potioneer, a well-known one, and you know how Slughorn gets….'

'Wants to introduce me to an examiner? But isn't that unethical and stuff?'

Lily flushed slightly and shrugged, 'Slughorn insisted….' she muttered.

'I take it he's already introduced you, then?'

'He cornered me on the way out of the Great Hall. Mr Tofty was quite nice, actually. He didn't think it strange to be introduced so familiarly to a student just before the OWLs…'

Severus snorted in disgust, 'Mr Tofty must be Slughorn's ex-student then. Probably an ex- member of the Slugclub! Is he young enough?'

'Well, yes. I mean, Slughorn's old enough to have taught him, I guess. He did mention him at one of his Dinner parties…'

'You know I don't go to those anymore, ever since that- ' he stopped short of mentioning Potter's name. Lily was here and for now that was enough. No need to ruin it by mentioning that bastards' name.

'You've got to run, Sev!' Lily was saying more urgently. Perhaps because she sensed that Potter's name was in the offing, 'Slughorn was saying he was determined to dig you out from wherever you're hiding, so I offered to get you. You don't want him down here….'

'The protective spell we cast on the door still holds, but, no… I don't want him nosing around down here.'

'Run! They're waiting in the Entrance Hall!'

Severus turned to the door, goaded by the urgency in her voice, but turned to look back before he passed through the magical protection.

Lily was lifting her hair up off her neck, twisting it into a rough knot at the top of her head to cool down. In the torchlight, the silvery braid of her pendant gleamed brightly at the exposed nape of her neck.

'You – You'll wait?' he blurted out.

'Sure,' she replied, with one of the smiles he hadn't seen for such a long time. 'Now _go_!'

Lily went over to one of the Windsors and sat down, fanning her face and glad that it was so cool down here in the dungeons. She had run all the way down the long labyrinthine dungeon passageways to their old hideout. She had known somehow, that he would be here.

She had been a bit embarrassed at Slughorn's introduction. She imagined that students who saw her deep in conversation with one of the examiners would inevitably think that it would influence her marks in the exams, but when Slughorn mentioned Severus, she had jumped at the chance. Slughorn was well-known for giving a leg up to his favourite students, and though Severus no longer quite filled that position, yet he could do with being introduced to a well-known potioneer. With some luck, it might interest him more as a career option than the mask and cloak of a Death Eater. Her attempts to talk him out of the company of the Death Eater gang had failed, so perhaps this might have more effect… Becoming a famous potioneer should suit Severus, after all, he spent a lot of his time down here concocting complex and sometimes illicit potions…

She looked round fondly at the blackened, damp walls and mismatched old furniture of their old hideout. She hadn't been down here for months. What had Severus been doing down here all this time?

She noticed the candles immediately. They were scarlet tapers hanging by their wicks over a vat of solidified wax. Candle-making? That was something she associated with home crafts and such like, but knowing Severus they would not be as innocent as they looked. She went over to the desk; it was piled high with textbooks: well, hardly surprising. Their first exam was next Monday, and they were supposed to be studying hard. His book on _Advanced Potion Making _lay open in front of the pile of textbooks. She glanced at the open page: it felt a bit like prying, for she knew Severus wrote much more than potion notes on the book. Sure enough, in one corner in miniscule handwriting which few except her managed to decipher, was a spell apparently intended for enemies. She wondered, with a slight shiver, what it would do.

Just then she felt the slight tingling that signalled the disturbance of the magical barrier and she looked up guiltily as Severus came in.

He saw what she was looking at.

'I made a few additions since the last time you borrowed that book,' he said nodding at the corner of the open page. He seemed quite unabashed.

'You only lend it to me during Slughorn's class, for Potions. But I know you've put in quite a lot more stuff in there. Presumably that spell's not a simple jinx like the Toenail one …'

Severus shrugged. 'It has its uses.' And he closed the book with an air of having accomplished something that pleased him.

'Well, I hope you have an antidote to whatever it is you invented there, Sev.' The fleeting glance he gave her told her that, no, he didn't, and didn't think it important, either. She frowned.

'Look, Lily – the spell is advanced magic: very ancient magic, and I can't uninvent what I've already invented, can I? But I'll work on it…'

'Anyway, how did it go with Tofty?' Lily said, changing the conversation with an effort.

Severus shrugged, 'Typical of Slughorn's ex-pupil's, I guess. Ambitious, determined and looking around for talent he could use – but nothing that would outshine him.'

'So, did you like him?'

'This wasn't about _liking_ him, Lily. This was about pandering to his ego as a well-known potioneer for long enough, and well enough, for him not to mark my exam paper negatively.'

'He's an e_xamine_r! He wouldn't do that!'

A snort of derision was her only answer. Her disappointment must have shown on her face for he added: 'Look he gave me his address and promised to send me his latest published works next summer. He told me to keep in contact, but I'm guessing that one day he will contact me instead'

'Oh, yeah, well…. glad to hear it went _that_ far, at least.'

His eyebrows arched suspiciously as she said that, but he made no further comment and they lapsed into an awkward silence.

'I – I see you've been making candles,' she said, more to break the silence than anything else.

He glanced over at the batch of scarlet tapers. 'So it seems,' he said succinctly. 'They're special, of course.'

'How 'special'?' she said, the note of doubt in her voice unmistakeable, 'Oh, you're using this book, aren't you?' She pulled one out from the pile entitled '_Magical Candles_'. Opening it randomly, she found herself looking at a Chapter entitled '_Poisoned Candles'_. She almost dropped the book:

'Is this what you're doing?' she said huskily, feeling a cold dread clench around her heart. She should've known!

'Always quick to jump to such conclusions, aren't you?' Severus answered, his eyes glaring at her darkly from beneath lowered brows. 'No, I'm not making poisoned candles. The ones over there have been commissioned by a seventh-year for his own use actually, so they're definitely not poisoned!'

'I – I'm sorry, Sev. But with your fascination for such stuff …and I know you could be expelled for preparing poisons. If the rumours about Sirius's cousin, Bellatrix, are true, she was almost expelled for trying to poison –'

'But I _do_ find them fascinating, Very fascinating!' Severus cut across her jumbled apology rather harshly, as though to make it quite clear that he would not hear anything more against it, 'They combine the properties of Potion-making with that of enchantments, but unlike a normal Potion their effect is not instantaneous: it is slower, more insidious, lasting as long as the candle burns….'

His voice grew lower, more intense, as he described his new-found magical interest, and she found herself drawn to its deep, velvety quality, the barely-suppressed excitement born of new discoveries that she could never resist…

'They're not all poisoned, Lily: and whatever the effect they produce, you'd never think of blaming something as innocuous as a candle, unless you expressly know of its presence in the room. The candle flame would just release the potion, slowly but surely, and you would breath it in and then…' he placed his hands on the desk, leaning closer, his intense dark eyes holding her spell-bound '… and then you start feeling the effects, so slowly you are not aware of it at first. The ingredients are fascinating: some are made using Dementor breath: you go mad with hopeless sadness the longer the candle burns, some candles are made from human flesh …'

Lily blinked. '_Dementor_ breath? How on earth can you get hold of something like that?'

'Well, not here at Hogsmeade, you won't. Perhaps in Knockturn Alley, but with the added security at Hogwarts…Filch has been given a Secrecy Sensor, so it's extremely difficult to smuggle so much as a Doxy into the castle. So, you see, I'm not making poisoned candles.'

'But you would if you could, wouldn't you?'

The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Something shifted behind her friend's eyes and he straightened up.

He did not answer her.

She did not need him to answer. She already knew, and the spell was broken.

'So what are these for, if they're not poisoned?' she said, her voice forcibly careless, as she tried to ignore the disappointed ache inside, and moved to where the scarlet candles hung.

He didn't answer her immediately and she looked across to where he still stood by the desk. To her surprise, he flushed slightly.

Puzzled, she bent forward to sniff the candles, wondering what the potion was.

'No, don't!' Severus was at her side in an instant, but it was too late: she was overwhelmed by a thousand different sensations: familiar and strange at the same time. It was fleeting, and gone in an instant, but it left her feeling very warm and flushed.

'It – it hasn't completely solidified yet', Severus was saying, looking rather flustered. 'Once it has, the effect will be triggered only when the wick burns it –'

'What in Merlin's name is it, Sev?'

He looked at her, discomfited. 'I told you –it's not all dark magic. The – the candles can induce pleasure as well as pain, increasing sensation in the same slow but sure way, and, well, this potion is more on the...uh... pleasure side'

Lily's eyes widened. 'Does this contain a Love Potion?' she felt immeasurably relieved and suddenly cheered again as she watched him struggling to explain, the flush on his face deepening.

'Of course not! I've never brewed Amortentia'

'Why not?'

'Because – Well, just _because_!' he growled, doing his best to scowl, but she wasn't deterred. She felt much more light-hearted now she knew the candles were innocuous – well, relatively innocuous - and she loved it when she managed to unbalance Severus.

'So what's this then? It certainly made me feel giddy and strange'

'It's a Dream-inducing potion. Opposite to Dreamless Sleep potion really, but I've added a few other ingredients.'

'Dream-inducing Potions, eh? I'm betting there a particular quality to the dreams they induce, though.'

Severus shifted uncomfortably. She grinned, reaching out for one of the tapers, touching it lightly with her fingers. It was solid now.

'I got the idea from that Antidote Potion we brewed last summer when my Mum – when she – you know, took too much Dreamless Sleep Potion. I've added some extra ingredients, Lavender to induce relaxation; Muscaria for delirious subconscious activity; Marsh Toad warts for counteracting –' He launched into a detailed description of the Potion, his voice growing more confident. Lily grinned.

'How about you give me one?' she said.

'No.'

'I'd pay you!'

'I'm not giving you one, not even for all the Galleons in Gringotts!'

'Why not?'

'Because!'

'Why not?' she insisted.

'Because those have been commissioned for seventh-year boy who has very particular ideas about what, and who, he wants to dream about, and it's… well, it's …' he faltered, his face reddening more than before.

'Erotic?' she supplied, with an innocent smile.

Severus' flush deepened, but she grinned. Here was an aspect of Severus she had never seen before.

'So you brew love-candles for love-sick students? Well, it could have been worse, I suppose. Do they really work?'

'Of course they do!' He realised his mistake immediately, but it was too late.

'So you test them on yourself before selling them?'

'_Merlin,_ Lily!' he choked out, 'I – it's not exactly... I mean-'

The stricken look on his face almost made her laugh out loud. He looked as though he was going to be ill.

'Well?'

'I use a strand of hair, ok? From whoever it is that person wants to dream about, but the... the _details_ of the dream are supplied by the dreamer's own imagination.'

'So one lucky seventh-year is going to have some very happy dreams. Lights the candle before going to bed and then … what was it you said? Ah, yes, 'increasing sensation of pleasure in a slow but sure way' until the candle burns,' She giggled, delighting in his confusion, and then a thought struck her: 'Whose hair did you use when you were trying this out, Sev?'

But then suddenly she didn't want to know the answer. The idea of Severus dreaming about some other girl gave her an unpleasant and strange sensation. Jealousy, no doubt.

She held up her hand 'No – don't tell me! I don't want to know!' it was her turn to feel flustered, now. She moved back to the desk, placing it between them like a barrier.

She hadn't given Severus any strands of hair. Although …wait a minute…back in Third year, in the Library, she remembered Severus asking for a strand of her hair for making Invisible Ink. She had given him a whole lock.

'Look, I wouldn't waste my time with such nonsense, but I sold a few and they went wild for more,' Severus said. He had become as pale as she had become red, 'I get the galleons, they get their dreams. It's mutually convenient, and it will have to do until I get my hands on more interesting ingredients and can produce something other than these stupid candles!'

Something in the tone of his voice brought her back to earth with a bump. He probably meant that he would be making candles with Dementor's breath or human parts, or whatever other gruesome ingredients went into producing the evil form of these tapers. Her levity of a moment before dissipated, and she glanced down at the book '_Magical Candles'_ that still lay open on the chapter 'Poisoned Candles'.

This was seriously Dark Magic, and the thought of Severus planting one of them on some unsuspecting witch or wizard … She flicked distastefully through the pages. There were one or two strips of parchment, rough bookmarks, marking some chapters. She stopped on the first of the bookmarked pages bearing a title that caught her eye: '_Infertility or Barrenness Candles'_ Wondering why on earth Severus was interested in a chapter with such a title, she read the small explanation beneath, feeling her blood turning cold with each word.: '_This purple candle will gently release a lavender aroma that masks the Asafoetida, strumpet's Caul and Rosinweed potion incorporated within it. Muggle women find the smell irresistibly sweet, and thus do not suspect that it renders their womb incapable of bearing fruit. This simple candle, disguised as a gift, is enough to reduce the muggle population to acceptable levels in the village or neighbourhood the Pureblood family has decided to live in. Being so innocent-looking, the candle can also be used on Mudblood women in order to break the cycle of crimes they perpetuate on true witches and wizards, and prevent their tainted blood from further contaminating the magical community… '_

Lily slammed her hand on the page, covering the hated text. She felt as if she had been doused with a cold shower, but from the embers of her disappointment a cold rage was forming, slowly but surely.

'So you can't wait to produce something else, can you?' she said coldly, looking up at Severus, 'Why don't you start with this?' and she threw the book across the desk at him, open on the bookmarked Chapter entitled 'Infertility or Barrenness Candles'.

Then she marched out of the dungeon hideout, casting a hasty Disillusionment Charm over herself as she left. She heard Severus call after her, but right now, she didn't feel like hearing any excuses or explanations. She felt that if she stayed there, it would only be worse. Severus had expressed his intention of going ahead with that Dark Magic, and she knew she would not be able to deflect him from his purpose. They'd only end up arguing even worse, and right now, with the exams set for next Monday, it was the last thing either one of them needed.


	134. Chapter 134

**Chapter 134: Mudblood.**

**A/n: Unfortunately, this chapter had to come finally. Given that the original was very long, and seen through Harry's pov, I've had to tweak it considerably, however, as usual, the parts in italics are from HP Book 5, '_Snape's Worst Memory'_ – as seen through Sev's eyes this time!**

'She's resigned her Prefectship' Bertram Aubrey was whispering in his ear, nodding to where Alice Walker stood surrounded by some Gryffindor girls outside the Great Hall. They were waiting to go in for their DADA written paper, and over a hundred NEWT and OWL students filled the Entrance Hall.

Severus looked at the small group of girls. Lily was amongst them, but she hadn't noticed him. Well, it wouldn't have made any difference. She was ignoring him completely. He hadn't seen her since she came down to the dungeon hideout and had seen that book on magical candles. She had assumed that he would want to try out the anti-muggle Infertility candles, just because he had bookmarked them.

He would only have willingly used them on one witch, if he could, and she was a pureblood: Potter's mother! If he could go back in time, he'd certainly have planted one of those candles on her, just so as to prevent that bastard from being born.

The object of his hatred was with his usual group of Marauders, being even more loud and obnoxious than usual, probably just to show that exams were a piece of cake for the great James Potter. The only one who looked pale and sick was Remus Lupin, for the full moon had only just passed, and apparently, that and exam nerves had taken their toll on the Gryffindor Prefect. Pettigrew caught him looking and nudged Black, who grinned maliciously at him and made a rude gesture. Pettigrew then turned to whisper in Potter's ear, who echoed his friend's gesture, but made it a threatening one instead. Severus ignored them both. They wouldn't try anything here, and they were fooling themselves if they thought intimidating tactics were going to work on him!

'She said she'll be carrying out her Prefect duties until the Hogwarts Express reaches London at the end of this month, and then they'll have to choose someone else over summer.' Bertram was saying, unaware of this silent exchange, and fingering his Slytherin Prefect Badge, 'Wonder who they'll choose?'

Severus shrugged. He did not want to talk about Alice Walker. Lily was obviously trying to cheer the girl up, and he heard snatches of conversation, but it was difficult to hear what she was saying in the general hubbub of voices. Walker didn't look much better than the pale, embittered girl that had appeared late last night at the Gryffindor table.

'Her mother died two weeks ago in St Mungo's, but her father's ok,' Pavo Parkinson said, joining in the conversation, 'They say –' he lowered his voice, 'they say she's planning on leaving Hogwarts and helping her father set up that duelling school again, in defiance of You-Know-Who.'

'That'd be stupid. How will she study for her NEWTS?' Bertram said in a scandalised voice.

Pavo shrugged. 'Home schooled, I guess. Anyway, perhaps she thinks learning to fight is more important than exams. They say there's a secret resistance movement that even the Ministry don't know about, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is very much aware of. '

Severus felt both pair of eyes turn to him, as though he was an expert on what the Dark Lord was, or was not, aware of. As if anyone could fathom the depths of that wizard's mind! He just stared back at them coldly and said nothing. Judging by the glance they exchanged, they interpreted this as an affirmative sign that yes, he _did_ know.

Just then, Professor Flitwick opened the door of the Great Hall and started calling them in, class by class. Severus felt a nervous thrill shiver through him: this was one exam he felt he needed to get an 'Outstanding' in: he felt he knew the subject inside out, or rather, he knew both sides of the coin: the dark arts themselves and their countering spells. He wasn't sure if he'd managed an 'O' in Charms and Transfiguration earlier that week, but he thought he'd done well in Herbology and Ancient Runes. DADA was the last exam of the week, and tomorrow he'd have the whole weekend to study Potions, another exam he expected to get the best grade in.

As in the previous four days, when Severus stepped inside the Great Hall, he found the four house tables had been replaced by over a hundred smaller tables all facing the same way. There was the muted sound of nervous voices and scraping of chairs as everyone found their place and sat down.

'Put away your bags and wands, please,' tiny Professor Flitwick said, as the Hall fell into expectant and nervous silence. Sunshine streamed through the high windows, sending bright shafts of light onto chestnut, copper and gold hair. Severus waited anxiously for Flitwick's signal.

Glancing round, he saw that Potter and Black were two aisles away behind hm. Good. He didn't want any distractions: he was going to do his damn best in this exam. Pettigrew too wasn't anywhere near him: that half-witted twerp would only try and copy his work. Unfortunately, Wilkes was sitting to his right and he was just as half-witted. As like as not, Marcus would be peeking over his shoulder to see his work.

Flitwick gave the signal and Severus turned round the parchment that was face down on the desk in front of him. He gave a cursory glance at the Heading of the Examination paper: DEFENCE AGAAINST THE DARK ARTS – ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL and then his eyes swept down the questions on the first page. Easy...

He took his quill and bent over the parchment. The Great Hall filled with the sound of scratching quills and the occasional rustling as somebody adjusted their parchment. Severus was soon absorbed in answering the questions – there was so much to write! He didn't know if he had enough time to get down all he knew on parchment! His hand flew across the page filling it with his miniscule and cramped handwriting. He only looked up once when he came across the question about how to identify a true Werewolf. He couldn't help giving a wry glance in Lupin's direction. That'd be an easy one for the Werewolf to answer! And his friends, too. Well, at least that was one advantage of coming up close and personal with Lupin in his transformed state – he knew exactly how to identify the beast, right down to the red, crazed eyes and the length of his deadly, infected fangs! He turned back to his paper and caught Wilkes craning his neck to get a glimpse of what he wrote.

With a scowl, he hunched lower over his parchment, draping his arm across it too for good measure. Like hell he'd allow anyone to copy his work! His hooked nose almost touching the surface of the parchment, he soon became lost in the intricacies of his favourite subject.

'_Five more minutes!'_

Severus saw the top of Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks a short distance away, behind Potter, who was already putting down his quill. Severus looked down hastily at his own paper. He had written at least a foot more than anyone he could see around him, but he needed to write the conclusion to the Boggart essay. He had just enough time...

'_Quills down, please!' squeaked Professor Flitwick. 'That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!'_

_Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him back onto his feet._

'_Thank you... thank you,' panted Professor Flitwick, 'Very well, everybody, you're free to go!'_

Severus stuffed his quill into his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he moved between the tables towards the doors to the Entrance Hall, but he kept his exam paper in his hands, for as usual, he liked to go through the questions again. He got caught in the general exodus of students making their way out of the castle and onto the Hogwarts grounds. Glancing up briefly, but couldn't see anyone from Slytherin. Well, none of them, with the possible exception of Bertram Aubrey, had his passion for re-reading the examination paper again.

A laugh he'd recognise among a million others caught his attention. Lily was with a group of chattering Gryffindor girls some way ahead. Well, Lily wasn't one to go through the exam paper again when the sun was shining like it was now, and there was a whole weekend in front of them. Tearing his eyes away from her he concentrated on his paper with a frown. Lily would probably not want to, whatever the weather was! At least not with him.

Frowning slightly, he ignored the group of girls and walked on down the lawn, squinting in the bright sunlight, and with no clear idea of where he was going, but subconsciously looking for somewhere shady. He wanted to see if he could deduce, from the questions in the exam paper, what they'd be getting in the practical part of DADA scheduled for that afternoon. Spotting a clump of bushes he threw his bag down, and sat down on the grass in their dense shadow.

It took him a while to go through the paper again, but he was finally convinced that he had written the best possible answers, and, moreover, had a good idea, by the omissions in the written paper, what their practical exam would be about. There were still a few hours before the afternoon session. Time enough for a last-minute revision of the counter-spells he thought might come up later that afternoon. Given their patchy education in DADA, he was a bit more nervous about the practical part. He stood up, stowed away his OWL paper in his bag and set off across the grass when a hated voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

'_All right, Snivillus?' said James Potter loudly._

He whirled round, taking in the scene in an instant. Potter and Black were standing under the beech tree, hand on hip and the other clutching their wand, a malicious grin plastered on both their faces. On the grass behind them, Lupin sat reading a book near Pettigrew; the avid anticipation on the latter's face confirming another ambush was imminent.

Severus dropped his bag, plunging his hands inside his robes, even while knowing it would be too late. He cursed himself mentally for being so distracted as to wander alone within the Marauders reach.

_His hand was__ inside his robes and his wand was half-way into the air when James Potter shouted 'Expelliarmus!'_

_Severus's wand flew 12 feet into the air and fell with a little thud on the grass behind him. Sirius Black __let out a bark of laughter._

'_Impedimenta!' he said, pointing his wand at Severus, who was knocked off his feet half -way through a dive for his own fallen wand._

_Students all round had turned to watch. Some of them had got to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, some entertained._

Severus lay panting on the ground, aware by now, that the surrounding students were mainly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. There was no Slytherin in sight, and he was alone_. _

_James Potter and Sirius Black advanced on him, wands raised, Potter__ glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Pettigrew was on his feet now watching hungrily, edging around Lupin for a clearer view._

'_How'd the exam go, Snivelly?' said Potter._

'_I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment', Sirius Black said viciously, 'There'll be grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word.'_

_Several people watching laughed_**;** Severus Snape had become unpopular among the Gryffindors. Not only was he a Slytherin, but they had never forgotten how he had got one of theirs into trouble with the Headmaster_, _when he had led Lily Evans into the Forbidden Forest last year. No doubt, Potter's embroidering of that, and many other stories about him had some impact, too_. Pettigrew sniggered shrilly. Severus tried to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he struggled, as though bound by invisible ropes._

'_You-wait,' he panted, staring up at Potter with an expression of purest loathing, 'you- wait!'_

'_Wait for what?' said Sirius Black coolly. 'What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?'_

_Severus let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened._

'_Wash out your mouth,' said James Potter coldly. 'Scourgify!' _

_Pink soap bubbles streamed from Severus' mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him-_

'_Leave him ALONE!'_

_Potter and Black looked round. James Potter's __ free hand immediately jumped to his hair._

_It was one of the girls from the lake edge. Thick, dark red hair fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes _looked in horrified pity at the scene– Lily.

Severus felt sick. It couldn't be!_ Not Lily_! Not when he was unarmed and helpless like this. He had already seen the pity in her eyes: why the hell did she have to come now? But the anger, as well as his struggling against the Impediment Jinx, had left him with an oxygen debt that the choking_, _ frothy soap was not allowing him to pay. The scene was swimming before his eyes – if he lost consciousness now, he'd never forgive himself, or her, for witnessing it!

_All right, Evans?' said Potter, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper more mature._

'_Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at Potter with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?'_

'_Well,' said Potter, appearing to deliberate the point, 'It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean...'_

_Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily._

'_You think you're funny,' she said coldly, 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'_

'_I will if you go out with me Evans,' said James Potter quickly. 'Go on...go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again_**,'**

Severus' head started to clear as both jinxes wore off. He drew several deep breaths of much-needed oxygen, and as the Impediment J_inx wore _off, he began to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.

'_I wouldn't go out with you if it was the choice between you and the Giant Squid,' said Lily._

'_Bad Luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Severus. 'OI!'_

_But too late, Severus had directed his wand straight at Potter; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James Potter's face, spattering his robes with blood. Potter whirled about; a second flash of light later, Severus was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants._

_Many people in the small crowd cheered; Black, Potter and Pettigrew roared with laughter._

Severus' mind turned blank for the first time in his life. This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't! Not with Lily there looking on at his abject humiliatio_n!_ He dangled helplessly in that ridiculous position for several seconds, his mind benumbed, then, suddenly, the full impact of it hit him like a stampeding hippogriff, and a wave of blind fury took hold of him. He tried to disentangle his wand arm, trying to get a clear shot of that hated, upside-down face he could just see from beneath the hem of his robe. He'd _kill_ the bastard, he'd slice Potter open again, and this time, he'd spill his _guts_ out; he'd dig out his beating _heart_; he'd – He struggled desperately in a futile effort to aim, but his robes slipped further down over his head and shoulders, his loose belt slipping from his narrow hips to his waist.

Their laughter goaded him into a frenzy of rage that he knew, at the back of his mind, was only serving as a weak disguise for the hot shame that was welling up in him like bile, jaundicing his vision, making him hate Potter so bad he could actually _taste_ it . Or perhaps that was the soap the bastard had tried to choke him on. There was a whistling in his ears as the blood rushed to his head, in anger as much as his position. Why the bloody hell did she have to come? Why the fuck couldn't she ever learn to leave him _alone?_ She always had to _interfere_, with her damned Gryffindor self-righteous persistence in saving the whole bloody _world_! He caught a blurred glimpse of Lily through the folds of his robes, and his face twisted in shame and horror**.**

_Lily's furious expression twitched for an instant, as though she was going to smile _or cry, _'Let him down!'_ she said in a choking voice.

'_Certainly,' said Potter and he jerked his wand upwards; Severus fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling __himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius Black said, 'Petrificus Totalus!' and Severus keeled over again as rigid as a board, _his heart and mind, the only things organs not seized up by the jinx, screaming for Potter's blood, for everyone's blood, wishing their eyes would be seared black for witnessing his humiliation.

'_LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. Potter and Black eyed it warily._

'_Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said Potter earnestly._

'_Take the curse off him then!'_

_James Potter sighed deeply, then turned to Severus and muttered the counter-curse._

'_There you go,' he said as Severus struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivillus –'_

'_I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'_

The words were out of his mouth before he even realised he said them.

_Lily blinked._

'_Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_**.'**_

'_Apologise to Evans!' Potter roared at Severus, his wand pointing threateningly at him._

'_I don't want you to make him apologise!'Lily shouted, rounding on James Potter. 'You're as bad as he is.' _She seemed far angrier than before, the high colour on her face confirming, even more than her insults, that she was now feeling as bad as he was._ Good. He wanted_ her to feel bad! He wanted the whole fucking _world_ to feel his pain and humiliation!

_What?' yelped Potter. 'I'd NEVER call you a you-know-what!'_

'_Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK_.'

_She turned on her heel and hurried away._

'_Evans!' James Potter shouted after her. 'Hey, EVANS!'_

_But she didn't look back._

'_What is it with her?' said Potter trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him._

'_Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate,' said Black._

_Right,' said Potter, who looked furious now, 'Right –'_

_There was another flash of light, and Severus was once again hanging upside down in the air._

'_Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?'_

Severus swore loudly from under the tangle of robes. Through the fog of anger and pain something was trying to penetrate through his skull, something he'd just shouted at Lily. It didn't bear thinking about. But he was also astounded at Lily's angry outburst at Potter, and he had let his guard down. And now Potter, not content with his humiliation so far, wanted to strip him naked in front of the whole school!

The ultimate humiliation.

Another wave of anger swept him through him and curses tingled at his fingertips, while the whistling sound in his ears all but drowned out the jeering laughter about him. Like bloody hell he'd let that fucking bastard do that to him! Not this time! Not _ever again_! Potter and all those morons now snorting with laughter at his shame would learn what it meant to be at the wrong end of his wand! He still had his wand, though his wand arm was hopelessly entangled in the long robes hanging off him.

But it was his own non-verbal spell that Potter had used against him, and he, Severus Snape, was the true master of that spell!

Just as he felt someone's fingers tugging at his pants, accompanied by a crescendo of laughs and gleeful sounds of exaggerated disgust, he focussed his mind as he knew he could, and pointed his wand with difficulty in the direction of his feet.

'_Liberacorpus_!' he thought.

He fell heavily, but was ready for it this time, and instead of trying to disentangle himself from his robes or catch his breath, he cast a Shield Charm that would deflect anything Potter sent his way.

'Why d'you let him down, Prongs?' he heard Pettigrew's voice complaining, 'C'mon, put him up again! Let's take Snivelly's pants off!'

The reverberating sound of a spell hitting his Shield Charm told him that Potter, at least, had realised what happened. Severus stood up shakily, still dizzy from being upside down for so long and found himself looking at Potter and Black's wands, whilst Pettigrew was still eagerly unaware that he had let himself down.

'Yes, you'd like that wouldn't you, Pettigrew?' he snarled at the small chubby boy, who took a step backwards, realising finally that Severus was free, 'Perhaps you're eager to see for yourself what you're sorely lacking, you ball-less, gutless, piece of _shit_!'

There was a smattering of titters from the crowd at his earthy witticism. Pettigrew was clearly not as popular as his Marauder companions. But Severus' seething hatred was aimed at the crowd around him, as well as Potter and Black. And the crowd had heard enough rumours about the interesting and creative curses Severus Snape had perfected…

Some of them were already moving backwards. He took the duelling position, his mind suddenly clearing in deadly purpose now that Lily was not here to confuse and distract him, and make his humiliation a million times worse.

'Leave off Peter!' Potter said, and the eyes behind the round spectacles were narrowed with a rage that still smarted from Lily's public rejection.

'Make me!'

'Why don't you stop hiding behind a Shield Charm, and fight, Snivillus? 'Black cut in, with a grim, twisted smile.

Some of the surrounding students moved even further back. This was getting more dangerous than the funny spectacle they had anticipated when Potter first hoisted him in the air. Severus' lips curled in disdain at their so-called Gryffindor bravery.

'Four against one – but why not, Black? My magic is worth all yours put together, after all!'

And with a flick of his wand he removed the Shield Charm. It did not matter now. He saw the way before him as clear as when in the calmness of the Occlumency State. But he was not employing Occlumency: he did not need to- he could feel the anger deep inside him, burning, seething and battling against the restraint he put upon it. But restrain it he did – it was easy now that Lily was not here to pity him, or to think she had to defend him. Furthermore, he did not want to stop and think: if he did, the horror of what had just happened would incapacitate him. Through the hatred and pain, the niggling fact that he had just said something unforgivable, kept trying to penetrate through to his consciousness. He did not let it. The restrained anger was a better option, and once he let the tumultuous passion of hatred loose, the numbers of his enemies would not matter, every single one of them would be swept away….

'Strange you should say that, Snape,' Potter snarled. There was not even a trace of his cheery grin now, '… given _we_ are the Purebloods here, and you Slyherins think Blood status is all that matters in magic. _You'_re a half-blood, and you've just called your friend Evans a mu-!'

Severus moved so swiftly his arm was a blur of movement and a huge jet of black flames issued from his wand, circling around him silent and deadly growing ever wider as it followed the circular movement of his wand.

There were screams and shouts from the crowd of students as they moved hastily backwards, stumbling over each other, falling, shrieking. Pettigrew turned tail and ran, bursting through the fleeing crowd, Lupin tried to scramble to his feet, but was knocked over by some hysterical students fleeing the place.

A rush of euphoric sensations swept over Severus – something he assumed must be powerlust, not joy. Joy was impossible now, but in the dearth of anything else, he supposed this euphoric feeling was a good substitute. His eyes narrowed vengefully, and he gave a twisted smile of triumph as he saw Black knocked over unconscious by the whirling black flames that had grown into a thick wall, blotting out even the bright June sunlight. Through dark strands of hair whipped around his face he saw Potter had been knocked over too, but his quick reflexes had given him enough time to conjure a Shield Charm.

It would not hold for long, however, these black flames were dark magic, and nothing could resist for long…

A voice shouted in the distance. A voice that managed to make it through the vengeful lust clouding his thoughts. It was Flitwick, with one of the examiners. They were at the door of the castle, and had seen the students running for cover and the black flames themselves. He lowered his wand, and the black flames disappeared, the balmy sunlight returning to reveal a scene of devastation.

Several students, including Black, were unconscious, Lupin was struggling to his feet holding his head, and Potter was glaring up at him from the ground.

Adrenaline and vengeful triumph still coursing through his veins, Severus looked down on Potter, the heady feeling of seeing their roles reversed refusing to let him contemplate the consequences that were slowly coming towards him in the shape of Flitwick, hurrying in tiny strides down the lawn.

Potter removed the remnants of his shield Charm and scrambled to his feet. His hazel eyes had none of the arrogant cheeriness in them any more- they were filled with as much hate as was mirrored in his.

'I'll get you for this, Snivillus!' he hissed 'Dark magic'll never win!'

'It just has, Potter!' he retorted in a sneering whisper, shoving his wand in his belt before the teachers came up.

Potter took a step closer so that they were now inches apart 'Evans hates Dark Magic. I know she does. I'll make _sure_ she does. And you disgust her, Snape. Did you hear what she called you? It's not '_Sev_' anymore now, it's _Snivillus!_'

The precarious calm he had forced himself into melted away in the path of a black, poisonous rage that thundered through his brain once more, so all he could think off was wiping that malicious grin off Potter's face. A last remnant of reason prevented him from using his wand, but before he was aware of it, he had drawn back his arm and punched James Potter in the face. All the hurt, pain, anger and humiliation that he had suffered in the last half-hour went into the force of that blow, and _goddamn_, it was such a good feeling! Surprisingly even better than anything he could have done with a wand! The feel of knuckles on bruising flesh was strangely satisfying, and his nostrils flared in insane excitement as he saw blood spurt from Potter's nose to join that made by the Sectumsempra spell that had earlier grazed his jaw.

Potter's eyes were wide with surprise as he reeled backwards – of course, cosseted purebloods such as he had pointed himself out to be, would have very little knowledge of muggle fighting. But he did. He bloody well knew a thing or two about flying fists, but he was only now discovering just how _exhilarating_, as well as painful, their use could be. He drew back his arm for another blow, even though, judging by the pain in his fist, he'd probably broken a couple of fingers.

But his second blow never fell: a rush of wind and a flash of light and both he and Potter were on their backs, having been knocked over by what he could only describe as a strong gust of wind, the spell or charm effectively and instantaneously separating them.

'What in Merlin's name are you doing?' squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, who had come up to them finally, holding his wand aloft.

IIIIIIIIII

The next couple of hours passed in a blurred haze for Severus. He was hauled up to Slughorn's office and had to endure a painful interrogation over what had happened. He answered in monosyllables, barely even listening to what Slughorn was saying, for his mind was playing and replaying the scene under the beach tree. It was only now that his blood was cooling – or rather, that it was slowly turning to an icy sludge that was paralysing his heart, freezing his heartbeats into a slow monotone of shocked horror - that it was dawning on him that he had called Lily a mudblood.

_Mudblood._

His memory happily obliged him with more details: _Filthy little Mudblood_.

It was a word that was often bandied back and forth in Slytherin common-room and even more amongst his friends. It came easily to the tongue, but always uttered with extreme disdain: Mudbloods were nothing more than disgusting animals: even worse than muggles, because of their enforced intrusion in a world that did not belong to them. He knew the drill by heart, he'd heard it often enough, but had never ever particularly liked or hated Mudbloods, unless as a perceived threat to the expression of magic in itself. Being of a logical nature, he felt that until the source of their magic could be undisputedly proven, he would reserve judgement on the question of Muggleborns. But he had never ever associated Lily with Mudbloods, either.

Lily couldn't ever be one, to his mind.

But he had wanted to hurt her. Oh Merlin, yes, how he had wanted to make her feel the pain and humiliation her presence was inflicting on him! And he had called her that not only because it was the worst insult that came to his mind, but also because he knew, deep down, it was one of her insecurities: even before they were Hogwarts students she worried whether her blood status, her lack of magical background, would allow her to fit in, and he had acted upon her fears when he shouted those ugly words at her!

As the last remnants of the berserk rage dissipated, he felt pale and sick as the reality of the situation crept on him. Lily had actually come to save him. He had even heard Potter threatening to hex her! She could've ended up exposed to ridicule just like him, especially given how she had insulted Potter. He hoped Slughorn would not notice how cold and clammy he felt now, as the possibility of what could have happened to Lily dawned on him. He had felt the backlash of Potter's anger at her insults, for try as he might, that moronic arse couldn't hide what he was thinking if his life depended upon it! How could anyone resist the great James Potter? And Lily had revealed, in no uncertain terms, exactly what she thought of him! Perhaps he was so persistent in asking her out because she was the only girl to have ever refused him!

'...I know exam stress can render one rather short-tempered and irritable,' Slughorn was saying, ' but that is no excuse for either muggle duels or dark Magic, Mr Snape' he paused. 'I knew your Great Grandfather Severus Prince. I was much younger than he, but everyone in Slytherin spoke so very highly of such a gifted student. However, I know some of the circumstances that led to his early departure form Hogwarts, Mr Snape. Do NOT follow that route.'

Slughorn's moustache quivered with a prolonged sigh. Severus' mind came swiftly back to earth with a bump. Surely Slughorn wasn't threatening him with expulsion? He hadn't hurt anyone, and anyway, it was Potter who started it! Well, Potter as usual would slide out of trouble with his usual disarming charm.

'There are two students in the Hospital wing that have been knocked unconscious by your spell, Mr Snape. Your _Dark_ Magic spell,' Slughorn continued, his face unusually serious. 'If you want to be allowed to sit for your afternoon practical session of DADA, you are now to proceed to the Hospital Wing and remove the spell from them so that they, too, can sit for their afternoon session of the exam. Professor Tofty will be there to supervise your counter-curse, I believe'

Severus stared, but he remembered the cursed black fire had been an alteration of his on a spell from his grandfather's book. Probably Pomfrey would have no idea what to do.

Slughorn spoke again, looking with some concern at his white face: 'I believe if you perform the counter-spell well, m'boy,' he said in a gentler, more confidential voice, 'Professor Tofty might consider it as a bonus point for your Practical DADA!'

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Later, as Severus stood among the milling crowds of students in the small chamber leading off the Great Hall, waiting to be called, in alphabetical order, for their turn at practical DADA, he looked around, trying to see Lily. They were already on letter 'H' and Lily was nowhere to be seen. He had already been up in the hospital wing, and, under Tofty's pince-nezed, eager gaze he had performed an impeccable counter-curse to the stunning effect of the Black Fire. Though Tofty tried to look impassive, Severus could see that he was intrigued by both spell and counter-spell, and he knew that if he managed to do well in the rest of the practical, he had definitely scored an 'Outstanding'.

That was easier said than done. Away from the calm silence of the Hospital wing, Slytherins crowded around him, eager to know what happened earlier that day. Others looked daggers at him, or made obscene gestures. He had wanted to hex their stupid, curious faces off, but thank goodness, the afternoon session was due to begin, and he was prevented from losing his temper again. He saw Potter nearby, his nose completely healed, but a thin small scar from the Sectumsempra spell still visible on his jawline. He would not be getting rid of that in a hurry! It was a cursed scar, and wouldn't fade.

Though he should work on its counter-spell, as Lily suggested.

Lily! She still hadn't appeared and they were already on the letter 'J' now. He looked round anxiously. She couldn't possibly be that upset as to miss her exam! After all, at one point when James Potter had hoisted him up in the air, her face had twitched, as though she were about to either start laughing or start crying. He had chosen to interpret it as the former, which also accounted in part for his having lashed out at her in that way, but now he had to admit that she was upset.

Well, one doesn't expect one's best friends to call them 'filthy mudblood' either. His insides churning in shame and anxiety, he scanned the crowd once more, pondering whether he should go look for her – he had half an idea he'd know where to find her – in that spot by the forbidden forest, but just then the door of the small antechamber opened and Severus could see the top of her coppery head come in.

One look at her face however, quickly dispelled any idea that everything was ok. She was as white as a sheet but there was a hard look in her eyes that Severus had never seen there before. He had expected her to be angry, or sad or both, but he hadn't expected this cold, unLily-like, determined look that he couldn't interpret. She ignored all those who sought to speak to her, and stared stonily ahead, coming to life only a minute later when they called her name. She marched in through the door without looking at anybody.

A short while later it was Severus' turn, He knew that with his mind in turmoil, his only bet was to sink into his Occlumency state. That enforced calmness would at least clear his mind. But the image of Lily's white, marble-like face would not leave him, and for the first time since he learned the art of Occlumency, the art which had stood him to good stead even in front of the Lord Voldemort himself, Occlumency failed him.


	135. Chapter 135

**Chapter 135: Broken.**

**A/n: There are (finally) only 2 more chapters left. If I manage it, I will be posting them TOGETHER next Friday ( or within 24 hrs of each other), because the last is a sort of epilogue.**

Lily stumbled through the trees in the Forbidden Forest, the ethereally beautiful shafts of sunlight through the leafy canopy and cheerful chirping of birds mocking her. She felt empty inside, drained. Her DADA practical hadn't gone too well, for she had performed her counter-spells and defensive spells mechanically, without her usual enthusiasm.

She had left the Great Hall, and headed straight out of the castle, glad that, alphabetically, all her friends' surnames meant they would still be stuck in the small ante-chamber for some time before they finished their exam.

She didn't want to speak to anyone. She didn't want to see the commiserating look in their eyes, or hear the I-told-you-so's. She just wanted to sit alone until, perhaps, some feeling came back to her benumbed heart. At the moment it didn't seem possible: there was a vast, cold, empty space inside her that she didn't want to explore.

She had been walking so fast that she was slightly breathless. She had had no idea of where she was going, but it was no surprise when she saw that her feet had directed her towards the small clearing in the Forbidden Forest, way beyond Hagrid's Hut, where she always retired to when she felt upset and wanted to be alone, or even when she just wanted to impress the beauty of the Forest upon her mind before she returned to the urban sprawl of her hometown. The small clearing had always had a pleasant feel to it; and held some good memories: it was where she had first seen the signs of the Doe, the Spirit of the Forest: it was where she received her first birthday gift from Severus…

His name seared across her frozen heart, awakening painful sensations she was not willing to face. Her breath hitched, and she threw herself down on the soft Forest floor, curling up against one of the several fallen logs in the clearing. She didn't want to close her eyes for she knew the hateful images that would rise up to mock her, but she didn't know how long she could keep them at bay, either.

Hugging herself tightly, as though this would prevent the poisonous thoughts from getting through to her, she even welcomed the roughness of the bark of the fallen log - its jagged, rotting, grey scales penetrated through thickness of her robe as she leaned against it, reminding her that she still had some sensation left, at least in her skin.

That morning, after what happened under the beech tree, she had stalked off to the lake, grabbed her shoes and bag, ignoring the other girls' clamouring for details on what happened, and marched straight off into the forest where she knew they would not dare follow her. No-one knew of this place, except…

She shook her head as if to shake off the name that had formed again. That morning she had spent several hours alone in this very clearing, but even then, as now, the Forest had failed to calm her jangled nerves. At first she had been shaking with a furious anger, and something else. Something unacknowledged, yet incredibly painful. She couldn't contain the hurt and anger, so her mind shut down in protest, unwilling to believe what had just happened, and a cold emptiness had settled in her heart, as though a Dementor had wrapped its rotting hands around it, draining it of happiness. The time had passed in a haze of pain she couldn't even remember, and she sat there until she realised that the afternoon practical session of DADA was about to start. Feeling as brittle and as cold as ice, she had made her way back to the castle, determined to just get the exam over and done with, and return here to the spot in the Forbidden Forest that had never before failed to calm and uplift her spirit.

Until now. She took a deep breath in, releasing it slowly in what sounded more like a sigh. She wished she could see the Doe again ... somehow she knew that would be the balm she sought, but at this moment, she knew she would not even be able to conjure the silver doe of her Patronus, because happiness had deserted her.

Perhaps she never would see the Silver doe again, because the memory she had used to conjure it in the first place involved Severus…

This time his name opened a floodgate of memories and all the pain and anger that she had temporarily buried earlier under the cloak of denial came to the surface again and she buried her face in her hands, with a sob that shook her whole body.

Immediately, images of that morning's horrifying scene rose before her eyes. She had heard Potter and Black's cruel laughter, and seen Peter's gleeful anticipation, from where she was cooling her feet in the lake with her friends, and saw that the Marauders had surrounded Severus and disarmed him. When she saw him gasping for breath on the ground with whatever spell Potter put on him, she couldn't stand it any longer and had gone to put a stop to it. She knew Severus would hate the interference: she knew how immeasurably proud he was, how he always refused help, even when she had found him bloodied and battered after his father's beatings, but she couldn't let him choke there for Potter's entertainment, outnumbered and reviled.

But it got worse. Much, much worse.

She had caught a brief glimpse of Severus' horrified expression beneath the robes hanging off him as Potter dangled him upside down, and jeering laughter rang out from all sides at his degradation. Her expression had slipped and she almost started crying in angry frustration. How could they – how could anyone - humiliate someone else that way? And Potter had the nerve to ask her out – again – while he was doing _that_ to Severus? And blackmail her into the bargain? The arrogant berk had even threatened to hex her! Her anguish whipped her anger with Potter and his gang to new heights, but then came the words: _'I don't need help from a filthy little Mudbloods like her!'_and suddenly her world was shattered. She had just blinked at first, unable to believe her ears had heard right, but then the fury she felt for Potter and his gang spilt over at Severus, too, and she had thrown childish insults: calling him by Potter's nickname for him: 'Snivillus', because she knew that would hurt.

At that moment, she had never felt so much like Petunia in all her life!

Hot tears of shame leaked out of her eyes and between her fingers. She wished she would wake up and this would be just a dream, but she knew, deep down, that things had been heading this way between her and Severus for some time now. They had had so many ups and downs recently. But she had just foolishly hoped that it would pass, or that it wasn't so bad, but she had never, EVER expected that he now thought of her as nothing more than a _filthy little Mudblood_! Mary had been right, after all.

True, he had lashed out at her in pain and humiliation, she could understand that, butit was not just any insult:_** s**_he had suspected for a while now, that her blood status was the cause of their increasing arguments. But he had never admitted it, or given her to understand she was anything less for having had a Muggle upbringing. Clearly, things had changed, and changed fast, for up to last Christmas, the day they had decided to tackle that Boggart, he had assured her she had every claim to magic, even though what his Boggart had turned into seemed to contradict those words. They had been standing in this very clearing when he told her that…

Now he had publicly repudiated her because of her blood status: _filthy little mudblood:_ the words reverberated incessantly in her head: poisonous, hate-laced, angry words. Tears flowed freely now and she did nothing to stop them.

But his look as he had shouted those venomous words to all the students standing there assured her that he would not speak to her again. Not this time. Not ever. He had made it clear that he did not want anything more to do with her. She probably stood too much in the way of his future career among Voldemort's supporters. Association with Mudbloods was more than just frowned upon, these days. She sniffed angrily, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Perhaps she shouldn't have interfered that morning, but she couldn't just leave her best friend to Potter's mercy. Well, 'best friend' was a thing of the past now. She couldn't forgive him this, she _couldn't_! He had hurt her where he knew she was most vulnerable: right from the time when they were children she had asked him whether being muggleborn mattered, for she had always been afraid that she could never belong: an outcast of both muggle and magic worlds, and Severus knew it! He, at least, could claim an illustrious magical connection, whereas she couldn't, ever. Even she herself couldn't deny that the source of her magic was inexplicable, and being called a Mudblood pointed out a partial truth.

A small voice at the back of her head reiterated that Severus hadn't been in his right mind when he called her that, and she gave an exasperated sigh, knowing that this was the signal, as always, for the internal battles that always culminated with her excusing him, yet again. But this was a crisis point. She could hardly believe that up to some time ago, last summer, she had even imagined he liked her enough to want to ask her out, and she had let herself be fooled, she had fallen for him, oh so hard that it hurt. She had always loved him, true, but she had thought it because he was her best friend. One loved and cared for one's best friends, didn't they? It had taken their Shared magic to show her that that love was different, and far more than what she had first assumed it was.

She had been fooled into thinking he reciprocated that love, but she had been wrong, and now not even the security and love of their best friendship was there anymore.

Voldemort's far-reaching influence had poisoned whatever was left of it, and turned it into hatred for those of her ilk and ambition for power - things that she could never be party to.

As a child, Lily had always believed that their friendship would stand the test of time, that it would endure for always, in spite of their differences and the difficulties they faced, for they were inextricably and mysteriously linked to one another in a way that did not make any real sense, and that none (including themselves), really understood. But now she knew it was over. The war had ruined it. The love and friendship that had withstood so many obstacles lay in ruins at her feet, and the empty void in her heart now filled with an incredible wrenching pain, as though something had been forcibly torn from it, leaving it aching and bleeding .

She threw herself across the rough surface of the log and sobbed uncontrollably into its rough bark. What was she going to do now? How could she face Severus again? She couldn't bear to see the hatred and disdain in his face again when he looked at her. It would kill her. Or it would drive her to an insane anger that would make her want to hurt him again, and she wanted that even less. She had barely kept her act together when she had to go back to finish DADA.

She had wondered dully, if he had managed to get hold of his wand and free himself from Potter's clutches that morning, but she hadn't looked around to see. She hadn't looked at anyone at all, knowing that the one person she wanted to look at was probably just as determinedly avoiding looking at her.

Hot tears seeped into the rough bark. There was a heaviness in her chest and a warm pressure above her heart. It took her a while to realise that it was coming from the pendant she still wore beneath her robes. Severus' pendant . With a stifled sob, she shifted herself off the log and fished it out.

The warm rays of a setting sun glinted on the elegant design around the central crystal, the snow enclosed within the strange vapour-like substance as white and soft as ever. She tried to blink away her tears as she gazed on her birthday gift. Severus had said she would either like its properties very, very much, or hate them in equal measure, and she'd need to be of age to deal with such surprises. She sighed heavily. It was always secrecy and half-truths with Severus. He never trusted her. With the pendant, or with a hundred other more important things.

She lifted her hands and removed the pendant from around her neck. She didn't know why she had insisted on wearing it so consistently, especially since she had to keep it under her robes, where its elegant design could not be admired. It had always been a comforting familiar object placed just over her heart, but now perhaps, it was time to take it off.

The silver interlacing curves and spirals produced by the uniqueness of Severus' ebony wand glinted up at her, the tiny emeralds as green as the leafy canopy above. A wand's Resting Residual Magic… And her wand's resting magic was the mirror image of that of Severus's wand.

Why were they so mysteriously and closely connected, yet had drifted so far apart?

A tear fell upon the pendant then another and another, as her body shuddered uncontrollably. The crystal grew warmer in her hands and the shimmering of the strange substance that was neither gas nor liquid, grew brighter, though the snow remained unchanged. She blinked away her tears, squinting down at the pendant. Had she seen right? Could tears dissolve the crystal somehow? She thought not. She passed her thumb over the smooth surface of the crystal, feeling it was still as solid as ever through the wetness of her tears. For a moment it seemed the strange substance preserving the snow (if that was its real function) had somehow reacted to, or sensed, her tears.

Far more likely the silver of the intricate interlacing motif was what held the crystal sealed. Severus had said each wand had its unique pattern, like a magical fingerprint, created by both wand and wizard, and no two wands were the same in that respect.

No two wands except theirs.

And even theirs were reflections of each other, really. But if Severus had used the motif of his wand's Residual Resting magic to not only create something beautiful, but also to magically seal the crystal… It felt exactly like something he would do: mere beauty without function was not in Severus' style.

And if her wand's Resting magic was the exact opposite of his …

Lily slowly took out her wand from her robes. She tried to convince herself that she was only doing it to take her mind off things, but in reality, if her hunch was right …

Well, she had always been curious to see what lay in the crystal. She had always known it wouldn't be something stupid, like the crystal singing a 'happy birthday to you' or such rubbish: Severus was far above such frivolities, but his adamant silence about it made her wonder what he wanted to keep hidden from her. She felt she was old enough to do that for nothing could surprise her, whether in the good or bad sense, as much as what had happened that morning...

Slowly, she touched the tip of her wand to the pendant in her hand and muttered: '_Reserare_' the Unsealing Charm.

It burnt her. The silver strands around the crystal grew suddenly hotter, so that with a indrawn gasp of pain she threw it onto the log, where she watched with amazement as the silver grew hotter- she could see the seared blackness beneath it on the log, and then it seemed to liquefy and re-form, momentarily, into a pattern she recognised immediately: she had last seen it on the surface of Hogwarts' lake when she had accidentally turned it into an amazing canvas of her own wands' resting magic. It had appeared now, around the central crystal! But it was only for an instant; it soon started writhing again and Severus' pattern emerged once more, and remained that way. She poked it tentatively with her finger, finding it was cool to the touch, and the snowflakes inside the central stone were intact despite the momentary heat surrounding them.

Lily took it into her hands once more, amazement etched into her tear-stained face. Her hunch _was _right (and she knew quite a lot about Sealing Charms: she had been the one to suggest it for their dungeon hideout), Severus had sealed it with a simple Sealing Charm using his wand's resting magic as a unique seal he thought only he could open. He couldn't have expected her to be able to. They had found out about their wands connection _months_ after he had given her the pendant!

He had wanted to be the one to open it for her, if at all! He did not want her to find out its properties for herself, as he had told her!

Well, she thought, grimly, her wand's opposite direction of magical flow was just the thing to reverse such a Sealing Charm. She would get to know what it was that he had so assiduously tried to keep from her… But the silver motif had reverted back to its original pattern. There was something missing… an added spell or ingredient. Obviously not tears, for although they seemed to have some effect on the crystal, they had no effect on the enclosing silver.

Had Severus guessed that their wands' mirror-image properties could potentially reverse a Sealing Charm? The day they had discovered the truth about their wand's magic patterns, he had seemed as surprised as she was, at first. But then he had refused to discuss it, and looked worried.

She went over the events of that day, trying to find a clue. It had all started with the Grindylow he had conjured. She had insisted on throwing it back in the lake and then they had settled down by the lakeside. She remembered playing with some dead leaves, and dabbling her hand in the water, watching the red blood swirling away from her finger where the Grindylow bit her.

Red swirling patterns...

That's it: blood! The mark of a dark wizard. Her lips twisted into a grim, humourless smile. Of course. She had read enough books on Dark Arts to know that a blood sacrifice was a must-have in dark magic rites.

Placing the pendant carefully on the log, she turned her wand towards her left hand and winced as with a muttered incantation a small cut appeared in her palm. Drops of ruby-red blood oozed out of the small cut and she lifted the small pendant into her left hand, so that it nestled in the palm of her bleeding hand.

Lifting her wand again to utter the Unsealing Charm, she hesitated.

What if the crystal carried a curse?

Her mind flew back to last week, when she had seen for herself the bookmarked pages of the book on Poisoned candles, and seen the anti-muggle poisons Severus had been reading about.

She swallowed, the tip of her wand wavering, and two more tears slid down her cheek, but she shook her head, knowing she had to go through with this: either because of the recklessly insane mood she was in, or because, against all logic, she still trusted Severus not to harm her. She took a deep breath and muttered:

'_Reserare!'_

It grew hot again and she immediately threw it onto the log, keeping her wand close to it. The blood-smeared crystal grew brighter and the silver strands forming the elegant, interlacing design were melting into each other once more, re-forming into the mirror image of the previous pattern. She watched, fascinated, as they formed her own wands' Residual Resting Magic, but then, to her surprise, the motif changed once more and this time it seemed to divide into two: to the right was Severus' wands Resting magic and to the left was hers: they came together at the top of the pendant, perfect mirror images of each other and separated by the seventh tiny emerald that had been incorporated into the design.

Lily stared: she hadn't expected both motifs to appear, but what was more astounding was a bright, intense light that suddenly emanated from the crystal. It was so blinding that she drew back and shielded her eyes, then it dimmed, and to her amazement, she saw it had dissolved into something. Something that shifted and moved incessantly, like liquid light or a molten mirror.

She poked it tentatively with her wand and a strange silvery substance rose from the central crystal, following her wand tip, only to fall back in a second later. Then intensity of the white light disappeared, replaced by a very soft and dim white glow. She picked the pendant up in her hands and saw to her surprise that - for want of a better word – a hole seemed to have formed in it. She drew it closer to her face, peering with one eye through the tiny glowing space at the centre of the crystal and let out a gasp of surprise. It seemed like a peephole to another world: she seemed to be looking down on a dense Forest just like the one she was in. Could this be a window to another world, or another dimension, like Muggle sci-fi tales?

She brought it closer to her face, the soft white light glinting on her tear-stained cheeks. Tendrils of a blue-white substance from the liquid light rose up from the now-open stone.

She drew back but wasn't quick enough, for the silvery tendrils touched her face! They seemed to dissolve in her tears: she could feel them burning up her cheeks and into her eyes. She gave a small yelp of pain and clutched her eyes as the silvery liquid-light seared across her eyeballs like salty water, blinding her! Her vision blurred and there was a lurching sensation.

Her heart in her throat, she wondered what was happening to her and wished she'd never touched that pendant!

Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her vision and finally, the blinding whiteness all around her started getting more definition: the log she was leaning against reappeared, then the dark tree trunks and the dark green branches of the firs and pines around her – but they were all heavy with a thick blanket of snow!

She rubbed her eyes, confused, but when she looked again there was no mistaking it: the clearing was at least a foot-deep in snow she had no sensation of feeling. And there were voices: angry voices echoing in the clearing. One voice in particular sent her scrambling to her feet.

Next minute she screamed and brought her hand to her mouth. There, at the far end of the clearing, was Severus, and he had grabbed her, Lily, by the shoulders.

'_You've got every claim to magic Lily! More than Death Eaters – more than anyone else I ever met! You and your magic are one and the same thing, Lily! And I should know, because I …' _Severus was saying in a strangulated voice_._

What in Merlin's name was happening?

For a moment, her reeling brain thought the pendant had somehow thrown her back in the past. This was last Christmas. Was it a Time-turner? She had heard such magic objects existed under strict surveillance at the Ministry. But according to their description, they looked nothing like the Pendant and its strange silvery, liquid light. Then she remembered reading about something else the Ministry had plenty of: preserved memories. She had never even seen as much as a picture of them, but in _History of Magic_ whole archives of a silvery substance stored in phials were mentioned, and once Severus had described something called a pensieve , a magical object in Madeira's house that held other people's memories ... Could the pendant have contained a memory? Severus's memory? But why would he preserve a memory of last Christmas? After the Boggart incident, she had run off into the forest where they had quarrelled again, and she had fainted.

Why would Severus want to preserve a memory, if this is what this vision really was, of her fainting?

Unless...

Realisation hit her. Unless something must have happened while she was unconscious, that he did not want her to know! Her mind raced ahead: perhaps he had had a hand in her losing consciousness! She had always thought it strange, for she rarely fainted...

Suddenly, a cold dread came over her that had nothing to do with the surrounding snow she could not feel. She glanced over at their figures in the distance. She remembered him saying those words to her, but then no more: she had fainted just about now.

But the Lily in the vision was still looking up at Severus, a soft look in her eyes that she did not remember, and Severus still had her by the shoulders, looking down at her face as if unable to tear his eyes away.

Suddenly Lily's heart started to beat faster, not only because of the surreal nature of the situation, but because she knew now, that she hadn't fainted. Something had happened. Something she couldn't _remember ..._

She moved closer to where she and Severus were standing, feeling like a stranger in her own memory, while her heart thudded in her chest as though it knew .._._

'_Close your eyes,'_ Severus was whispering, _'and I will show you. The spell you mentioned. I never have...'_

And she saw her eyes sliding shut and watched in amazement as Severus raised his hand to brush the snow off her face, his pale long fingers sweeping gently down her face. She _felt_, a second later, both his hands cupping her face, his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. Her heart was beating frantically inside her chest, and it was as though she was not standing _outside_ the vision, but _in_ it. She could _remember_ the feel of the cold hands cupping her face, she could remember every tiny little detail: even the slight roughness of his thumb with its calluses and small burn-scars from potion-brewing, as it whispered over the skin of her cheek, sending a small shiver of excitement right through her...

And then it happened. The Spell! The spell she had earlier begged him to reveal to her: the Legilimency of feelings that she had hoped would speak the unspoken words. And it did: much more than she bargained for: her eyes flew open and fixed on the dark eyes inches away from hers, and they were not fathomless now: they were alive with a swirl of images, wild confused thoughts and feelings that invaded her mind, so that she gasped at their intensity. It felt as though she was one mind, one soul with Severus: nothing else mattered but the raw emotion that swung back and forth between them, some his, some hers, some that belonged to both. She couldn't see the snow-covered clearing anymore and didn't know if she was still in the memory, or in her own thoughts, or even somewhere else, and neither did she care.

She could feel something terrifyingly beautiful yet familiar... so agonisingly familiar ... swell inside her, a love so strong and overpowering that she could not breathe ...Was it only hers? The hands that cupped her face were trembling, and she could feel the lean hardness of his body against hers, and just when she thought she couldn't bear to hold such beauty without expressing it, she suddenly saw something that had haunted her nightmares for months. She saw the red, slit-pupilled eyes of Voldemort looking at her, she sensed Severus' awe and his eagerness to please the Dark Wizard, his sense that that it was the only way forward, and she heard Voldemort's high, cold voice ringing in her head: _But I want you to redouble your efforts, Severus: I want that girl on our side!'_

Everything suddenly swept back into sharp focus as the Lily in the memory pulled away from Severus, breaking contact.

Lily took in a ragged breath, her face completely drained of all colour. She remembered now. She remembered everything she had seen and felt in that mysterious piece of wandless magic, that rare spell only they were allowed to share. She remembered every little detail of the scene as it unfolded before her.

It seemed as if the crystal was slowly feeding back her memory even as it unfolded before her eyes!

Their Combined Magic, this strangest, most obscure, wandless spell that he had first told her about in a cave above a storm-tossed sea last summer, had certainly worked exactly as both of them had wished.

But it had revealed more than either of them had bargained for.

He knew, as she knew, that she loved him.

But then why, why, _why_ was he selling her out to Voldemort? She blinked back her tears as she watched the Lily in this memory back away in horror, accusing him of collaborating with Voldemort. Hell! Even in her blackest picture she had never imagined he would already be in the presence of the most hated dark wizard of all time, let alone actually planning to turn her, Lily, to the Dark side. The Lily in the memory did not seem to have captured that much detail from their shared spell, but she had.

Lily heard herself choke back a sob as the scene played itself out before her. She remembered exactly how she had felt now. The disillusionment and pain this memory was engendering mingled with what was already in her heart. It added burden on burden. She felt just as confused as she had then: one moment her whole body was thrilling to his touch, as he finally showed her he cared for her, and the next...

He said he was doing it to protect her. Protect her from what? Surely everyone stood in the same danger from such a murderous, twisted, dark Wizard as Voldemort?

And he said no spell in existence could create what she had just felt.

No spell could create love. She knew that, too.

Her eyes travelled back to where she had backed away from Severus, coming up against a tree, her eyes never leaving his face, and when the Lily in her memory spoke, she echoed the doubts and insecurities that had so upset her that morning, when he lashed out at her with that horrible word.

'_I never imagined you working for Voldemort, in spite of your obvious infatuation!' _the Lily in the memory was shouting,_ ' Bloody hell, Severus, you're not even sixteen yet! How can I believe what you say? How do I know that I'm not intended, just like your Boggart, as just another stupid Muggle, offered up as a sacrificial pawn in Voldemort's war? You know I'm a Muggleborn, after all! You can't possibly see anything worthwhile in me; I'm just a Mud- !'_

But he didn't let her finish the word. He closed the space between them in two swift strides, placed his hands around her face and he kissed her!

Lily stared as she saw herself pushed up against the tree, the momentary surprise in her eyes turning to something else as Severus bent over her, silencing her lips over that horrible word with a kiss she had so longed for. Oh God, yes! Without admitting it to herself, for she had thought it impossible that Severus could show such a depth of emotion, she had so longed to feel that his lips on hers, to feel the absolute proof of what she had secretly hoped and prayed for, for so long!

Her eyes slid shut and she did not need to watch the memory anymore: it was hers and it was there inside her mind as though it had never left! She could feel the coldness of his lips on hers and it lit a strange fire inside her, a fire that sent a shiver of excitement right through her body as his arms slipped down around her and she melted into them. She had always sensed that there were hidden depths of intense feeling in Severus, just there, seething below the surface of a tight, level-headed control that never wavered. But she had never dreamed he could forget himself in this way: his kiss passionate and urgent, he was forgetting to even _think_. She could feel his lean, cold body slowly warming as she too, strove to show him just how much she _cared_, just how much ...

And then suddenly he pulled away. She opened her eyes, searching his... He didn't let her speak and there was a troubled look in his eyes. Their dark velvety brown, so noticeable this close, was turning to an unfathomable black, and she knew that look. He was distancing himself from her, closing her off...

She pleaded with him, and her hand tightened on his robes, as though she could somehow prevent him slipping away. But it was too late. She saw the fear and anguish in his eyes - he couldn't hide that from her. There was a hardening expression on his still-flushed face, as though he had come to an agonising decision. Her heart rose in her throat and she didn't know how to say the million things she wanted to say to allay his fears, whatever they were; to delay that closed look she knew would soon descend upon his features. What was he afraid of? Her hand came up to touch his face in a pleading caress, and the dark light in his eyes wavered, but only for just one second, then :

'_I'm sorry, Lily!' _

His voice broke as with one fluid movement he pulled the wand from his belt and pointed it at her. In the split second before he cast the spell, her eyes fixed on his and she saw nothing but a cold, hard, determination as he uttered:

'_Obliviate!'_

And suddenly the warmth of his body, the familiarity of his smell... they were not there anymore ...her vision blurred and the clearing with its pristine white snow, her Gryffindor scarf lying like a red and gold snake half-buried in the snow, grew dimmer and disappeared. She blinked rapidly until the forest clearing came once more into view, the greens, yellows and browns of the grass and trees, the evening birdsong, jarring on her senses after the silence and whiteness of the snow in the memory.

She found herself standing up close to the spot near the tree where Severus had just kissed her... a second and a lifetime ago...Their entwined bodies had stood right here until he uttered the word that had made it all clear to her why she couldn't remember anything, the reason why he had changed towards her...

She realised she had been holding her breath and released it in a ragged sigh. She could still feel her heart racing, fresh tears on her face, and a fluttering, thrumming feeling in her centre at what she had just witnessed...not witnessed_... remembered._ She remembered. All of it.

More than all of it...

God! How was she going to make sense of all this? Her legs trembled beneath her and she sat down dazedly on the grass. Something silvery glinted between the bracken leaves and fallen pine needles, and she saw her pendant lying there. She had probably dropped it at some point.

Taking it into her still-shaking hand she noted absent-mindedly how the crystal had closed again and had lost the shimmer of the memory inside, although, surprisingly, the snow was still there, each snowflake as soft and perfect and white as those that had been falling so gently only moments ago in this very clearing...

Lily turned over the sad, yet still beautiful empty shell of her pendant in her hand. It was smeared with her blood. The silver motif around the crystal had solidified in the half-and-half pattern that had unlocked its secret: two halves identically reflected around an empty stone.

_You might like its properties very, very much, or else hate them in equal measure_ Severus had said.

She could see what he meant now. Why had he obliviated her memory? A small twinge of anger tried to make it through the pall of hurt and confusion, but she couldn't even muster the energy to be angry with him for messing with her memories – she knew she should be feeling very, VERY angry but the enormity of what she had just seen , but what she had FELT far outweighed everything else. At this point she just wanted to understand _why_! Why had he wanted to obliterate that memory? Her first kiss.

She could still feel the glow of it on her flushed cheeks, her lips felt red as though there was still his touch upon them, and yet…

Her heart started beating fast again just at the thought of what happened…

That memory that was now hers forever, for she could remember every detail, every feeling, every nuance of speech as though it had never been banished to a pendant. She did not even know if that was how preserved memories were supposed to be viewed… She knew precious little about them, but she knew enough about Memory Charms to know that although it was Severus' memory of that day, yet, at the point where they had shared that spell, she had felt like she was seeing it through her own eyes. Given how closely-linked their magic was, it might have functioned a bit differently from what Severus intended.

But then: what _did_ he intend? Why remove her memory, and then give it back to her locked in a pendant? When did he intend to unlock it, if at all?

Answers rose in her mind unbidden. She had seen more than one of his secrets. She knew of a plan to involve her in Voldemort's war: on the dark side of the war! Her eyes brimmed with tears. It explained so much of his strange behaviour this year: his insistence that she appreciate Voldemort's efforts to free the use of magic, the propaganda speeches...

He said he had no choice… but he HAD! He could repudiate Voldemort and his Death Eaters, he had her instead…he _loved_ her …she believed that now. She had felt it when they shared their emotions in that spell. So why did he push her away?

Something Dumbledore once told her rose in her mind: he had said that one's true self lies with the choices one makes, rather than with ones' talents, magic or otherwise...

And Severus had, apparently chosen Voldemort and his Death Eaters over her.

There could be no other explanation. After all, what did she have to offer? Certainly not blood status. Or even an interest in practicing Dark Magic … she had nothing that could remotely make any sense in the new world envisaged by Voldemort. So he had removed the knowledge of Voldemort's plan from her memory, where it had no business being.

Clearly, he didn't _trust_ her with that knowledge.

He had also removed the only memory that could have shown what he must by now consider a weakness to be overcome. A weakness for mudblood...

She had thought in her blindly optimistic way, that love could never die –love would win through, whatever the obstacles. Well, Severus had always said she was naïve when she insisted on believing the best in everyone. This proved him right. For Severus that love had died, whatever he had said and felt that snowy Christmas afternoon. Or else he had convinced himself that it had just been a passing infatuation. She wiped more tears from her eyes, ignoring the persistent voice in her head telling her no, it can't be true, it just _CAN'T!_

_Filthy little mudblood!_

The words rang out again in her head and with trembling hands she placed the pendant in her pocket and stood up. The June sun was finally setting, and the clearing was in deep shadow although the tops of the trees were aglow with the rosy sunset.

_Filthy little mudblood. _The refrain in her head would not stop. Like a catchy, but hateful melody you just couldn't get out of your head.

Yes, Severus had made his choice and whatever the reason was that he had given her back the memory in her birthday gift, she didn't want to explore it.

This stolen memory of that snowy afternoon six months earlier was even more convincing than the words uttered in fury that morning under the beech tree, that he had made his choice way back then.

She picked up her bag and made her way back out of the Forbidden Forest and back to the castle in the blood-red glow of the dying sun. She ignored everything and everyone as she made her way to the Gryffindor common room. Knots of students were sitting here and there, talking, laughing and relaxing after the exams, for it was the weekend tomorrow. If they hailed her, she did not even notice, and made her way straight up to the dorms, dry-eyed and pale-faced. She felt as though she had no more tears to cry: they had been all wrung out of her.

She flung herself on her bed, glad that the dorm, at least, was empty. Perhaps the rest of the girls were downstairs revising their next exam, Potions. They all found Potions much harder than she did.

Rolling onto her back she stared up at the dark canopy, unwilling to close her eyes. But the events of that day intruded on her vision anyway. When had it all started? When had it all gone wrong? The missing memory gave rise to as many questions as it answered. She was still reeling with shock now, as she had back then in December, that he was already in league with Voldemort! It certainly threw some light onto what his Boggart had turned into that day! Had he already witnessed such a gruesome murder, a Blood Sacrifice, in the interest of Voldemort's war? Was she the really the sacrificial pawn in whatever plan revolved around her? And what _on earth_ could Voldemort want with her, a muggleborn witch? She and Severus were only two schoolkids.

The answer came to her unbidden: their Combined Magic. It had to be! That meant that Severus had told Voldemort about it! No-one else _knew_! She thought she couldn't feel worse, but the thought that Severus given away what they had mutually agreed to keep secret, made her feel even more betrayed.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to recall that magical moment when that obscure spell merged their minds and souls together: she had seen much more than Voldemort's red eyes,after all. She had _felt _so much more! She had always known that despite the control, Severus felt intensely - there were no half-measures with him, but it was only when those feelings were searing through her mind and soul did she realise just exactly how much they _burnt_! Although it had happened six months ago, she was only experiencing them now! It was those feelings – the ones about _her_ – that had swept her off in a whirlwind of emotion that even now, just thinking about it, set her heart racing again! And when he kissed her, she knew she would have done anything… _believed_ anything …just to hold on to that love she knew was there.

Would she, had Severus asked her then, at that moment, followed him obediently to the Dark Lord's side? Her eyes flew open in shock at the realisation.

She would have.

She trusted Severus. She would have faced the Dark Lord, she would have done what was necessary to cling on to what she had felt for Severus. She had, even without this confirmation of his feelings for her, had already started delving into the Dark Arts, hoping to find a common ground.

Yes, at that moment, she would have given him her soul.

And she would have regretted it.

The image of what _her_ Boggart had turned into rose before her eyes. A dead-eyed version of herself, guilt and disgust and self-loathing etched onto the face beneath her Death Eater mask!

She felt herself shivering uncontrollably, the memory of her Boggart's cold laugh ringing in her ears.

There were the sound of footsteps and low mumbling voices outside the Dormitory door and she knew the girls were coming up to sleep. Pointing her wand at the hangings about her four-poster, she made them swing shut. She just couldn't face anyone right now.

Thalia, Alice and Jenny came in and she could tell by their hushed voices and low whispers, that they were trying to keep quiet out of respect for her feelings. Mary wasn't with them. Probably on a late date with Melchior or else studying late.

It was less than half an hour later that their voices grew sleepier and she could hear their regular deep breathing as they nodded off one by one. The light of a half-moon from the window opposite penetrated dimly through the thick scarlet hangings of her four-poster, and she wondered what Severus was doing and thinking at this moment. Was he even upset at all about what happened, or had the increasing rot that had set in since that day make him feel glad to be rid the compromising association with a muggleborn?

Even in her newly-acquired memory it was when she had offered to help, when she asked him to explain his fears, that he had reacted by obliviating her memory.

He had never trusted her.

She had blindly put her faith in him, but he did not, and it hurt.

She screwed up her face and brought her arm over her eyes. She felt like she had aged a hundred years today, and yet, at the same time, she felt so clueless! And foolish...she'd been nothing but a stupid, naive, romantic teenage girl in all this, her head stuffed full of a fairytale love that never dies, that lasts for _always._ It just didn't exist in real life. She had been so sure it did, once. Or perhaps it existed, but didn't last: perhaps it soared briefly across the skies of youth like a burning comet, its flame extinguishing itself on the horizon of the coming-of-age. She just did not _know _anymore_!_ But she was almost an adult now. Surely she could see her way forward and deal with her emotions in a mature way? Severus probably had: well, at least in a Slytherin way : weighing all the pros and cons and choosing the most logical way forward, for the utmost possible benefit.

He had loved her, but not as much as he did magic – Dark Magic: and Voldemort was offering him the possibility of exploring in freedom the full might of magic, something the wizarding world had not been able to do for four centuries. She would always take second place to the lure of that power at best, and hinder his chances of advancement in Voldemort's regime, at worst!

She heaved a sigh and sat up in bed, wondering whether she should take of her robes and try and get some sleep. She had to revise Potions tomorrow. But she knew that sleep would allude her as surely as Gryffindor would win the House cup this year.

It slowly dawned on her that, for the first time in seven long years, she would not have Severus at her side. She had practically been with him every day since they were children, and he knew her more than anyone else did: he'd seen her laugh, he'd seen her cry, he'd seen her angry, and he'd seen her sad – he'd even seen her half-naked for Merlin's sake! And she'd been through thick and thin with him: it was her he had turned to when in the middle of the night he used to come and silently seek the solace of her quiet bedroom when his own was wracked with the mutual rage, hate and fear of his parents. He had even saved her life - more than once!

He had saved her life…

Perhaps he had just got in too deep with that Death Eater gang, his mind poisoned ….hopefully not irredeemably so. After all, he had lashed out at her that morning in rage and humiliation. Perhaps he had been coerced by Voldemort, intrigued by the power of their combined magic, to get involved in whatever that plan entailed…he had said he was protecting her…. But everybody needed protection from that twisted, evil wizard! Why didn't he _explain_?

Once again his lack of trust came back to haunt her, and once again she realised she was making excuses, trying to find a reason - _any reason_ - to forgive his behaviour yet again.

The image of her own green eyes, expressionless and cold, peering through the eyeholes of a Death Eater mask rose before her eyes. Her worst fear - Boggarts don't lie.

In forgiving him, she would lose herself.

She must take her own life into her hands. She couldn't go down that path. She must harden her heart and somehow sever her thoughts, her mind, her very soul, from Severus.

Her constant forgiving him was not doing any good: it would probably result in that Boggart for her, treated with contempt at the fringes of wizarding society and fully accepting that she deserved it, and Death Eater's mask and cloak for him, his soul, like hers, irremediably damaged and twisted beyond recall.

Severus didn't know she had managed to open the pendant, and nor would she tell him: he hadn't wanted her to see that memory, unless he himself determined she should. If he were ever to be sincerely, truly, convinced that his loyalties should lie with her, then he would have to admit to the truth - the whole truth -himself, and _trust_ her.

Hurried footsteps came up the spiral staircase towards the dorm. Lily pricked up her ears at the sound: it did not sound like someone ready for bed.

'Lily? Lily, are you awake?'

Mary's whisper made her sit up upright in bed, and she reached out to part the curtains.

'What is it?'

Mary's blonde hair shone pale in the dim moonlight, but she did not speak immediately. Lily realised she was still in her Hogwarts robes.

'It's Severus. He's outside the common-room,' Mary whispered, her voice expressionless, 'he wants to see you.'

'What? It must be past one in the morning.'

Lily's heart started pounding fast in her chest nonetheless, the tiredness and mental exhaustion of a moment before completely forgotten as adrenaline pumped through her veins. A fight or flight mechanism… she felt trapped!

The image of Severus' face as she had last seen it that morning flashed across her mind: hate-filled and venomous….

'I – I don't want to see him…'

'He said he'll wait all night if he had to. He said he'll sleep outside the portrait hole if you don't speak to him!'

Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

'Why are you telling me this? Are you on _his_ side now? Don't you _know_ what happened?'

'Yes, everyone heard, Lily!' Mary answered sympathetically, 'I'm so sorry…'

'Look - I can't … I just can't … not right now! Why didn't you tell him to go away?'

'I did. But he was in no mood to listen' Mary answered grimly, 'James Potter and quite a few others ended up in Hospital today, after he'd finished with them. Whatever he cursed them with was something only he could undo. And he only lifted the curse off them because they threatened they wouldn't allow him to sit for the practical part of DADA!'

Lily got off the bed, pacing agitatedly in front of her Four-poster. She hadn't even asked what happened after she stormed off that morning. Apparently, Severus' seemingly unlimited capacity for anger and a profound knowledge of Dark Curses, had come together in an explosive combination that sent a whole bunch of students to the Hospital Wing. It sounded as though he'd been very angry. Not that Potter didn't deserve it...

But she hadn't had enough time to think about what the pendant revealed. It was too soon! She still felt too raw, too angry, too hurt…. too ….in love...

'So you told him you'd go get me?' Lily stopped pacing and looked with some amazement at her friend. Hadn't Mary advocated her to stay away from Severus?

Mary looked uncomfortable. 'He reminded me of what I stand to lose if that photo of me and Mulciber. Look, perhaps you'd better get it over with, and avoid a scene in the morning when everyone's around …'

Lily made a noise of angry exasperation, folded her arms tightly about her, and resumed her pacing.

'Did he say why he came?' she bit out eventually.

'I suppose so you'd forgive him again, as usual,' came Mary's ready answer.

'Not this time.'

Grabbing her dressing gown with one hand, and her Gryffindor courage with both hands, Lily made her way to the door and down the stairs that led to the Gryffindor common-room.


	136. Chapter 136

**Chapter 136: Souls Torn Asunder.**

**A/n: words in italics from Chapter 33 of **_**Deathly Hollows.**_** Hopefully, I'll be able to post the last Chapter of this fic, Chapter 137, sometime tomorrow or early Sunday.**

Putting her hand on the back of the canvas of the Fat Lady's portrait, Lily hesitated a second but then she steeled herself, pushed it open and stepped out of the portrait hole.

It was very dim in the corridor outside for there was only one lit torch and the light of the waning half-moon shining through the narrow, high window at the end of the corridor, but her eyes focussed immediately on a thin, dark shadow standing near the window.

She could see Severus stiffening as she closed the portrait behind her. The Fat Lady was asleep, or pretending to. Severus took a few steps closer and as he did so, the light from the distant torch fell on his face. Lily bit her lip and stifled a gasp. His face was deathly white even in the warm light of the distant torch, and his eyes reflected the torchlight like two red coals, sleepless and burning with a hellish fire that indicated he was hurting as much as she was. He gazed at her silently for a second, his expression fierce and his face pale and motionless between long curtains of limp, black hair.

She forced herself to meet his gaze even though her heart was beating even faster than before. There was pain as well as anger in those black eyes, and something else... something that looked like remorse. _Damn_! She felt her resolve wavering... She had to focus on what she knew to be the truth. Like the cold, hard look she had seen in his eyes mere hours ago, before he stole her memory. She was only a _filthy little mudblood_ after all...

'Well?' she asked curtly, the memory of those words sparking a sudden anger within her.

She folded her arms tightly across her chest, to prevent that anger from escaping, or perhaps to stop her from slapping Severus right across the face, for the pain and hurt he was putting them both through. Perhaps he wasn't really upset about that morning, after all. Perhaps he'd just come here to gloat over whatever he ended up doing to Potter and the rest. Perhaps he'd come to tell her to not to speak to him again...

'_I'm sorry.'_

The words successfully took the wind out of her sails, for his voice was hoarse and slightly unsteady as his eyes fixed her with a look that plainly stated the truth. There _was_ remorse there, and a pain that mirrored hers. She looked down, away from those pleading eyes, focussing on his chest instead, and folded her arms even tighter. She reminded herself that she was very _angry _with him.

'_I'm not interested.'_

'_I'm sorry.'_ His voice was a mere whisper now and he took a step closer, so that her eyes could make out the tiniest details of the glittering, silvery snake of the Slytherin badge on his chest. A tremor passed through her which she could not repress, for his voice almost broke, and there was contrition in those whispered words. But she would be strong now.

She had to be, for both of them.

This was a turning point: a point of no return. Saying sorry was not enough anymore. If there ever existed a chance of saving him – both of them, really – then she had to force his hand. She didn't know how she could do it, but before she could even think of getting him to change his ways, she knew that the first step would have to be that he _trust_ her: he had to tell her the truth about what he really felt for her: he was repenting the insult of that morning, but in reality, how much more important was she to him than Voldemort, and what his new regime promised?

She knew she had to goad him, to anger him, even: perhaps it would make him forget himself to the point of revealing his true intentions.

'_Save your breath,' s_he scowled, _'I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.'_

She looked up at this point and then wished she hadn't, for she had never seen Severus look so abjectly devastated. His head was bent, but he looked up at her words, and a flash of his old fire flickered in the depths of those dark eyes.

'_I was. I would've done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-'_

'_Slipped out?' There was no pity in Lily's voice. 'It's too late. I've made my excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends –' _she paused as she saw a momentary hard look in his eyes at the mention of his friends, 'Y_ou see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?'_

_He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking._ Lily felt the sharp pang of despair threading through her anger at his silent confirmation.

'_I can't pretend any more. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine.'_

'_No –listen, I didn't mean –'_

' – _to call me Mudblood? But you call every one of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?'_

There it was. That was the question that, to her mind, had only one possible answer. Her heart was beating madly in dreaded expectation. Why, indeed, was she any different to all other Muggleborns he and his friends contemplated with such scorn? The one answer she hoped to hear, the only single possible answer that could perhaps, just be enough to pull him back from the brink, hovered on his lips. She saw him struggling on the verge of speech, but the hesitation was enough for her.

_With one contemptuous look she turned and climbed through the portrait hole, _closing it quickly behind her, lest he see her face screwing up in tears.

She sank down to sit in the portrait hole, for she felt her legs could not carry her as far as the nearest chair in the darkened common-room.

He would not say it.

He would not admit that he loved her! She had wanted to force him to choose: a last-ditch attempt: her or the Death Eaters. And she wanted him to answer without knowing that she had seen the secret he had hidden in the pendant, for that would have influenced his answer, either way.

Besides, what had been hidden in the pendant happened six months ago, and things had evidently changed for the worse since then.

But she had seen – had _felt_ - his love for her in that memory, so there could have been only one answer to her question. She had wanted him to admit that she was different from other Muggleborns, because he loved her, but his hesitation, his silence, could only mean that he did not love her _enough_.

He did not love her enough to _admit_ it, let alone choose her above Voldemort and his Death Eater friends.

And he had practically confirmed that he would become a Death Eater as soon as he was allowed to join up.

A racking sob shook her body and she leaned against the back of the portrait, glad that except for the embers of a dying fire, the common-room was dark and deserted. Why the hell did Severus have to come back and apologise? It would've been better had they just parted as they did that morning: angry, hurt and embittered. It would've made it easier to acknowledge it was all over, without having the truth of it cruelly slapped into her face again by his second, subtle, but even-more-painful rejection.

She looked up at the ancient stonework at the top of the portrait hole and blinked rapidly. It was time to move on, time to dry her tears.

In spite of her resolution, two more slid down her cheeks and she did not bother to wipe them away.

In the space of this one day she had known love, she had felt the joy and excitement of her first kiss and had been betrayed and broken by that same love, that same friend who had been at her side for seven long years...

The pendant had finished what had already been started that morning under the Beech tree...

The pendant...

Why had Severus given back what he had stolen? The one unanswered question remained.

It was still in her robe pocket. She stood up and shrugged out of her dressing gown. Digging her hands into her robe pocket, she pulled out the Pendant. It lay gleaming in her palm, the opal whiteness of the snow-filled crystal and the silver motif representing their combined magic, making it somehow even more ethereally beautiful than before. But the secret it hid was no longer there: it resided, like a double-edged sword, in her head now. It had taken her on a journey from the heights of happiness down to the levels of blackest despair.

She sat back down slowly in the portrait hole again, the bright jewel clasped in her hand, still warm and familiar, despite its changed form. She had never dreamt, when Severus gave her this gift for her sixteenth birthday, that it would have such a profound effect on her. What had he intended by giving it to her? Where was he now?

Without knowing how she knew it, Lily felt sure that Severus was still outside. He was still there, behind the portrait hole, head bent and thinking ...What was he thinking?

He had looked so shocked when she stormed off, but she left because she didn't want to see his hesitation in answering her question turn into flat renunciation. He was probably realising, at this moment, that their friendship was over. Perhaps he was trying to convince himself – if he hadn't done so already – that it had been nothing but a passing fancy, a schoolboy infatuation...they were only 16 after all.

Everyone told her that you're supposed to have fun at sixteen. Everyone was flirting and going on dates, then breaking up, moping about for a few days in various degrees of injured pride if dumped, but nonchalantly starting afresh with someone else as soon as they could. Where was the _fun_? Why couldn't she see it? Why couldn't she be like that? Why the bloody hell did she feel so desperately sad, so hurt, at the end of a friendship? She and Severus weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend, for Merlin's sake!

More tears slid down her cheeks as her treacherous, but truthful mind supplied the same answer to all the questions. She was old enough to have known love, and known that there was a world of difference between that and a 'passing fancy'. Did Severus know the difference too? Did he see that one was a mere flickering candle, easily lighted, easily put out, but the other was a mad, enveloping whirlwind of burning flames, that, once ignited, would, like the fabled Everlasting Fire, burn forever? Souls a-flame with love would remain burning even if torn asunder! Severus must know this, but his choices spoke louder than his love.

She placed a trembling hand on the wooden back of the canvas of the Portrait that separated her from the corridor outside, where she knew Severus still hid in shadows, trying to reconcile to the idea that their paths had irretrievably diverged.

There was a warmth she could feel through the canvas, as though someone on the other side had placed his hand exactly where hers had been, unable and unwilling, just like her, to believe it was over.

He had looked so fiercely unhappy at her words...that meant that he at least regretted the end of their friendship. He had, after all, come to apologise... she took her hand away from the canvas. She must stir her mind away from such thoughts. It could never be. It would never be. She could never settle for second-best love, especially when her rival in love was something so abhorrent. She had been a child to believe in fairytale love against all odds and happily-ever-afters ... the real world did not work that way, and in a few more months she would be an adult, so she might as well behave like one and learn how to pick up the pieces of a broken heart and move on.

The pendant gleamed whitely in the pale moonlight coming in through the windows of the circular room. A pretty empty shell that was still smeared with the blood of her sacrifice. As empty as her heart... though she wondered why something so empty could feel so much pain.

Her hand closed slowly around the pendant, the shiny braid falling like silver blood from between her fingers.

There was one last thing she had to do.

She owed Severus that much at least.

She pushed the Portrait hole open once more and climbed through. It was dark outside in the corridor, for the remaining torch had been extinguished, and smoke was still drifting hazily about its bracket. She was about to set off towards the stairs, thinking perhaps he had finally decided to go back to the dungeons when she caught a slight movement from the corner of her eyes.

A tall, dark shadow was silhouetted right against the window at the far end of the corridor, blocking the light from the waning moon. Severus was still here after all, but although he must have seen or heard her, he did not move from where he was standing.

'Lily?'

His voice shook, and there was a note of eagerness, of hardly daring to believe...

It was going to make it harder for her to do what she knew she must.

She took a couple of steps towards him, wishing she could see his face, but it was in shadow. Taking a deep breath she walked right up to him and stood to one side of the window-ledge, so that he was forced to turn half-round and she could see his face. It was still white and frozen-looking, the pale moonlight glittering strangely on his eyes. Then he bent his head a little and his face was in shadow once more, inky black hair falling in curtains about his face.

She knew he would see her face glistening with tears in the faint light of the mooon, but she didn't care. Not at this point.

'I wanted to give you back this, Severus' she said.

Her voice sounded strangely calm even though something was constricting her throat, threatening to choke her. Blinking fiercely, she lifted her chin up defiantly and held out her hand, the beautiful pendant catching the light of the moon and reflecting it back in a faint, silvery sheen across their pale, sad faces.

Severus lifted his head slightly, dragging his eyes away from the tears on her face to see what she was holding in her hand. She searched his face for a reaction and she was not disappointed. His face seemed to pale even further, and he swallowed drily as his hand came up to close over her wrist, tilting her hand so that he could see the pendant better, as well as the small cut in the palm of her hand beneath.

'It –it's different.' he managed finally, a look of horror dawning on his face, as he saw the dark blood smears on the crystal, 'What - ? Have you opened it?'

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

'How...?' His eyes flicked back up from the pendant to hers, but he seemed unable to continue.

'Well, a drop of blood is the sign of a _Dark_ Wizard, isn't it?' she said, unable to hide the bitter emphasis on the word. 'And as for the rest, you suspected I would, didn't you? That day by the lake, when my wand's Residual Resting pattern was revealed as being a mirror image of yours, you were worried I'd find out.'

Something shifted behind those dark eyes, rendered even darker by contrast in the moonlight. He looked like a ghost, barely breathing, yet there was something starkly disturbing in his eyes. It was not disgust, or anger or irritation…He was scared. No, not scared - _petrified_.

That was not what she expected. She stared at him as he spoke again.

'And did ... did you see...? What did you see?'

The words were barely a whisper, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed just how nervous he was, and how much weight the answer to that question carried.

Her heart skipped a beat, and then started going faster. She wished he would let go of her wrist: he'd notice her unease from her racing pulse. _Yes, Severus, I've seen and felt everything that happened that Christmas afternoon: the darkest things and the most wonderful: our souls were laid bare that day, and I can still feel the pain and joy now, as I did then. _

'Everything,' she whispered, her eyes searching his face.

His lips parted as though he was about to say something, and there was a frantic, almost panicked look in his eyes that he managed to hide again, immediately. She knew his mind was working fast, and he was struggling to gain control, perhaps to sink into that closed expression he hid so often behind. But it wasn't working. He closed his mouth again, and stared at her instead ... there was that fear again, something she hadn't seen there before. What was he afraid of?

'You're not going to wipe my memory again, are you?' she said, with as much coldness as she could muster.

He let go her wrist.

'No,' he said, quietly.

His eyes had not left her face and the fear in them was turning to something else... there something softly pleading in his dark eyes now, that was making her feel very unsure of herself. She reminded herself sternly of why she was here.

'Why did you wipe my memory, Sev?' there was a catch in her voice, but she needed to know. She needed to know, directly from his mouth, why in Merlin's name, he had so callously trifled with her mind!

The anger that she couldn't feel earlier that day at the theft of something so personal, finally started making itself felt, and she stared up at him angrily.

Severus blinked and looked away, out through the window towards the Forbidden Forest in the distance, but she had seen the closed look descend upon his features.

It stung her even more.

'Why did you, Sev?' she repeated, her voice rising hotly, 'Which part of that memory are you most ashamed of? That I discovered your secret with Voldemort, or that you kissed a Mudblood?'

His head whirled round at her words, the closed look completely blown away and replaced by one of shocked horror.

'God, Lily! How can you even _think_ that? I'm not ashamed of you, or - or of having kissed you! You're -!'

'Then I can only conclude you obliviated my memory because of what I saw of your plan for me with Voldemort!' she cut across him, angrily.

He stared at her for a second, his face a picture of anguish.

'What exactly did you see of the plan?' he whispered, his white lips barely moving as his eyes bored into her.

She gave a small humourless laugh, 'That's it, isn't it? The all-important plan. Well, I saw enough to know you were asked to turn me to the Dark side, Severus, though the reason why is my own conclusion!'

He remained silent.

'You already practically confirmed you want to become a Death Eater, Severus, but I can't let you turn _me_ into one!'

There was an unreadable expression in Severus' eyes. Then he turned to look out of the window once more, placing a hand on the ledge.

'He will win, Lily' he said quietly, with an air of weary resignation, 'He is too powerful. He will sweep away the wizarding world as we know it and turn it the right way round, the way it's _supposed_ to be, whether you approve of it or not.'

'No, he will not! There are many who stand up to him...'

'Then they are fighting a losing battle!' he shouted suddenly, his hand balling into a fist, 'It is time for a change, and ...and...I wiped your memory because it was for your own good! There's no other way-'

'So you said that day, last Christmas! So you keep telling me. But you _did_ have a choice, Severus!'

'Well, I don't anymore:_ You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine. _That's what you said, isn't it? You've already decided!' he retorted, angrily.

'I have now. But I was speaking in the past tense because it is YOU who had already decided last Christmas, or even before that time. I don't even _know_... you have never trusted me with the truth, Severus...' she ended, her voice shaking slightly.

His face looked stricken as he turned to look at her, his previous anger dissipating just as suddenly as it had come.

'The truth can kill you, Lily ...' his words were just a hoarse whisper, and he had turned back to look at the shadowy night outside the window, a haunted look in his dark eyes.

Lily said nothing for a minute, then: 'What is it you fear, Severus?' she asked softly, 'I asked you the same question that Christmas afternoon, and it was then that you wiped my memory. Why don't you tell me the truth you refused to that day?'

She laid her hand gently on his arm as it rested on the window ledge, wondering why his knuckles were so bruised and bloodied. She felt the muscles of his arm tense, but the sharp, aquiline profile that gave him such a disdainful look, appeared somehow softened as he looked down at her hand, not saying anything. Thick, black lashes shadowed his eyes, but she saw his Adam's apple rise and fall as he swallowed drily before finally answering her question:

'Because I'm sworn to secrecy'.

'By whom? Don't you think I can keep a secret?'

'You can, Lily, I _do_ trust you, but your mind is an open book. Dumbledore can read it...'

'Dumbledore can keep you... _us_...safe!'

He shook his head. 'In less than two years time, you will be out of Hogwarts, Lily. No-one, including Dumbledore, can protect you from the War!'

'Is it Voldemort you fear, then?' she asked, trying to find the reason behind his fear, 'Has he threatened you?'

She felt his arm twitch beneath her hand, especially at the mention of Voldemort's name, but his eyes gazed steadily into hers as he answered:

'No.'

'Why not renounce Him, then?'

She saw his eyes clouding over and his expression darken, so she lifted up her hands in a gesture of truce.

'I know, I know, - we've been through this before, Sev, and it's always ended up with us arguing. I – I just wanted to understand...'

'Look, I'm in too deep, Lily,' he growled suddenly, turning round to face her, 'But even so, my loyalties to the Dark Lord are unwavering! So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bring up the subject anymore! We've already determined you've chosen your way and I've chosen mine after all, haven't we? '

Lily looked up at his fiercely unhappy expression as they faced each other, only inches apart, but separated by miles of misjudgement, divided opinion, and war. The look in his eyes as he glared down at her was hard and cold. The change in expression was sudden, as though Voldemort himself was breathing down his neck. Or perhaps he had finally come to the inevitable conclusion, like her, that this was the point of no return, and was making it quicker, easier, to part thus on an angry note, determinedly refusing to listen to her reasoning right to the bitter end .

She felt her lip tremble, but bit back her tears fiercely. She had come to that same decision too, and there was no point prolonging it either. She had told Severus about the pendant, and now it was time to leave. Her last, unanswered question came to her lips, however:

'Why did you give me back that memory locked in a pendant, Severus?' she asked, dully.

The cold gaze in those dark eyes faded, to be replaced with something else. Something akin to guilt, and a dull flush darkened the pallor of his face.

'I intended to show you the memory, eventually, when ...when... it would have been safe to do so.'

'You thought I'd have forgiven you for what you did to my memory, didn't you?' she asked in a brittle voice.

'I – yes. But more than that, I thought that you would've remembered what we ... what we shared that day...' The flush on his face deepened, but he kept his gaze fixed on hers in a kind of desperate intensity, 'I thought it would've counted for something ...that it would've made you overlook what I had to do...'

Her fragile heart started beating wildly at the sudden memory of what he was referring to.

'But I cannot overlook a great many things now, Severus...' she whispered, hardly believing it was her voice speaking. It sounded hollow.

'Lily, –' he placed his hand on her shoulder, and there was a pleading look in his eyes, as though he was willing her to see, to remember, to _feel_ what she had felt then, for words had deserted him...

She gazed sadly at him as the pleading look on his face slowly changed to a miserable bitterness and he let go of her.

It went straight to her heart. She had seen him grow from and strange, angry, embittered, but passionate boy, brimful of confidence in his future, into this tall, dark stranger that stood in stark black and white shadow before her, a fierce unhappiness etched into the lines of his young face, and even now endeavouring to impose restraint over those feelings that could have, perhaps, let her get a small foothold into that part of his soul that did not belong to Voldemort. He still would not admit the truth. It seemed impossible that she had once been held in the arms that now hung tensely by his sides, fists clenched; that those lips, now set in such grim lines, had once closed on hers with such a depth of feeling she had been completely overwhelmed.

But he was there still. Oh yes, she could see that.

Beneath the cold walls that he was even now trying to put up between them, she could still see a glimpse of the Severus she knew.

'I know what you want to say, Severus, I ...' her voice shook, '... I _know_...And I know that you don't want to say it because ... well, because you're afraid it would hurt me as much as it does you, now. But I can see that whatever the reason for the secrecy, you're a talented wizard, and you cannot relinquish what you stand to gain at your Lord's side for the sake of one muggleborn witch-'

'No, Lily, – !' Severus was shaking his head, a horrified expression on his face, but she cut across him, for her abused heart could stand it no longer.

'So this is goodbye. I hope the path you have chosen brings you the happiness you expect it to.' she continued and her voice quivered, for the suffering in the dark eyes looking down at her was almost palpable, and it instinctively, irresistibly, called out to her.

Bridging the gap between them, she put her arms round his neck, and reached up to kiss his cheek in farewell, for she felt at this moment that they had gone beyond familiarity, or the awkwardness that would have once rendered her speechless. She breathed in for the last time the familiar, comforting smell of him and her fingers twisted in his hair, drawing him closer as tears slid down her cheeks, forced out of her by the overwhelming, inexorable tidal wave of love she felt welling up inside her for this strange, angry and uncouth young man she had grown up with. She could feel a slight tremble as his rigidly-held body slowly thawed against hers, surprisingly warm and _real._

'I will always love you. _Always_' she sadly breathed in his ears the words he had been unwilling to utter.

Then she tried to pull away, before she broke down completely, but Severus' arms caught her in a vice-like grip, his mouth sought hers, and she was suddenly tasting the saltiness of tears on his lips, - whose tears she couldn't tell – he was kissing her, tenderly, lingeringly as though he could prolong this moment forever. And her senses were leaving her again, her abused heart constricting painfully, choked by an intensity of emotion it could not handle. No sixteen-year-old heart should! She was teetering on the brink of losing herself again, but this time she was prepared. This time it was a farewell kiss. With a choking sob, she pushed hard against Severus' chest, twisting herself free, and ran towards the Portrait hole as she would towards sanctuary.

'Goodbye, Sev,' she choked as the portrait hole swung shut over his stricken face.

She realised she still had the pendant clutched in one hand.

She would not wear it any more. She needed to bury it, like her feelings, among the flotsam and jetsam of unusable or broken objects left behind by a fast-disappearing childhood. She wished the spell for restoring memories that had made her see all in the pendant, could work in reverse. She wished she could forget.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, blinking back her tears. It was a long road, and an endless series of tomorrows stretched dauntingly before her, but she had to hope that once her wildly beating heart settled to a normal rhythm, back in the normal, bright light of day, she would do her best to forget Severus. She knew that was trying to forget the unforgettable, but she could pretend to. Perhaps that way, her bruised, fragile heart would be fooled into thinking she didn't care, and it would mend itself. If it didn't, she risked ending up with an empty, unfeeling organ as the slow trickle from her broken heart leached all feeling out of her.

Better that way perhaps: if you couldn't feel anything, neither joy nor sorrow, then you wouldn't get hurt.

She shook her head miserably as she made her way to the dorm. Now she sounded melodramatically insane, even to herself!

She stood at the brink of official adulthood, and conversely, her previous strength of character, her self-assurance and easy confidence in always knowing which way to go; what was right from what was wrong, had taken a severe beating. In the last twelve hours, there had been moments when she barely even recognised herself.

Now she had to find out for herself who the real Lily Evans was, before she was spewed out of Hogwarts and into the real magical world, and a world at war.

But whoever Lily Evans turned out to be, whatever sacrifices she had to make, she knew she would never find herself behind the mask and cloak of a Death Eater! Entering the dorm silently, where the rest of the girls were sleeping peacefully, she made her way to the foot of her bed, opened her school trunk and placed the Pendant at the very bottom, between the pages of an old book. Then she lay on her bed, her unfocussed eyes gazing out of the window, to await the dawn.


	137. Chapter 137

**Chapter 137: The Half-Blood Prince**

**A/n: Chapter 136 was posted yesterday, this one is (finally) the last Chapter.**

Severus was on his knees in front of an open cavity behind one of the store cupboards in the Dungeon hideout. It was where he had hid his Great-grandfather's book; Lily's handwritten notes; the lock of hair she had given him back in third year for preparing Invisible Ink...

It was that he cradled in his hand now. It lay like a dark-red, glossy ribbon across his palm, soft and sweet-smelling. It felt almost like he still held a part of her somehow, but he knew it was only an illusion brought on by the smell of her, by the many spells crowding his mind as he thought about what a single strand of that lock of hair could make possible. It was only the end of June, but Lily had become like a ghost in his life: there but not there, transparently visible...

A rat stood on its' haunches a few feet away, watching him intently through bright, cunning, black eyes and twitching whiskers.

He glared at it and turned to put the lock of Lily's hair back into the small hiding place he had created by removing one of the old stones of the dungeon wall. Placing it gently in a small box on top of his Great-grandfathers tome _The Dark Arts_, he muttered the incantation that caused the old stone to grind back into place. It felt uncomfortably like he was burying someone or something.

Perhaps he was.

Noticing that the rat was still intently observing his movements, Severus pointed his wand at it - these damned rats had gnawed some of his textbooks and ingredients, but the rat took one look at the wand and scurried off towards the door, just as though it knew he was about to curse it.

It passed through the door unimpeded, for the magical seal did not repel vermin. Severus was surprised that the magical seal still worked at all, given what had happened between him and Lily. Their magic had been so closely connected when they had set up that magical barrier that Severus had fully expected to see it fail somehow, to find it dissipated, the spell broken just as effectively as his heart had been. But the faint, ice-cold feeling every time he passed through it assured him that it was still strongly in place and would allow none but himself and Lily through it.

Only Lily would never come through it again.

He was sure of that now. It had taken a whole week of shocked denial after that fatal day of their DADA exam to realise that that had been the last day Lily Evans spoke to him as a friend.

He had begged her forgiveness that same night, something he had never begged of anyone alive, but she had been angry and unwilling to listen. She hadn't given him a chance to explain why he considered her so very different from others. And the reason why, had nothing to do with being Muggleborn or not! The reason was because she was _Lily Evans_ and he had been hopelessly in love with her since they were children.

That would have been a difficult thing to explain, even if there weren't so many sinister reasons not to! But she had stormed off inside the common-room, before he could stop her, closing the portrait quickly behind her, leaving him staring at the Fat Lady, his hands slammed pleadingly against the old portrait. The Fat Lady's eyes remained closed in pretended slumber, but there was a deep, rosy flush on her plump cheeks that Severus did not like. Whether it was disgust or pity, he didn't care anymore. His hands had balled into fists against the canvas, then he pushed away from it and with a wave of his wand extinguished the one remaining torch at the end of the corridor, plunging himself into darkness, so that the painted old harridan would not see his face.

He didn't know how long he stood in numb shock outside the Gryffindor common-room, trying to imagine – to _feel_ - what Lily was doing on the other side, but his heart almost stopped altogether when he heard the portrait open again, and Lily came back to give him the pendant and tell him she'd seen the memory inside.

He had felt a chasm open in front of him at that revelation! Her face had been wet with tears and there was blood on the palm of her hand. It couldn't have been more than a few hours since she had opened it. He remembered how, in a disassociated kind of way, he had even felt guilty for having unwittingly caused Lily to cut herself.

He had expected her to shout at him for daring to mess with her mind, and she _was_ a bit angry, but more so at whatever she had seen of the Dark Lord in that memory.

He had almost given in when she had placed her hand so gently on his arm, pleading for the _truth_, asking him to _trust_ her. He had almost told her then, that Voldemort had his eyes on her, on both of them, and that there was no other way of ensuring she got out of the war unscathed. But if he had, it would have been a betrayal in the Dark Lord's eyes, and he would have found out, just as surely as the rumoured taboo he placed on Death Eaters gave away those who uttered his name with disrespect. Voldemort always knew everything. And Lily's words proved him right, for she confirmed she would have gone running straight to Dumbledore...

And he wouldn't have convinced Lily anyway. It was still too early, she still laboured under the misguided impression that the war could be won by those who wanted the magical community to stagnate under present conditions, and see magic itself slowly disappear, eroded by the dwindling numbers of witches and wizards, and by the dilution of magical blood through intermarriage with muggles.

He veered away sharply from such thoughts. Lily's blood, wherever it came from, was so powerfully magical, that she would be an asset to the whole wizarding world; though, of course, to him she was precious just because it was _her_, Lily. With a shock of understanding, he realised that even now, if Lily had to suddenly lose all her magic, he would still want her and no-one else, for nothing and nobody mattered to him as much as she did...

He had tried to tell her that, that night, when she asked him why he had given her back her memory in the Pendant. He had tried to remind her, in a last ditch attempt to keep her there, of what she had seen in the pendant, but the sad look in her eyes told him it was too late.

She said she knew the reason why he refused to tell her what she meant for him. But she didn't understand the _real_ reason - not all of it. However, before he could contradict her, to his complete amazement, Lily, unpredictable as ever, had whispered the words that he had refused to let pass his lips...

'_I will always love you. Always'_ she had whispered.

He couldn't help himself then. God help him, but he couldn't help kissing her, for as long as he could, clutching her fiercely to him, as though somehow, that would keep her there with him forever. But he knew it wouldn't. He had seen her tears and he knew, when Lily said goodbye, that something had broken inside her and it wouldn't be the same again.

But he hadn't wanted to believe it. Hope springs eternal far more frequently in youth than in cynical old age, and Severus was still very young, as well as ambitious and strong-willed. He couldn't stop thinking that she'd returned his kiss after all: in spite of what he'd done to her memory, in spite of her misgivings about the Dark Lord's shadowy plans; in spite of his looks, his House, and his poverty-riddled background; she'd kissed him, and this time it was with the full knowledge and possession of her memory!

So he had bided his time the following days, hoping to catch her alone in the Great Hall for lunch or breakfast during that weekend, but he was disappointed, for when she did finally venture downstairs on Sunday evening for supper, she was surrounded in a tight pack by Gryffindor girls, who did not leave her alone for one second. Apart from looking a bit pale and thin, she looked fine. He tried to catch her eye from the Slytherin table, but she did not look once in that direction, though the girls surrounding her more than made up for it with the belligerent looks they cast at him.

It was the same during their last week of exams. He tried to keep his distance at first. Lily had been upset enough that night and did not want that to affect her exams. But throughout Potions on Monday, and Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesday, she determinedly avoided him, and her face still had a pale, marble-like quality that started to worry him, even though he could see that she had at least done as well as he had in Potions, and certainly better than him in Care of Magical Creatures. Finally, Wednesday night, after their Astronomy practical exam, he managed to corner her briefly as they were putting away their telescopes and asked her how she'd done in Arithmancy that morning.

It was an innocuous enough question (Mary MacDonald was already looking daggers at him) and a stupid thing to ask really, but he was desperate just to say something – anything – that would get her to talk to him. What Lily answered, however, really threw him. She told him politely and briefly which questions she answered; what she thought the answers were; and that she'd done reasonably well, then finished with a polite smile before bidding him goodnight and leaving with Mary through the turret. He was left staring disbelievingly at her. It was like she was speaking to a complete stranger - the same polite friendliness with which Lily spoke to everyone. Only it held none of the _warmth_ that Lily Evans infused in her words even when speaking to complete strangers. It wasn't exactly coldness, just an emptiness of feeling that was completely unlike her.

It was the same the next day, after History of Magic, their final exam. He caught up with her as she was leaving the Great Hall, and ignoring the looks on her girlfriends' faces, he tried to speak to her again. She actually fell back slightly to let him speak, but her replies had the same chillingly polite, coldly indifferent quality about them that Narcissa Black would have been proud of. It wasn't what he'd been expecting: he had expected further recriminations, or a vehement insistence that he leave her alone, or, Merlin forgive him, he had even hoped that perhaps, just perhaps, there would be a blush or a confused shyness in her expression at what had transpired between them. But this calm politeness left him speechless. It was so un-Lily-like he forgot what else he had to say to her, and was left staring, white-faced, at her until she politely bade him goodbye again with a small smile that barely wrinkled the corners of her mouth. Lily's smiles usually used up the whole of her face, crinkling up her eyes, making their green light shine brighter. Now there was a dead, hard quality about her eyes that he had last seen the day he'd called her Mudblood.

He'd have preferred it a thousand times over if she'd shouted angrily at him, even for all to hear, about how badly he'd treated her, or even if she'd've hexed him soundly! This polite indifference was worse than if she'd slapped him in the face!

It was only the pale, taut lines of her face, and the brief flash of something familiar in the green depths of her eyes before she turned away from him, that gave an indication as to what this resolve was costing her.

He had watched her figure join that of her friends down by the lake in the bright sunshine that last day of their exams, his mind only then starting to reluctantly accept that things had changed for good between them. Even as she moved away from him, he could see her tense, hunched shoulders relax as she hailed the other girls sitting by the lake, her voice sounding immediately happier and relieved, as soon as she was not talking to him.

The scene, with the chattering, laughing students, the lake and the sunny skies seemed like a déjà-vu of what had happened a week earlier, even though Potter and his gang were not in sight, so he had made his way straight to the castle dungeons to spend the remaining few days before the end of the month in the cool, undisturbed depths of his dungeon hideout, failing miserably at forgetting what had happened.

Even so, treacherous hope kept intruding, saying that perhaps, when they were alone again in Castleforth, away from everything that had ruined their friendship, Lily would come round, perhaps something would happen that would make her secretly admire (like Narcissa had admired Lucius) the brave young rebels who had taken on the whole might of the Ministry in order to fight for the right to carry a wand openly; perhaps she was just confused at the prospect of contradicting her own principles...

The core of cold, logical reasoning that never deserted Severus even in the direst situation, was telling him that he was a fool to think she would, but then Lily Evans hadn't met the Dark Lord...

Severus had at least managed to spare her that. Lily just didn't understand how right he was about everything, and more importantly, how _powerful_! And he did not suffer fools gladly. He had seen Voldemort's wrath and it hadn't been pretty! He couldn't just walk away from it all, especially with Lily directly involved. No-one ever did and remained alive to tell the tale, rumours said, and he believed them.

And he was the only flimsy barrier that remained between Voldemort's wrath and Lily Evans!

For the Dark Lord would get to know, if he didn't already, that he had fought with Lily and he wouldn't be pleased. His calling her a Mudblood had certainly raised his status among many Slytherins, who could never understand why he still associated with her. The story of what happened that day under the Beech tree had done the rounds of all common-rooms, though probably it was only in Slytherin that his actions had been applauded. They thought he'd put Evans in her place, and even more importantly, he had punched the Gryffindor Quidditch champion in the face!

But he had seen Seth Mulciber looking coldly at him. Uncharacteristically, Mulciber had told him nothing yet – his Uncle's death had curbed his excesses, but he was still watching him, a calculating look on his face.

The opportunity for studying the rare power of Combined Magic had been put on hold because of his quarrel with Lily. The news of this would soon reach the Dark Lord and he would be angry – very angry. If he, Severus was not around to bear the brunt of that anger, then possibly Voldemort might even seek out Lily and vent his anger on her, or else try to force her to cooperate.

And Lily would not be forced. Severus understood her well enough to know that she was very much a free spirit. She would not yield and she would be broken in the attempt.

He could not risk that.

He needed to face Voldemort again. He did not know what he could do - perhaps he could buy some more time, or perhaps, with some luck, convince him Lily was useless now. After all, she couldn't be accused of having _betrayed_ the Dark Lord, if he hadn't told her what he wanted her to do.

_But she did know,_ whispered a treacherous voice in his head. _You__ made it possible by foolishly sharing your mind, your emotions, with her that Christmas afternoon. Now she is in a worse danger than she was in before you wiped out her memory!_

If anyone had to read her mind, or even slip her some Veritaserum ... Aurors were licensed to do that...the secret of their combined magic would be out as well as the Dark Lord's intentions, and that would mean trouble from both warring factions. Probably it would be more likely Dumbledore who'd forage into his student's minds, if he convinced his own self-righteous conscience that it was for her own good. But if the worst had to happen, and Voldemort decided to investigate Lily's capabilities for Combined Magic for himself, then it would be a disaster! If he, Severus, did not manage to turn Lily round by the time she came to graduate and leave Hogwarts for good (and he knew that the chances of that happening were very slim now), he knew that Lord Voldemort would seek her out for himself. It would happen sooner or later, and since Lily had no Occlumency skills to speak of, Voldemort would see everything: - see her blind faith in Dumbledore; her choice of supporting the wrong side in this war; and he would see what happened last Christmas as well as hear their final conversation outside Gryffindor common-room. Voldemort would see him, Severus, vacillate in his resolve, though perhaps he could explain that he was pretending to sympathise with Lily in order to win her affection, the same like he had seen Lord Voldemort do the night they flooed to that deserted house, in order to win over the students brought before him.

All these reasons had flashed through his head, leaving a cold fear in their wake, when Lily had revealed what she had seen.

That was why, that night, he hadn't allowed the words Lily so obviously wanted to hear, pass his lips.

She herself was already in an extremely vulnerable position now, and if he had told her the truth, that his true love, his true loyalty, would always lie with her, then that would seal his fate as a betrayer in the Dark Lord's eyes, and also make him more vulnerable in Dumbledore's prying eyes. And he trusted that old, conniving, twinkly-eyed Headmaster even less than those sadistic Aurors, like Sol Fenwick, him and his Order were in league with. The latter, at least were easy to understand and predict, but Dumbledore was a completely different story. He felt there was so much more than benevolence behind those piercing blue eyes, though he could never be sure, exactly, _what_ there was.

Madeira had always taught him to be wary of handing over emotional ammunition to such wizards. Madeira herself was trapped by her own emotional baggage into causing the death of the man she loved.

However, he had to admit that at this point, his most immediate concern was not Dumbledore, but Voldemort...

He had seen with his own eyes what happened to betrayers. ... the smell of burning flesh, the sight of Percival Prewitt's corpse going up in flames, still haunted his nightmares.

He was Lily's only protector now, for only he knew what Voldemort was after, and the Dark Lord was not easily put off. He would re-surface in one or both their lives sooner or later, for the War had gathered so much momentum that it had spread across all of Britain and beyond. No-one, magic or even muggle, was unaffected, and the ranks of the rebel Death Eaters were swelling at an extraordinary rate, (which clearly demonstrated, if nothing else did, just how discontented the magical community was with the way things were run by the Ministry)!

It would not be long before the numbers of the Dark Lord's forces were large enough to be classified as a true army, and now that Voldemort had discovered their secret, the power of their Combined Magic, he would pursue them both for the use of their magic as a 'weapon', but also to stop it from falling into Dumbledore or the Ministry's hands!

He sighed heavily and stood up. Right now, he could do nothing more. He pushed the Dark Lord from his mind, the reckless, restless mood that had plagued him in the past few days since the end of exams, returning: he'd deal with him when the time came.

In the meantime...he went over to one of the desks, shoving some books into his bag and returning the rest with a wave of his wand to the open shelving of one of the cupboards. Today was the 30 th of June, and tomorrow he'd be leaving Hogwarts for Spinner's End.

It was the first time in years that the grim prospect of returning home was unmitigated by the fact that he would be alone with Lily for the duration of summer. His mouth set in a grim line. Well, perhaps it was time he struck out a bit on his own now! He looked down at the last book on the desk. It was his mother's old Potion Book _Advanced Potion-making_. He had been debating whether to take it home with him or not. He decided he would. It was next years' textbook, and it held more than just stuff on potions: it held his growing skills both in Potion-making and in forging ahead, proud and alone, in the field of ancient magic, taking the first steps in that art he knew would one day be famous for.

And, with his mother around to confuse the Trace, he might just be able to practise some of that magic if he was confined to Spinner's End.

Confined there he would be, for he certainly would not be going round to Lily's house this summer! He would never, for the rest of his life, lay himself so vulnerably at anyone's feet again, or beg so humbly as had that night outside Gryffindor common-room! Lily had seen what she meant to him, she'd seen him lose control as he had never done since before he was too young to remember, and yet she'd refused to forgive him! Or if she had forgiven him the 'Mudblood', yet she didn't trust him anymore. It was the one thing he could be sure of, because though he had gone over that night's conversation a hundred times over in his mind, he still felt a bit confused over why had she severed all contact with him (he discounted that parody of polite conversation outright).

Or rather, he knew what she had objected to, but damn it all, he was risking his neck for her (though perhaps she didn't know all the details about that)!The least she could do is drop that false tone of indifference that didn't suit her one bit, and look him in the eyes with some _meaning_! Just because he supported the opposing side in this war, the side fighting the Ministry, didn't mean they had to stop being... well … friends, at least! Why the bloody hell was she doing this to both of them?

But he knew the answer to that question. Much as he hated to admit it, he had misjudged Lily. He had taken too much for granted, especially her warm, forgiving nature. He breathed heavily through his nostrils, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Admittedly, Lily couldn't see what she stood to gain as a muggleborn and he wasn't free to tell her, but still, even though he knew that things couldn't go back to what they were before, not after what happened, but surely this parody of friendship couldn't be what Lily had in mind, either? He'd rather not talk to her at all, than have her speak to him like that!

He scowled down at the open book _Advanced Potion-making_ on the desk before him, realising he was leaning on the desk with clenched fists again. Somehow, these last few days, he was finding himself ever more often with fists curled into balls, eyes staring in mixture of anger and horror as he lived and relived that fateful day, that fateful night, over and over again, as though that way he could find answers, find solutions to fix the unfixable, to erase the hateful memory. His worst memory.

He slowly forced himself to loosen his grip, one finger at a time, and to breathe evenly. He knew he was only trying to whip himself into being angry with Lily to make the separation easier. He couldn't be angry with Lily Evans for long. Besides, the last time he did, he had called her a Mudblood, and his whole world had come tumbling about his ears.

Potter was to blame for that! That hated name acted like a catalyst for the anger that seethed like lava within him, these days it was barely millimetres below the surface of his control, and his fists clenched again, the desk swimming in a red mist before his eyes. If that bloody bastard hadn't humiliated him that day, if he hadn't made him so fucking mad with rage and shame, he wouldn't have lashed out at the only person he cared about in the whole castle, and right now, he could have been looking forward to spending the summer with Lily! He slammed his fists on the desk, setting the inkwells rattling, wishing he had Potter's face within reach so he could smash his fist into his face again!

But Potter and the rest of the Marauders had been keeping away from him, just as he was steering clear from them.

An uneasy truce he knew would only last till the end of the OWLs.

Forcing himself to breathe deeply till the desk swam into view again; his anger subsided with the grim promise that he would never ever allow himself to be humiliated by Potter again. He'd rather use an unforgiveable curse and risk Azkaban, than allow Potter to publicly humiliate him again. And if Potter dared look at Lily Evans again...

He shook himself angrily. Well, he probably wouldn't: Lily made it abundantly clear that she preferred the Giant Squid to Potter.

As for himself, he would pick up the pieces and start again, and carve himself out a life that would fulfil all the ideals and goals he had set for himself. He would take over where his Great-grandfather had left off and become a respected scholar in the re-discovery of Ancient Magic. In a few more months he would be of age…

Somehow the thought of being so close to the day when he would finally be free to use magic, something he had so long anticipated, triggered a new sensation in him. As the anger of a moment before grudgingly dissipated, he felt a new resolve take hold of his mind, and suddenly a shiver of excitement ran through him. He could feel the thrill of being on the threshold of something new, of infinite possibilities, and a new energy coursed through him, a concentrated, single-minded purpose that successfully pushed the dull, aching throb of Lily's rejection to the back of his mind, where he hoped it would be, if not forgotten, then at least temporarily ignored.

And he would join the Death Eaters...Not only because that was the only way he could protect Lily when the time came, but also because he wanted prove to himself, to the Dark Lord, and to all the wizarding world at large, that he, Severus Snape, a half-blood, was worthy to stand amongst the elite of those Pure-blood snobs. And the Dark Lord would take him for what he was, alone and on his owns merits, or not at all. He would become a Death Eater without the extraneous magic the presence of Lily would have provided. He did not need that advantage. He'd stand alone.

And, as he allowed the feverish energy to course through his veins, filling him with renewed vigour, he knew he didn't even care anymore what it took. Something had broken inside him too, and the previous reckless mood was increasing to a point of rash insanity – he felt like he had overdosed on Euphoria-inducing Elixir - there were no barriers to what he could do now and the possibilities seemed endless, the consequences unimportant. It was a guilt-ridden feeling of liberation, but an exciting one, nonetheless.

He looked down at the flyleaf of the battered book lying open before him. There should have been 'Eileen Prince' written there, but his mother hadn't even signed it. Was the memory of her Grandfather's banishment from Hogwarts still too fresh? Well, he didn't care! It should have born the proud name of Prince.

And it would again.

He was a Prince. He had always felt the link to the Prince side of his family much more strongly anyway.

He slowly took a long, black quill into his hand, but as the nib hovered over the book's flyleaf he paused, his mind going back to a promise he had made a couple of years ago, in the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree in the muggle home of the red-headed girl that had so recently become a shadow in his life. They had been looking at the young buck on the Armorial crest of the Snape and Evans family crest, and Lily had extracted a promise from him that he never forget his muggle roots. It was as though she felt the need, even then, to be somehow connected to him, even through their common, muggle, roots.

If she'd thought about it, it was really their magic that had first linked them so inextricably together.

He leaned over the desk and flipped over the pages till he got to the back cover. This signalled the end of era and the beginning of a new one next year, when he'd actually start using this sixth-year textbook. He slowly reached out to dip the quill in the ever-ready inkwell embedded at the top of the desk. He hesitated a moment but then a grim, cynical smile spread across his thin face.

He never broke a promise: he would always remember his muggle roots: in defiance of all the snobbish purebloods in Slytherin and those in the Dark Lord's ranks, he would never, _ever_, hide the fact that he was half-blood.

But this book represented a fresh start too. A new name, but one that was ancient, and was his by right of blood: _Prince_. He had decided long ago that he would bring back the respect that name deserved.

Placing the nib of the quill on the yellowing pages, at the bottom of the back cover, where the mystery would be even more pronounced than the prominence of the front page, he wrote in black ink:

_This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince. _

With a last grim smile, he closed the book with a snap, stuffed it in his bag and strode out of the Hogwarts dungeon into the darkness of the labyrinthine corridors outside and the start of a new life.

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**A/n: This is the end of the fic that revolves around Sev and Lily's childhood and then their Hogwarts' days: their early formative years. I had to end it at this point because it represents a very important turning point in both their lives. I hope the fic has gone some way in providing an explanation, as well as an exploration, of the main characters' later actions and choices, the ones we are familiar with from the HP series.**

**I will be updating my Profile Page re future fics/sequels, but for the next few months I will be lying dormant and will definitely not write anything. Since I started writing in Autumn of 2008, I have put a lot of RL stuff on the back burner in order to keep up the chapter-a-week pace, so now I have to deal with the accumulated consequences of that before I start to write again. **

_**Lily and the Half-Blood Prince**_** is my first and only fic, but I am sure it will not be my last, for I've enjoyed writing it and will continue to do so as long as my unlikely muse, Severus Snape, continues to inspire me.**

**So, finally, a big THANK YOU to all of you, for all the reviews that have made my writing doubly enjoyable: I've looked forward to reading your comments as much as I have looked forward to posting each new chapter! If you are still interested keep me on your alert list and hopefully one day, I'll have something new to offer ( check my updated profile page)!**


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